International Roadcheck to focus on cargo safety in 2017

Truck drivers in South Carolina and around the country may wish to check their loads are properly secured before taking to the roads during International Roadcheck. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced that cargo safety will be the focus of this year’s 72-hour-long safety initiative, and trucks with loose, damaged or missing cargo tie-downs are likely to be ordered out of service by inspectors.

Most of the inspections carried out during International Roadcheck are the extremely thorough North American Standard Level I type. During the safety effort in 2016, inspectors ordered more than one in five of the commercial trucks and buses they inspected off the road. The CVSA focus was on braking systems a year ago, and 41.5 percent of the out of service orders issued were related to brake defects.

The CVSA says that about 15 inspections are performed each minute during International Roadcheck, and both drivers and trucks are scrutinized. Inspectors ordered 3.4 percent of the drivers they pulled over in 2016 off the road, and logbook and hours of service violations were the most common reasons cited for these orders. The CVSA has produced a list of cargo safety tips for truck drivers who wish to avoid such a fate and complete their journeys without incident.

Shifting loads can make semi-tractor trailers behave unpredictably, and this can have catastrophic consequences in emergency situations. When pursuing litigation on behalf of semi truck accident victims, experienced personal injury attorneys may check inspection records to find out if trucking companies have ignored federal regulations in the past. While prior bad acts may not be enough on their own to prove negligence, they could be used to establish a pattern of reckless actions and a disregard for the safety of road users.