Check suspension components

• Any "walking beam" type heavy vehicle suspension has signs of damage to beam;

• Springs are cracked, broken or missing;

• Air bags leak or sag;

• Leaves in a leaf spring are displaced sideways more than 10% of their width or so that they contact wheels, brakes or the frame;

• Shock absorbers, if originally fitted, are missing, loose, inoperative or leak;

• Any suspension component is not correctly aligned or is damaged, loose or broken;

• Any nut, bolt or locking mechanism is insecure or missing.

Many Organizations Support Strong Safety Belt Laws for Teens

Many organizations have joined with NHTSA to help increase safety belt use among teens because they realize that by doing so, thousands of lives will be saved and millions of injuries will be prevented. These organizations include:

• Students Against Destructive Decisions
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Think First Foundation
• United National Indian Tribal Youth
• U. S. Department of Education
• U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
• U. S. Department of Justice.
• Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety
  
• YMCA of the United States of America

Check seat belts

• Any seat belt or attaching point is loose, cracked or has missing fasteners;

• Any retractor, buckle or adjustment device is inoperative;

• Webbing is cut, burnt, tied in a knot, frayed, stretched, severely deteriorated or has broken stitching.

• Seat belts are not fitted in accordance with the table below.

Visuall inspect remote filled internally mounted containers

• The compartment housing the container and its fittings, or the sub-compartment has electrical equipment other than the wiring connecting the contents gauge;

• wiring is not insulated or secured at interval of not more than 600mm;

• any conduit containing the piping and hoses which pass through an enclosed area of the vehicle is missing or damaged so that it allows venting to the inside of the vehicle;

• the clamps for the conduit connections are missing or loose;

• there are holes in the conduit through which wiring can be passed;

Check pin couplings and pintle hooks

• Where ADR 62 applies a 50mm pin type coupling does not display the manufacturer’s name/trademark, rated vertical load and the gross mass rating;

• Pin couplings or pintle hooks have any missing, loose, broken, deformed or cracked fasteners including welds.
  

• Any mounting bolts, fasteners or weld beads have advanced corrosion;

• The area that the pin coupling or pintle hook is mounted on is loose or cracked or any locking mechanism is not fitted or is inoperative;

• The pin coupling or pintle hook welds have cracks;

• Pin couplings or pintle hooks are worn beyond the manufacturer’s limits. If the manufacturer’s limits are not known, any dimension on a wear surface of the horn of a pintle hook or pin coupling is worn more than 5% of the original diameter.

Smart Roadside for Commercial Vehicles Operations

As part of the CVISN Deployment Program and other FMCSA initiatives, new roadside technologies/concepts of operations (e.g. wireless truck and bus inspections, hazardous material operational test, untethered trailer tracking, and vehicle-infrastructure communications) are being explored. Further, numerous non-FMCSA (e.g. Electronic Freight Manifest) and private sector initiatives will impact the adoption and use of onboard and vehicle-infrastructure technology by commercial vehicle operators. All of these efforts are anticipated to enhance some aspect of roadside operations, but greater integration and coordination, along with additional technology process changes, are required for the benefits to be fully realized. As such, FMCSA is developing the Smart Roadside for Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) project to integrate appropriate roadside and in-vehicle systems into a data sharing network.

The overall goal of Smart Roadside for CVO projects is to reduce crashes and provide faster crash scene management, provide more efficient and effective trips and operations, reduce infrastructure costs, and reduce congestion and delays. The project will facilitate changes in the way that commercial drivers, carriers, and public sector enforcement and operations personnel manage the safety, security, and mobility of trucks and buses on the nation highway system. The project will also integrate existing and emerging technologies, link CVO systems to other types of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and information technology investments, and create an information-rich roadside transportation system, where ITS provides critical information for users and managers of the system in a variety of formats and across a wide range of users.

Beginning Drivers’ Crashes Differ

Teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group. Per mile traveled, they have the highest involvement rates in crashes, from crashes involving property damage only to those that are fatal. The problem is worst among 16-year-olds, who have the most limited driving experience and an immaturity that often results in risk-taking behind the wheel. The characteristics of 16-year-olds’ fatal crashes shed light on the problem

Problems Identifying Motor Carriers

In many cases, the company name and USDOT Number on the driver's side of the vehicle identifies the motor carrier responsible for the safe transportation of the goods or persons. However, practices common in the industry such as leasing of a vehicle or being an agent of another carrier can create situations that complicate identification. As a result, it is often difficult for officers to record the proper motor carrier. For example, what should be recorded when there are multiple names and/or multiple USDOT numbers? Or, no information at all

Motor Carrier

The business entity, individual, partnership, corporation, or religious organization responsible for the transportation of the goods, property or people. A motor carrier is the legal entity that directs and controls the operation of one or more commercial vehicles. A motor carrier can be a trucking company, a bus company or any entity that uses vehicles for commercial purposes.

• Motor carrier companies are either for hire or private

• Motor carriers are either Intrastate or Interstate 

Some of your actions may limit your mover's liability

• Packing perishable, dangerous or hazardous materials in your household goods without your mover's knowledge.

• Packing your own boxes. You may consider packing your own household goods articles to reduce your costs, but if the articles you pack are damaged, it may be more difficult to establish your claim against the mover for the boxes you pack.

• Choosing Released Value coverage when your household goods are valued at more than 60 cents per pound per article.

• Failing to notify your mover in writing about articles of extraordinary value.

Onboard Monitoring – FOT

Based on the results of the “Onboard Monitoring to Improve Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety” effort, this FOT will involve approximately 20 instrumented vehicles and approximately 40 drivers to determine whether onboard monitoring and feedback (real-time and delayed) can improve commercial motor vehicle driver performance and safety. It is envisioned that the technology suite will provide driver performance feedback on a number of critical safety factors including hours of service, lane keeping, steering and pedal inputs, safety belt usage, following distance, turn signal use, and hard braking and hard steering events.

Evaluation of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems

The goals of this project include gaining a better understanding of the effectiveness of tire pressure monitoring systems when used in the real world, thoroughly documenting the cost/benefits, and encouraging the development and deployment of these systems by convincing carriers that they have the potential to enhance the safety of their fleets, streamline operations, and have a reasonable payback period. This project will:

• update and expand upon FMCSA past market research study of tire inflation maintenance and management products,

• design and conduct an FOT of these technologies, and

• conduct a symposium and public meeting on tires for heavy highway vehicles.

Check engine and driveline

• Engine and driveline mounts or driveline components are loose, cracked, broken or are missing components or fasteners;

• Any universal joint or securing bolts are loose or missing;

• Engine and transmission controls are inoperative;

• A vehicle fitted with automatic transmission is capable of being started when the transmission control is in a position to drive the vehicle;

• A vehicle fitted with automatic transmission does not have, in the driver’s compartment, an indicator showing the transmission control position (where applicable);

• Seals on covers between the engine and the passenger compartment are missing, distorted or damaged in a way that allows fumes to enter the passenger compartment;

• Engine emits excessive smoke for at least 10 seconds continually at or near the discharge end of the exhaust pipe;

• Emission control equipment is missing or inoperative;

Some of your actions may limit your mover's liability

• Packing perishable, dangerous or hazardous materials in your household goods without your mover's knowledge.

• Packing your own boxes. You may consider packing your own household goods articles to reduce your costs, but if the articles you pack are damaged, it may be more difficult to establish your claim against the mover for the boxes you pack.

• Choosing Released Value coverage when your household goods are valued at more than 60 cents per pound per article.

• Failing to notify your mover in writing about articles of extraordinary value.