CVSA Roadcheck 2020: Are you prepared?

The CVSA Roadcheck 2020 is scheduled for September 9-11. Although usually held earlier, it was postponed this year due to the pandemic.

What is CVSA Roadcheck?

The annual CVSA Roadcheck is a high-visibility volume inspection where CVSA-certified inspectors in the U.S., Canada and Mexico conduct driver and commercial motor vehicle inspections. The focus for this year’s 72-hour inspection blitz is driver requirements, which includes Hours of Service and ELDs.

How to prepare for a CVSA check and interacting with law enforcement

Here are a few tips to help you prepare and get ready for the CVSA check:

• In the case that it is requested, have your ELD documentation ready
  • Geotab Drive: Data Diagnostic and Malfunction Events
  • Driver's Guide to the Drive App
  • Geotab Data Transfer Description
• Have at least eight days of blank paper logs available in the CMV
• Annotate or claim unassigned driving time
• Ensure all malfunctions are noted correctly
• Always wear a seat belt
• Have a professional attitude with the inspectors
• Keep your vehicle clean at all times

Finally, conduct thorough inspections yourself to ensure you are not in violation of any rules.

What else is required?

When applicable, commercial motor vehicle drivers may need to have the following:

• Driver’s license
• Skill performance evaluation certificate
• Medical examiners certificate
• Driver’s record of duty status
• Supporting documentation

See also: 4 ELD violations and how to avoid them

2019 inspection statistics

Last year’s CVSA Roadcheck took place in June 2019 and the focus was steering and suspension. Over 67,000 inspections were conducted in the U.S. and Canada.

Some other statistics from 2019:

• The top violation found was for Hours of Service, followed by having the wrong class license
• In the U.S., 4.4% of drivers inspected were placed out of service
• In Canada, 2% of drivers inspected were placed out of service
• There were a total of 748 seat belt violations

Overall, in 2019, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) inspected over 3.3 million drivers, and discovered 944,964 driver violations. Of these, nearly 200,000 were out-of-service violations.

How telematics can help

While telematics is helpful for many reasons, it is also a great tool to automate and manage maintenance workflows. Staying on top of your fleet maintenance will help with overall efficiency, save money and reduce downtime which will lead to not receiving violations.

Another way to avoid possible violations is by checking that your MyGeotab portal is up-to-date and contains all the important information for compliance.

To confirm that you are set up for the ability to transfer HOS logs to the inspector via MyGeotab or the Drive App, ensure the following settings are set up correctly through the ELD Settings Validator Add-In before September 9. 

Learn more about Geotab’s solution for electronic logging here.