Level II and Level III Inspection Procedures

The issue is in the inspection procedure for Level II and III at Step 3. To be more precise, it concerns the following statement: “Place chock blocks in position beginning on the driver’s side, one in front and one behind the drive axle tires or between the axles.” There is a lack of precise directive on what to do. Also, the last statement of Step 2 in the same inspection procedures: “Vehicle(s) affixed with current CVSA decals should only be selected if you notice obvious defects or elect to perform a Level II, III or IV inspection.” I see no relevance in having that statement, we are doing either a Level II or III.

For the issue in Step 3, we say nothing about having the parking brake applied or not and whether the vehicle is in or out of gear. I understand that having chock blocks could be an added safety process but we should start by doing the basics. I would suggest to have the parking brakes applied and tested in the same manner we do a fifth wheel check and then put the transmission out of gear (put in neutral) This way, if the driver accidentally starts the vehicle, the vehicle would not start to rock. Then (and only if the parking brakes seem not to hold properly), place the chock blocks…….. Parking brakes have way more strength to hold a vehicle in place than chock blocks and since we do not measure brakes in these levels of inspection, there is no real benefit of having released parking brakes and using the chock blocks. There is also a gain in efficiency when doing Level II inspections by not manipulating equipment for no reason.

Step 2: Remove the last sentence in both Level II and Level III inspection procedure. Step 3: Change the steps to: Same wording before this statement.... Observe the driver’s overall condition for illness, fatigue or signs of impairment. Ask driver to engage the parking brakes of the vehicle(s), and tell the driver to gently rock the tractor back and forth. If the parking brake does not hold, place chock blocks in position beginning on the driver’s side, one in front and one behind the drive axle tires or between the axles. Ask the driver to put the transmission in neutral and turn off the engine, allowing a cool down period for turbocharged engines. Explain the inspection procedure. “The rest stays the same”