KEEP YOUR TRUCKS ON THE ROAD

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has released the revised Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC), effective April 1, 2009, for placing vehicles Out-of-Service at roadside safety inspections. CVSA is a nonprofit organization bringing federal, state and provincial government agencies together with representatives from private industry in the United States, Canada and Mexico who are dedicated to improving commercial vehicle safety.

The OOSC identifies serious violations that render a commercial vehicle or commercial vehicle operator an imminent danger to the general public. Commercial vehicles and operators placed Out-of-Service cannot operate until those items that rendered them out of service are remedied or repaired.

The OOSC contains minimum standards. CVSA emphasizes that operators should maintain their equipment at a higher level than presented in the OOSC.

The following information is only a summary and is limited to OOSC relevant to property-carrying operations. This summary does not necessarily cover the OOSC in full detail, so it is strongly recommended that operators also obtain the Official 2009 CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. The official version (available in CD-ROM, handbook, pictorial and standard versions) includes complete details, graphics and federal regulation references. For information on obtaining the official criteria, visit www.cvsa.org or call 202-775-1623.

The necessity for CVSA law enforcement members to implement and adhere to these standards is:
· A matter of law;
· Determined as necessary by the alliance to promote safety; and
· A professional obligation. Except where state, provincial or federal laws preclude enforcement of a specific item, CVSA law enforcement members shall comply with the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.