Tag: cvsa

CVSA Brake Safety Week is Here! Your Complete Survival Guide

Posted on August 22, 2023 by - CVSA Brake Safety Week

CVSA Brake Safety Week is this week! It runs from August 20-26, 2023.

Brake Safety Week is a weeklong effort to enforce and spread awareness about the importance of brake system truck maintenance.

Be sure that your commercial truck maintenance is taken care of because tons of CVSA inspections will be taking place across the country.

If you’re not sure what’s included in truck maintenance for CVSA Brake Safety Week, ExpressTruckTax has put together a complete guide for CVSA 2023.

CVSA 2023 Inspections

Here’s what inspectors will be looking for, per the CVSA:

  • Check for missing, non-functioning, loose or cracked parts.
  • Check for contaminated, worn, cracked and missing linings or pads.
  • Check for S-cam flipover.
  • Listen for audible air leaks around brake components and lines.
  • Check that slack adjusters are the same length (from center of S-cam to center of clevis pin) and the air chambers on each axle are the same size.
  • Ensure the brake system maintains air pressure between 90-100 psi (620-690 kPa) and measure pushrod travel.
  • Inspect for non-manufactured holes (e.g., rust holes, holes created by rubbing or friction, etc.) and broken springs in the spring brake housing section of the parking brake.
  • Inspect required brake system warning devices, such as anti-lock braking system (ABS) malfunction lamp(s) and low air-pressure warning devices.
  • Inspect the tractor protection system, including the bleedback system on the trailer.
  • Ensure the breakaway system is operable on the trailer.

CVSA Resources

To make staying in the know easy, here is a compiled list of resources from the CVSA!

Don’t Forget Your Form 2290

The 2023 Form 2290 deadline is coming up on August 31! While you’re prepping your brakes, don’t forget to file Form 2290 with ExpressTruckTax.com and avoid IRS penalties!

Operation Safe Driver Week: What You Need To Know!

Posted on July 8, 2021 by - american trucking, Operation Safe Driver Week

What is Operation Safe Driver Week?

Life moves by fast, but next week it might be a good idea to not drive like it does! July 11th-17th this year is the CVSA’s annual ‘Operation Safe Driver Week’ and the focus this year is on speeding, which has been the number one driver-related factor in fatal crashes on highways for years.

For those of you who are not familiar with the CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) or their annual week dedicated to driver’s safety, then this information might save you from an unwanted traffic stop!

From July 11-17, law enforcement officers will be on the lookout for any potentially dangerous driving behavior. Make sure that, during this week especially, you are extra cautious and aware of your speedometer. Although this won’t be the only thing police will be looking at to enforce, your speed will be high on their radar!

If any trucker is seen engaging in unsafe behaviors (speeding, distracted driving, etc.), they will be pulled over by law enforcement and may be issued a warning or a citation. During ‘Operation Safe Driver Week’ in 2020, police observed 66,421 drivers engaging in unsafe behaviors and issued 71,343 warnings/citations.

Why is This Week Important?

This annual program is only a week-long campaign and is supposed to decrease wrecks that are caused by unsafe driving behaviors. 

According to the National Safety Council’s preliminary estimates, in 2020, traffic deaths increased by 24% over the previous year, even though the miles driven dropped by 13%. These statistics are based on all vehicles that used public roads, not just truckers. As a result of this, the CVSA took it upon themselves to educate as many drivers as they can, regardless of the size and amount of axles on a driver’s vehicle. 

The CVSA is in partnership with the Federal Motor Safety Administration and to provide more resources during ‘Operation Safe Driver week’. They believe that the more educated all drivers are about road safety, the less wrecks that will occur. Be especially aware of your speed and partake in safe driving habits July 11th-17th.

Want More Information?

 For more information about ‘Operation Safe Driver Week’ or to find enforcement events in your area, go to https://www.cvsa.org/ or contact the department in charge of overseeing commercial motor vehicle safety in your area!

The Unspoken Rules of the Road

Posted on May 20, 2021 by - Trucker Lifestyle

As every trucker knows, there are many rules and regulations laid down by the DOT, CVSA, FMCSA, and every carrier. However, truckers themselves have been laying down their own rules of the road for some time now.

Don’t Take Your Time At The Pump

Every minute counts for truckers. Whether or not your load is on time ultimately falls on you. This is why taking your time at the pump to grab a ‘quick’ snack or venture off to the restroom for ‘a second’ matters. The trucker waiting to fuel-up is on a time crunch, like you.

Be Careful Where You Park

Taking up multiple overnight spots is just as inconvenient as using two sinks to was both of your hands. If you want respect as a trucker, you are going to have to give it.

What’s In Your Haul Stays In Your Haul

If you grew up with conservative parents you have heard the saying ‘what happens in this house stays in this house’. When you’re on the road, it’s no different. Discussing what you’re carrying may sound like a great way to make small talk with fellow truckers, but cargo theft is a real thing. You don’t want to make yourself a bigger target than you already are. To you, your cargo may not be all that exciting, but thieves can see plenty of opportunity in ‘free’ goods.

