Truck Inspection Spree Finds Over 1,100 Brake Violations

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance periodically conducts brake inspections of commercial vehicles in Connecticut and across the country in Canada. While many of them are publicized, others are unannounced. Over the course of one day in May, the organization evaluated 9,524 trucks and paid special attention to their braking systems. Inspectors had to remove 1,989 trucks from service, and the majority were because of brake problems.

The alliance pursues the goal of identifying trucks with critical brake violations and taking them off the road. The evaluation of anti-lock braking systems, which the law requires of some vehicles, occupies the attention of inspectors. During the one-day inspection blitz that included 33 states and 10 Canadian provinces, they encountered 4,635 trucks that had legal requirements for ABS, and 391 of them did not meet maintenance standards.

These results confirm the organization’s statement that brake-related problems on trucks account for the largest percentage of violations found during inspections. The alliance is planning another similar event for shortly after Labor Day.

When poor maintenance contributes to big rig accidents, a trucking company could be liable for the injuries inflicted on victims of the wreck. Medical expenses could be high for people in truck accidents because the large vehicles could cause severe injuries, including permanent disability. An attorney who represents personal injury victims could organize the evidence to support a person’s charge of negligence against a driver or company. The evidence could include the trucking company’s logs showing the dates on which the brakes were last inspected and the results.