CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program will hold two annual brake safety campaigns in 2021:

• Brake Safety Week is scheduled for Aug. 22-28, 2021.
• There will be an unannounced one-day brake safety enforcement initiative, which may be held at any time.

During both the announced and unannounced brake safety enforcement campaigns, commercial motor vehicle inspectors conduct brake system inspections (primarily Level IV Inspections) on large trucks and buses throughout North America to identify brake-system violations.

Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe commercial motor vehicle operation. Commercial motor vehicle brakes are designed to hold up under tough conditions; however, they must be inspected and maintained carefully and consistently so they operate and perform properly throughout the vehicle’s life.

Brake-related violations comprise the largest percentage of all out-of-service violations cited during roadside inspections. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce the braking capacity and stopping distance of trucks and buses, which poses a serious risk to driver and public safety.

Outreach and educational efforts by inspectors, participating motor carriers and others in the industry also take place during CVSA’s brake safety campaigns and are integral to the success of the campaign.

Operation Airbrake is a CVSA program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

More than 3.4 million brakes have been inspected since the program’s inception in 1998.