Note: International verification is inevitable

Drivers pay attention: The international road test will take place on May 17-19.

The annual Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) inspection will remain in just a few days, but that’s enough time to take care of a few elusive people.

Reliance Partners Vice President of Safety Brian Rannells urges drivers to be more careful when checking before a trip and spend a few seconds more to check the air in the tires or look at their brake pads to save them from a few violations.

This year, CVSA will focus on wheeled parts as it performs a full 37 points Level I inspections via the United States, Canada, and Mexico over a 72-hour period.

CVSA notes that the wheel component violations historically account for about a quarter of the violations detected during the international roadside inspection, and violations at the edges of the wheels regularly fall into the top 10 in the list of violations of vehicles.

Runnels advises drivers to know that of the three most common violations – tires, brakes and headlights – two are directly related to the wheel. So keep in mind that inspectors will be particularly interested in inspecting your wheels and brake components.

While last year Roadcheck focused on service hours and lighting, CVSA continued to find that major non-operational vehicle violations were related to braking systems (26.5%) and tires (18, 6%). Around 40,000 drivers passed inspection last year, decommissioned 6710 commercial vehicles and 2080 drivers.

If time is on your side, don’t put off solving these problems. To avoid violations, Runnels said not to neglect pre-trip inspections and not to skimp on diligence.

It’s as simple as checking the air pressure in the tires or checking that they have enough tread. Runnels say they are also looking for insufficient brake pads, leaking wheel seals, cracked wheels or loose or missing nuts.

“These are the simplest things a driver can check during a pre-trip inspection other than the actual brake adjustment, which you need to be certified on a self-adjusting brake,” Rannels said. “You know what they’ll be looking for, so why not do the work you need to do to prepare?”

Although on May 17-19 all commercial vehicles will be inspected, this does not mean that all will be stopped.

Runnels said inspectors would be more likely to stop trucks that fit a certain profile – dirty and emergency vehicles would be the first to look. While this is not always the case, a dirty dashboard or cab is another signal to inspectors that there may be violations.

Appearance often means everything, so don’t forget to maintain and wash your car, and be sure to correct your violations.

“Is this a guarantee that you will not be looked at? No. But does it increase your chances of going through that scale without looking at you? Yes, of course, ‘said Rannels.

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