Brake Week 2020: What You Need to Know
Get ready for Brake Safety Week 2020 with these tips on safety, maintenance and telematics to approach a predictive maintenance routine from GPS Trackit.
It’s not Bike Week, it’s Brake Safety Week. So when it comes to the out-of-service criteria set forth by the CVSA, be sure your fleet is up to par with all the requirements to stay on the road!
What’s Important about Brake Week?
It’s all about safer roadways and healthier communities. According to the CVSA, Brake Safety Week was conceived “to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles with brake system deficiencies by conducting roadside mechanical fitness inspections and removing commercial motor vehicles with dangerous brake conditions from our roadways.”
At GPS Trackit, we agree that vehicle and driver safety should always be top of mind and the highest priority.
What’s Special about Brake Safety Week Inspections?
Technically speaking, the criteria for expecting brakes and hoses don’t change during Brake Week.
However, the CVSA does take this week as an opportunity to collect statistical data for the sake of analysis and compilation. This means being able to generate useful information — like the fact that, in 2019, “13.5% of vehicles inspected during Brake Safety Week were removed from roadways for critical brake-related violations.”
If your fleet was affected last year, you can certainly understand why being prepared to pass an inspection at any time is critical for driver uptime and smooth operations. One of the ways we’re helping our customers be more prepared this year is through telematics which can help you much more quickly and efficiently monitor, diagnose and schedule critical maintenance for your fleet.
What Should I Focus on for Brake Week Fleet Maintenance?
Even though we’re concluding Brake Week 2020, regular brake maintenance is imperative.
Pay Attention to Hoses & Brake Tubing
When you’re checking your hoses and tubing, the two biggest red flags inspectors will be looking out for are hose chaffing and kinked hoses. Data from the FMCSA claims that over 34,000 inspection violations were attributed to this issue during the 2020 fiscal year.
Pre-Trip Checks & Maintenance
When it comes to everyday maintenance, it’s recommended that air chambers, pushrods, and slack adjusters be visually inspected to ensure there’s no damage or problems like loose hanging.
Weekly and monthly checks should include inspections of disk rotors and drum brakes, and the air system should be checked for contamination which could lead to degradation of the seals and valves.
Long Term Brake Maintenance Considerations
Beyond the basics, it can be extremely helpful to layer in other factors like ensuring the proper wheel-end friction and making replacements using the highest quality OEM parts for issues like brake shoes.
A Technological Advantage for Brake Maintenance
Lastly, consider how you might make use of telematics to improve your fleet’s brake performance and reduce the risk of an out-of-service violation. Keeping abreast of all the error codes that relate to your braking systems can help you draft a more comprehensive maintenance plan that borders on predictive maintenance. Digitizing your processes can lead to faster repairs, more accurate use of your parts stock and safe your company from the frustration and time loss that comes from an antiquated maintenance system.
Of course, keeping track of all of these variables in brake performance is tough without a streamlined and automated system. That’s one of the biggest advantages of implementing telematics. If you’re interested in improving the overall efficiency of your fleet management program, consult with one of our expert Fleet Advisors about how you can save your fleet time and money with telematics-based fleet maintenance management.
