Brake Safety Week is scheduled for Aug. 20-26, 2023.

During this campaign, commercial motor vehicle inspectors conduct brake system inspections, primarily Level IV Inspections, on large trucks and buses throughout North America. Brake Safety Week is one of two components of CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program.

Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe commercial motor vehicle operation. However, brake-related violations comprise the largest percentage of all out-of-service violations cited during roadside inspections. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce the braking capacity and stopping distance of trucks and buses, which poses a serious risk to driver and public safety.

Commercial motor vehicle inspectors in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. inspected 38,117 commercial motor vehicles during Brake Safety Week in 2022. Of the total number of commercial motor vehicles inspected, 13.3% were placed out of service for brake-related critical vehicle inspection item violations.

The other part of Operation Airbrake is an unannounced one-day brake safety enforcement initiative, which may be held at any time. More than 3.4 million brakes have been inspected since the program’s inception in 1998.