Roadcheck 2008 Inspection Summary

Nashville, Tennessee --- The Tennessee Department of Safety is participating in Roadcheck 2008, a 72-hour commercial vehicle roadside inspection sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). The goals of Roadcheck 2008 are to increase commercial truck and bus safety and security and to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial trucks and motor vehicles. The event, which takes place simultaneously across North America, will begin at midnight, Tuesday, June 3, and continue through midnight, Thursday, June 5, 2008.

During the 72-hour period, State Troopers will conduct round-the-clock roadside inspections at all nine weigh stations along Tennessee highways. Troopers will conduct Level I inspections on all trucks stopped with added emphasis on safety belt usage, operating authority, insurance and CDL status checks of commercial vehicle drivers. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the 2007 overall safety belt usage rate for drivers of all medium and heavy duty trucks and buses combined was 65 percent. The usage rate for Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) other passengers was 57%. Safety belt usage, among drivers and other occupants combined, in units identified as part of a regional or national fleet (67%) was observed to be higher than independent owner-operators (56%).

“Tennessee routinely conducts a high number of commercial vehicle inspections across the state, including a recent Homeland Security Operation S.T.O.P. at the Greene County Scales on I-81,” stressed Department of Safety Commissioner David Mitchell. “We are pleased to participate once again in the National Roadcheck enforcement program with CVSA to focus attention on the importance of these inspections for the good of public safety.”

During Roadcheck 2007, State Troopers inspected more than 400 commercial vehicles, placing 59 vehicles and 35 drivers out- of-service. In the entire year of 2007, State Troopers conducted over 67,000 inspections, resulting in 4,454 vehicles and 3,764 drivers being placed out-of-service.

“Commercial vehicle inspection is crucial to the overall safety mission of the Tennessee Highway Patrol,” says THP Commander, Colonel Mike Walker. “However, participation in Roadcheck 2008 is about more than enforcing the law; it’s also about educating drivers and the trucking industry to promote public safety.”

The major objective of Roadcheck 2008 is to remove unsafe commercial vehicle drivers and vehicles from the highways. Level 1 inspections are the most thorough and comprehensive inspections and involve all components of the commercial vehicle and driver documents.

FACT SHEET
NATIONAL ROADCHECK 2007 RESULTS

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) & Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

• 62,370 truck & bus inspections nationwide, highest number ever conducted.
• 49,454 Level I inspections.
• 6.2 percent of all drivers were placed out-of-service compared, to 5.6 percent in 2006, which is the highest Roadcheck driver out-of-service rate since 1999.
• 3.5 percent of Hazmat drivers were placed out-of-service, compared to 3.0 percent in 2006.
• 3.8 percent of Motorcoach drivers were placed out-of-service, compared to 2.9 percent in 2006.
• 21.5 percent of all vehicles were placed out-of-service, compared to 21.7 percent in 2006.
• 17.7 percent of Hazmat vehicles were placed out-of-service, compared to 18.2 percent in 2006.
• 12.3 percent of Motorcoach vehicles were placed out-of-service, compared to 9.2 percent in 2006.
• Safety belt violations were down significantly from 1,223 in 2006 to 829 in 2007.
• 65.9 percent of the drivers placed out-of-service in 2007 were for hours of service violations, compared to 57.1 percent in 2006.
• 11.4 percent of drivers placed out-of-service in 2007 were for falsification of records-of-duty status, compared to 12.4 percent in 2006.
• 3.9 percent of drivers placed out-of-service in 2007 were operating while suspended, compared to 3.3 percent in 2006.
• 1.5 percent of drivers placed out-of-service in 2007 were for drug & alcohol violations, compared to 0.9 percent in 2006.

VEHICLE OUT OF SERVICE DEFECT VIOLATIONS

• Brakes comprised 54 percent of total vehicle defects in 2007, compared to 56.6 percent in 2006.
• Distribution of lighting comprised 14.1 percent in 2007, compared to 11.6 percent in 2006.
• Load securement comprised 8.6 percent in 2007, compared to 10.4 percent in 2006.
• Tires/Wheels comprised 8.7 percent in 2007, compared to 9.1 percent in 2006.

TENNESSEE SCALE COMPLEX LOCATIONS

Greene County           Greeneville, Tennessee              I-81         MM 21

Knox County              Knoxville, Tennessee                 I-40         MM 372

Coffee County            Manchester, Tennessee             I-24         MM 116

Robertson County       Portland, Tennessee                 II-65        MM119

Haywood County        Brownsville, Tennessee              I-40        MM 50

The Tennessee Department of Safety's mission is (www.tn.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.