September 4, 2002

East Lansing.  Officers of the Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Division will be out in force looking for commercial trucks operating with unsafe brakes. The officers are participating in the International Brake Check Day, sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA).

The Brake Check Day will be held September 5, 2002. Michigan Motor Carrier officers, along with roadside enforcement officers from across Canada and the United States, will conduct twelve hours of random brake system checks on commercial trucks as part of 2002 Operation Air Brake. This effort is expected to remove unsafe trucks from the roadways and to promote a greater awareness of the need for drivers and trucking companies to make sure their vehicles’ air brakes are properly adjusted and free from defects.

Data from an unannounced Brake Check Day held earlier this year revealed that 13% of the trucks inspected in Michigan were placed out of service because of brake defects.  Since 1999, the out-of-service rate for brake violations has dropped 7% in the United States.

Officials from both the US and Canada hope that because of the earlier inspections and as a result of an ongoing public awareness campaign, the September 5 inspection results will show an improvement in the number of trucks operating with proper braking systems. CCMTA and CVSA officials will share the results of the September 5 effort with trucking industry representatives to determine whether additional measures are required to improve the compliance rate for commercial vehicles.

Read more press releases from the Michigan State Police.