CVSA Releases 2023 International Roadcheck Results

On May 16-18, 59,429 commercial motor vehicles were inspected in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 72-hour International Roadcheck inspection and enforcement initiative. Eighty-one percent of the commercial motor vehicles and 94.5% of the commercial motor vehicle drivers inspected did not have any out-of-service violations and continued en route to safely complete their runs.

Commercial motor vehicles without any critical vehicle inspection violations are eligible to receive a CVSA decal. During this year’s International Roadcheck, decals were applied to 14,032 power units, 5,814 trailers and 305 motorcoaches/buses, for a total of 20,151 decals throughout North America.

Conversely, CVSA-certified inspectors discovered at least one out-of-service violation on 19% of the vehicles inspected and, in turn, removed those 11,270 commercial motor vehicles from roadways until the out-of-service (OOS) violations were corrected. There were 17,479 vehicle out-of-service violations in total.

Inspectors also restricted 5.5% (3,256) of the commercial motor vehicle drivers inspected who were found to have at least one out-of-service driver violation, as identified in the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, from operating their vehicle. Those drivers were restricted from commercial travel until their out-of-service violations were addressed. There were 5,280 driver out-of-service violations in total.

A total of 116,669 violations were identified throughout the effort, which included all driver and vehicle out-of-service violations and violations that were not out of service, combined.

Each year, CVSA highlights certain aspects of the roadside inspection. This year, inspectors focused on anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and cargo securement. There were 2,975 cargo securement violations and 4,127 ABS violations – four were discovered on motorcoaches, 1,426 on power units and 2,697 on trailers.

Note: Not all cargo securement violations are out-of-service violations. The cargo securement total noted above is for all cargo securement violations – out-of-service and non-out-of-service violations combined. The cargo securement violations in table 1 are out-of-service cargo securement violations only. In addition, ABS violations are not out-of-service violations, which is why those violations are not included in table 1.  

A total of 949 safety belt violations were issued during this year’s International Roadcheck. Meaning, 1.6% of commercial motor vehicle drivers inspected were not wearing their safety belt.

Inspectors also checked commercial motor vehicles carrying hazardous materials/dangerous goods (HM/DG) to ensure they were being transported safely and compliant with federal regulations. During International Roadcheck, 2,853 HM/DG inspections were performed, and inspectors discovered 236 HM/DG-related out-of-service violations.

Table 1

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Inspectors performed a total of 59,429 inspections during the 72 hours of International Roadcheck. Here is a breakdown of the inspection levels:

• 36,021 Level I Inspections – A Level I Inspection is the most commonly conducted inspection level. It’s a 37-step process that checks the driver’s operating credentials and the vehicle’s components.
• 12,741 Level II Inspections – A Level II Inspection is a walk-around driver/vehicle inspection that includes items that can be inspected without physically getting under the vehicle.
• 9,332 Level III Inspections – The Level III Inspection is an administrative inspection of the driver’s credentials, status in the drug and alcohol clearinghouse, and hours-of-service records.
• 1,335 Level V Inspections – The Level V Inspection is the vehicle-only inspection that includes each of the vehicle inspection items.

Inspectors conduct inspections of commercial motor vehicles and drivers following the CVSA North American Standard Inspection Procedures, along with the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in the U.S., the National Safety Code in Canada, and the Official Mexican Standards in Mexico. 

U.S. Data

• Inspectors conducted 53,847 Level I, II and III Inspections.
• The vehicle out-of-service rate was 19.3%, and the driver out-of-service rate was 5.8%.
• There were 15,932 vehicle, 5,020 driver and 205 HM out-of-service violations.
• The top vehicle out-of-service violation was for brake systems, the top driver out-of-service violation was hours of service, and the top HM out-of-service violation was for loading.
• There were 2,798 cargo securement violations.
• ABS violations were discovered on 1,264 power units, 2,428 trailers and four buses.
• Inspectors issued 931 safety belt violations.
• Inspectors placed CVSA decals on 12,284 power units, 4,681 trailers and 305 motorcoaches/buses, for a total of 17,270 decals.

Table 4

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Canadian Data 

• Inspectors conducted 4,247 Level I, II and III Inspections.
• The vehicle out-of-service rate was 20.5%, and the driver out-of-service rate was 3.2%.
• There were 1,453 vehicle, 260 driver and 30 DG out-of-service violations.
• The top vehicle out-of-service violation was brake systems, the top driver out-of-service violation was for hours of service, and the top DG out-of-service violation was for training certification.
• There were 177 cargo securement violations.
• ABS violations were discovered on 162 power units and 269 trailers.
• Eighteen safety belt violations were issued.
• Inspectors placed CVSA decals on 1,748 power units and 1,133 trailers, for a total of 2,881 CVSA decals.

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Table 9

Mexican Data

• Inspectors conducted 1,335 Level V Inspections.
• Ninety-four vehicle out-of-service violations were identified.
• Thirty-six commercial motor vehicles were placed out of service, which is a 2.7% vehicle out-of-service rate.
• The top vehicle out-of-service violation was tires, which accounted for 34% of the total number of vehicle out-of-service violations.

Table 10

International Roadcheck is an annual three-day event when CVSA-certified inspectors conduct compliance, inspection, enforcement and educational initiatives related to various elements of motor carrier, vehicle and driver safety. It includes participation from CVSA’s certified local and state commercial motor vehicle enforcement members, along with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and Mexico’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation.

View International Roadcheck results from previous years.