Make Friends, Play Nice

No, this isn’t grade school, but being courteous to a fellow trucker should be a given. Truckers spend long hours on the road and getting just a glimpse of positivity when traveling can make someone’s day/trip. Whether you are a veteran or fresh meat on the CDL, small gestures like helping another driver safely switch lanes is what makes trucking a real brotherhood.

Always Toot Your Horn

Someone pumping their arm a trucker hoping to hear an air horn may be the biggest trucking cliché there is. However, no matter what mood you’re in, it has to be done. It shows the public how fun truckers truly are. It’s called public relations and it’s a part of the job.

Give Your Jake Brake A Break

There are many truckers who don’t mind hearing ‘the song of their people,’ but we guarantee that there’s not one trucker who will commend you for using your Jake brake at 2 am.

If you’re in a parking lot at 2 am, more than likely you’re surrounded by restless truckers attempting to get some shut eye before starting their long day over once again. It’s okay to give the Jake brake some rest as well. We know you’re a trucker there’s no need to tell people at the crack of dawn.

Develop these habits and you’ll be on your way to veteran trucker status in no time.

How To Prepare For The 2020 Roadcheck Inspection Blitz

Posted on September 4, 2020 by - CVSA inspection blitz

Next Wednesday through Friday (September 9-11), the CVSA Roadcheck Inspection Blitz will be stopping truckers everywhere.

Last year they focused primarily on Level 1 and Level 2 inspections of commercial motor vehicles.

This year, however, they have a new focus: Level 3 inspections of driver credentials and Hours of Service (HOS). Here’s what you need to know to be ready.

2020 Roadcheck Blitz Breakdown

According to the CVSA, some of the things they look for during a Level 3 inspection include:

“Driver’s license; Medical Examiner’s Certificate and Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE) Certificate; driver’s record of duty status; hours of service; seat belt; vehicle inspection report(s); and carrier identification and status.” 

The record duty status and hours of service points mean that you need to be able to pull up information from your ELD. According to Overdrive.com, you are also required to have at least a week’s worth of paper logs as a backup, among other items related to your ELD.

The best way to avoid an inspection altogether is to have a well-maintained, pre-tripped truck and trailer. If your vehicle looks like it’s in rough shape, this can increase the likelihood of inspections. 

Just be safe, smart, and forthright with inspectors and you’ll be fine!

File your 2020 Form 2290 today

One important piece of information you may need to make sure your driver credentials are current is a stamped Schedule 1 for 2020. If you missed the 2290 deadline, you need to file today!

ExpressTruckTax makes that process quick and easy. You’ll be back on the road in less than 5 minutes!

How To Survive The 2020 CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week

Posted on July 8, 2020 by - Operation Safe Driver Week

One thing that we can all agree on is that we want the roads to become a safer place with fewer accidents, so more hard-working drivers can make it home to their families. That’s what the CSVA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) is doing by setting up annual safety checks to make sure drivers are operating safely and comply with the laws.

The CSVA’s next safety check will take place during the week of July 12-18, for Operation Safe Driver Week.

Operation Safe Driver Week

As a part of CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement agencies from all across the nation will take part in increased traffic safety enforcement and make an effort to educate the masses on how to be safer drivers.

If law enforcement personnel identify commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers or their passengers exhibiting unsafe behavior on the road, they will issue warnings or citations.

Examples of what law enforcement personnel will have their eyes out for include:

  • Speeding
  • Distracted driving
  • Texting
  • Failure to wear a seatbelt (for both drivers and passengers)
  • Following too closely
  • Improper lane changing
  • Failure to obey traffic control devices, and more.

The FMCSA has teamed up with CVSA to sponsor Operation Safe Driver Week, with tons of support from safety transportation organizations in the industry with the goal of improving road safety by addressing drivers operating unsafely on an individual basis.

This safety check was created to decrease the number of accidents, injuries, and deaths involving large passenger vehicles like trucks and buses due to unsafe driving habits and behaviors.

What Can You Do To Be a Safer Driver?

You don’t have to wait to practice safer driving techniques. You can make a few simple changes to ensure safer passage for yourself and those around you today with a few simple things to remember.

  • Get enough sleep! Driving tired is the equivalent to driving drunk. 
  • Slow down! Obey the speed limits, they are there for a reason, and that’s to make the roads safer. Plus, driving a little slower will make you more fuel-efficient.
  • Wear your seatbelt all the time and make sure your passengers do too. Those little straps make a major difference when it comes to saving lives.
  • Put down all electronic devices while you’re driving. When you use them you actually take your eyes off the road, which is very dangerous. If you get bored on the road try finding an entertaining trucking podcast or radio station to listen to before you start driving.
  • Give other vehicles enough space on the road. 

Contact ExpressTruckTax

Don’t forget to file your Heavy Vehicle Use Tax Form 2290 by the August 31st deadline to comply with the law. ExpressTruckTax can help you get your stamped Schedule 1 today!

If you have any questions contact the dedicated ExpressTruckTax support team at 704.234.6005. We also offer live chat and 24/7 email support at support@expresstrucktax.com. Also, stay safe out there and thank you for all your hard work.