In The News
Truck Blitz Dates for 2024
Over the years, I’ve learned some valuable lessons from the multitude of drivers, fleet owners, and carrier professionals that I’ve worked or connected with. One of those lessons, is to always be prepared for potential happenings on the road. From a driver’s perspective, that can offer many different meanings. From keeping the truck in prime working condition or prepping for the winter months and icy travel that lies just ahead, the overarching focus is to be ready for anything.
That includes the various truck blitzes that are performed by state and local transportation authorities each and every year. Staying ahead of the game in terms of marked preparedness is key, especially when it comes to a driver maintaining their road warrior status.
Mark your calendars, set your reminders and prepare accordingly. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) recently released their major truck inspection and enforcement efforts that have been scheduled for 2024.
Each year, the CVSA holds numerous inspection and enforcement events throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico intended to improve highway safety by cracking down on vehicle and driver violations.
Dates You Need to Know
The Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative is scheduled for January 8th through the 12th, 2024 in the United States and for February 19th through the 23rd, 2024 in Canada. This program seeks to reduce human trafficking in North America through coordinated enforcement and investigative and educational awareness measures within the trucking industry.
Human trafficking enslaves more over 40 million people in both labor and sex trafficking, exploiting the most vulnerable among us to the tune of $150 billion annually.
The International Roadcheck is scheduled for May 14th through the 16th, 2024. Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program aimed at commercial motor vehicles in the world. Nearly 15 trucks or buses will be inspected, on average, every minute across North America during this 72-hour period.
Since it began in 1988, roadside inspections conducted during International Roadcheck have numbered more than 1.4 million. Roadcheck also provides an opportunity to educate the transportation industry, as well as the general public, about the importance of safe commercial vehicle operations and the roadside inspection program.
Operation: Safe Driver Week is scheduled for July 7th through the 13th, 2024. During Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement personnel will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in risky driving practices.
This program focuses specifically on drivers, because a driver’s actions are ultimately responsible for 94% of all traffic crashes.
Brake Safety Week is scheduled for August 25th through the 31st, 2024. During Brake Safety Week, commercial motor vehicle inspectors conduct brake system inspections, mainly Level IV Inspections, on large trucks and buses throughout North America to identify brake-system violations.
The goal is to reduce the number of highway crashes caused by faulty braking systems on commercial motor vehicles, by conducting roadside inspections and educating drivers, mechanics, owner operators and others on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance, and operation.
The unannounced one-day brake safety enforcement initiative can and will be held at any time during the year and also involves inspectors checking brakes to identify potential brake violations. The previous unannounced brake safety day took place on April 19th, 2023.
As always, remain safe and aware of all that you do in and around your commercial motor vehicle. With these important dates laid out well ahead of the New Year ball dropping, there’s no reason why we can’t work together to ensure a safer 2024 on the roadways of North America.