This article was originally distributed via PRWeb. PRWeb, WorldNow and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.
SOURCE: Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
This reference tool is designed to improve commercial motor vehicle safety through uniformity in compliance and enforcement throughout North America. Specifically, it identifies Critical Vehicle Inspection Item violations during a roadside inspection that can prohibit a motor carrier or operator from driving or operating a commercial motor vehicle for a specified period of time or until the defective condition is corrected.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) February 19, 2013
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announced that the 2013 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial (OOSC), which goes into effect on April 1st, 2013, is now available. The OOSC, the only official reference book of its kind for law enforcement and the motor carrier industry, is a valuable tool designed to improve commercial motor vehicle safety by promoting uniformity in compliance and enforcement throughout North America.
CVSA has maintained, updated and published the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria annually for more than twenty years. It is heavily relied upon by highly qualified, specially trained and certified state, provincial, territorial and federal law enforcement personnel in identifying Critical Vehicle Inspection Item violations during a roadside inspection. These violations can prohibit a motor carrier or operator from driving or operating a commercial motor vehicle for a specified period of time or until the defective condition is corrected.
“Every motor carrier, CMV driver, technician and maintenance personnel should be familiar with the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. This is an invaluable resource for the entire commercial motor vehicle community,” said Collin Mooney, deputy executive director for CVSA.
Rob Abbott, vice president of safety policy with the American Trucking Associations and chair of CVSA’s Associate Advisory Committee agrees. “Knowing which commercial motor vehicle violations are most likely to cause a breakdown or a crash helps provide carriers with the necessary focus and prioritization on vehicle maintenance issues, which, of course, is critical to ensuring safety. It also helps prevent unnecessary delays and down time in transit that can result from a vehicle breakdown or having a vehicle placed out-of-service,” said Abbott.
Specifically, the 2013 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial includes…
-
Part I—Detail violations which place a driver out-of-service.
- Part II—Outline the Critical Vehicle Inspection Items and provides direction to each commercial vehicle inspector in North America identifying at what point a commercial motor vehicle can no longer be safety operated for fear of causing an accident or breakdown, due to its mechanical condition.
- Part III—Provide guidance for unsafe hazardous materials transportation, including both conditions which fail to communicate a hazard and those which are themselves hazards.
- Part IV—Establish criteria for placing a motor carrier out-of-service.
About the North American Standard Inspection Program
Approximately four million commercial motor vehicle roadside inspections are conducted annually across North America by government enforcement agencies. CVSA decals, which are issued upon the successful completion of a Level I or V inspection, are only applied to commercial motor vehicles with no violations of the Critical Vehicle Inspection Items contained in the OOSC. The OOSC is a component of the North American Standard Inspection Program, which is developed through a collaborative process that includes government and industry experts and focused on the issues most critical to maintaining the safe operations of commercial vehicles, as well as drivers, on our roadways. The North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial is available now.
About the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization composed of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada and Mexico. Our mission is to promote commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement, industry and policy makers. In addition, CVSA has several hundred associate members who are committed to helping the Alliance achieve its goals, uniformity, compatibility and reciprocity of commercial vehicle inspections, and enforcement activities throughout North America by individuals dedicated to highway safety and security.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/OOSC/prweb10435464.htm
