Level I Inspection Procedure Steps 1-37 - Air Brake System Air Loss at the Tractor Supply or Service Line

The natural progression of the CVSA Level I NASI from step 1 - 37 causes concern when it comes to the discovery of air brake system air loss at the supply or service line from the tractor to the trailer (glad hands). If you were to follow the procedure to a tee you could inadvertently eliminate an out of service violation. The Level I inspection is intended to be an inspection of the vehicle in the condition the vehicle was operated on the highway. If the vehicle had an air brake system leak at the glad hand and we were to perform step 32 (test tractor protection system) prior to step 34 (test air loss rate) then we could inadvertently remove a possible OOS violation (fail air loss rate test) because the air leak could be corrected once the driver reattaches the glad hands after the TPS test.

With the current procedure there is the possibility that OOS items could go undetected. It is important that these violations be documented so drivers are aware of the importance to check air line connections before operating the vehicle, as it could lead to air loss in the brake system, that could have an impact on the safety of the vehicle they are operating.

It would be nice to see some wording in step 32 of the Level I NASI procedure that would indicate if there is a air leak discovered at the glad hand with or without a brake application that step 34 (test air loss rate test) be performed prior to step 32 (inspect tractor protection system).