The performance-based brake testers that inspectors use in some states for roadside brake checks now are used simply as screening devices to let the inspector know if he needs to take a closer look.
Next year, however, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance — which sets inspection standards and out-of-service criteria — is expected to reconsider a proposal that would allow inspectors to put trucks out of service, based solely on data from the performance-based brake testers. Using the data from the testers was voted on by CVSA in 2006, but the proposal was rejected.
“If the data from the machines can be used to place a truck out of service, then a trucker who gets a passing grade on the automated brake test should not have to undergo any other testing to pass the brake portion of an inspection,” says Rick Craig, director of regulatory affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, an associate member of CVSA.
