Brake Safety Week Grounds 2,300 Trucks for Critical Violations

Brake violations sidelined 2,369 trucks during Brake Safety Week

Inspectors placed 2,369 commercial motor vehicles out of service for brake-related violations during this year’s Brake Safety Week, according to results released by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

The seven-day campaign, held in August across North America, included 15,528 commercial motor vehicle brake inspections. Of those vehicles, 13,159 — or 84.7% — had no brake-related out-of-service violations. The remaining 2,369 vehicles produced a brake-related out-of-service rate of 15.3%.

Brake Safety Week is an annual inspection and compliance program focused on identifying brake-system violations and reinforcing the importance of properly maintained brakes. The event also provides inspectors with an opportunity to educate drivers, motor carriers and other industry stakeholders about brake safety.

Most of this year’s inspections were North American Standard Level I inspections. Those comprehensive inspections accounted for 91% of the total, or 14,150 inspections.

Defective brakes were the largest category

Inspectors placed 1,176 vehicles out of service after finding that they met the 20% defective-brake criterion in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. Under that standard, a vehicle or combination is placed out of service when 20% or more of its service brakes have an out-of-service condition.

Other brake-related out-of-service violations included 600 violations involving brake hoses and tubes. Inspectors also recorded 145 violations for excessive air loss and 92 violations involving steering axle linings. Another 119 violations involved other steering axle conditions.

The campaign recorded 759 additional brake-related out-of-service violations. Those included problems involving tractor protection systems, air tanks, parking, emergency and breakaway brakes, low-air warning devices, and hydraulic or electric brake systems.

For drivers, the findings underscore the importance of checking the entire brake system during pre-trip and en route inspections. Brake hoses, tubes, linings, steering axle components and air-system performance were among the equipment areas cited during the campaign.

Drums and rotors were this year’s focus

This year’s initiative included specific data collection on brake drums and rotors. Inspectors identified 141 violations involving those components, resulting in 64 vehicles being placed out of service.

Brake drums and rotors are critical parts of a vehicle’s service-brake system. Inspectors’ focus on those components was intended to provide more detailed information about the types of defects being found during roadside inspections.

The campaign also included inspections using performance-based brake testers, or PBBTs. Twelve U.S. jurisdictions conducted 657 PBBT inspections. Twenty-nine vehicles, or 4.41% of those tested, failed to meet the required minimum braking-efficiency rate of 43.5% and were placed out of service.

That 43.5% minimum is required under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the CVSA’s North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.

Brake violations have drawn increased attention

Nationally, brake violations have become more prominent since the beginning of 2025, according to an analysis of federal data by Overdrive and sister Fusable company RigDig. Brake Safety Week provides a concentrated look at those violations by combining inspections from multiple jurisdictions during the same week.

The campaign results do not mean that every truck inspected had a complete equipment review beyond the scope of the inspection performed. However, the numbers show that brake-system defects remain a significant source of out-of-service violations during a major annual enforcement effort.

For drivers preparing for roadside inspections, the results point to several areas requiring close attention: brake adjustment and condition, air-loss rates, hoses and tubes, steering axle components, tractor protection systems, and emergency or parking brakes. Identifying problems before departure can help prevent an out-of-service violation and keep a vehicle from being taken off the road.

Next year’s Brake Safety Week is scheduled for April 18-24, 2027. The earlier dates will place the event before the annual Roadcheck inspection campaign in May.