Commercial vehicle inspectors across North America removed nearly 600 trucks from service in a single day during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual Brake Safety Day.
The unannounced inspection event, held April 14, 2026, resulted in 574 commercial motor vehicles being placed out of service due to brake‑related violations. Inspectors completed 4,021 inspections across 47 jurisdictions in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
According to CVSA, 14.3 percent of all vehicles inspected were restricted from travel after inspectors identified brake defects serious enough to compromise safe operation. Vehicles without critical violations were eligible to receive a CVSA decal.
This year’s initiative placed special emphasis on brake drums and rotors. Inspectors documented 43 violations in those components, including broken rotors, rusted rotors, metal‑to‑metal contact, and broken drums. Of those, 21 were out‑of‑service violations.
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Brake performance issues were also a major factor. Inspectors found 313 vehicles that met the 20 percent defective‑brake threshold, meaning at least one‑fifth of the braking system was impaired.
Additional findings included 121 out‑of‑service brake hose or tubing violations, 47 steering‑axle brake violations, 40 failed air‑loss rate tests, and 193 other brake‑related out‑of‑service conditions, such as inoperative parking brakes, low‑air warning failures, and tractor protection system issues.
Canadian inspectors conducted 716 inspections and placed 112 vehicles out of service, resulting in a 15.6 percent brake OOS rate—slightly above the North American average. US inspectors completed 3,301 inspections with a 13.9 per cent OOS rate, while Mexico recorded two brake OOS violations out of four inspections.
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Ten US jurisdictions also used performance‑based brake testers (PBBTs) to measure braking efficiency. Of the 349 vehicles tested, 26 failed to meet the required 43.5 percent minimum braking efficiency and were placed out of service.
Most inspections—3,643 in total—were North American Standard Level I inspections, the most comprehensive inspection type, covering both driver requirements and mechanical fitness.
Brake Safety Day is part of CVSA’s Operation Airbrake program, which aims to reduce brake‑related crashes through inspection, education, and enforcement. CVSA’s next brake‑safety campaign is scheduled for August 23–29, 2026.
For more information, visit https://cvsa.org.