June 6th, 2016 - 11:49 am
Heating oil dealers who transport product in commercial motor vehicles should be prepared for a major enforcement blitz beginning tomorrow when a nationwide roadside commercial motor vehicle inspection sweep is scheduled to take place.
The annual inspection blitz is important to heating oil dealers because it could lead to an immediate out of service order and adversely impact motor carrier safety ratings. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), a group of federal, state and local transportation enforcement agencies, is preparing to put 10,000 inspectors at 1,500 sites nationwide to conduct approximately 75,000 roadside inspections this Tuesday through Thursday. The CVSA "RoadCheck" inspection sweep is an annual event designed to highlight common violations of state and federal motor carrier and HAZMAT transportation regulations. The goal of the RoadCheck program is to take unsafe drivers and vehicles off the road, increase awareness of inspections and their function, educate drivers about vehicle maintenance, and gather general motor carrier compliance data.
Drivers stopped during the RoadCheck enforcement sweep should be prepared to undergo a full North American Level 1 roadside inspection. Level 1 inspections review the following: driver's license; medical examiner's certificate; alcohol and drug use; driver's record of duty status; hours of service; seat belt use; vehicle inspection report; brake systems; coupling devices; exhaust systems; frame; fuel systems; lighting devices (turn signals, brake lamps, tail lamps, head lamps and lamps/flags on projecting loads); safe loading; steering mechanism; suspension; tires; wheels and rims; windshield wipers; and compliance with applicable HAZMAT requirements such as placards and markings. (Click here to read a detailed explanation of Level 1 inspections.)
Each year, in addition to the comprehensive Level 1 roadside inspection, inspectors will emphasize a special category of violation. This year, inspectors will place special emphasis on truck tire inspections, including tire pressure, tread size, tread depth, wheel alignment and wheel position/matching duals.
Click on the following link for tips on avoiding roadside inspection tire violations: Tips for Avoiding Tire Violations.
Click on the following link to see the top 15 most common tire violations handed out at roadside inspections during calendar year 2015: Most Common Tire Related Violations from Calendar Year 2015.
RoadCheck inspection results will be used to determine which transporters will be selected for a more comprehensive safety review under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA's) new Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA).
Click on the following to see roadside inspection tips for drivers: Driver Check List.
To learn more about RoadCheck 2016 please click on the following link: RoadCheck 2016.
Got Questions? Contact Mark S. Morgan NEFI Regulatory Counsel: mark@nefi.com
we proudly endorse
