The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) annually conducts a roadcheck to ensure the safety of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). This 72-hour event has been conducted annually since 1988 and continues each year in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The CVSA test has always been transparent and open, with dates and focuses announced beforehand. This has been done deliberately to allow fleets to be prepared for inspection, hopefully leading to greater safety on the roads and fewer violations reported. With this inspection right around the corner, how should a fleet manager best prepare for the upcoming CVSA test?
This Year’s Focus: CMV Driver Requirements
For each year’s annual roadcheck, the CVSA focuses on a particular area of safety or compliance. This year, the emphasis will be on driver requirements. According to the CVSA’s site, the following areas of focus will be inspected.
“The inspector will collect and verify the driver’s documents, identify the motor carrier, examine the driver’s license or commercial driver’s license, check record of duty status and review periodic inspection report(s). If applicable, the inspector will check the Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate and the driver’s daily vehicle inspection report. Inspectors will also check drivers for seat belt usage, illness, fatigue, and apparent alcohol and/or drug possession or impairment.”
To prepare for this portion of the CVSA test, there are several simple steps fleet managers should take. These include:
- Ensuring your electronic logging devices (ELDs) meet Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requirements. If you’re not sure, you can find a list of approved ELDs here.
- Ensure all of your drivers are carrying their driver’s license, and that they are not expired or otherwise invalid.
- Determine which of your drivers need a medical examiner’s certificate or skill performance evaluation certificate and ensure they have this documentation available.
- Review Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) procedures with drivers and ensure that they’re completing their daily reports.
- Review basic driver safety concerns such as seat belt usage and driver impairment with your drivers to ensure they are not on the road when they’re under the weather or exhibiting other unsafe behaviors.
Other Requirements: North American Standard Inspection, Level 1
In addition to the focus of driver requirements, the CVSA roadcheck also includes a North American Standard Inspection, Level 1. This includes an inspection of the vehicle, as follows:
“The vehicle inspection includes checking critical vehicle inspection items such as: brake systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, driveline/driveshaft components, driver’s seat (missing), exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels, rims and hubs, and windshield wipers. Additional items for buses, motorcoaches, passenger vans or other passenger-carrying vehicles include emergency exits, electrical cables and systems in engine and battery compartments, and temporary and aisle seating.”
To ensure compliance with this portion of the roadcheck, be sure to address any issues found in daily DVIRs immediately. It may also be a good idea to have a more thorough inspection done on each vehicle prior to the roadcheck dates. This way you can identify and correct any maintenance issues before they become a safety hazard and a violation.
Because the CVSA is so open and forthcoming about the upcoming roadcheck, they give fleets the opportunity to avoid costly fines and having vehicles placed out of service in extreme cases. Be sure to take advantage of this advanced knowledge and prepare your fleet and drivers accordingly.
If you need help meeting requirements for ELDs or DVIRs, or want to initiate a preventative maintenance program to keep your vehicles in top shape, we’re happy to help. Azuga’s GPS tracking devices offer these benefits and many more. We can scale to meet the challenges of small businesses or enterprise fleets, and offer remote monitoring for fleet managers on the go. To learn more about how we can improve your fleet management practices, schedule a free demo today.
