Brake Safety Week 2026 results: 15.3% of inspected vehicles parked, and what inspectors found on drums and rotors
CVSA says 2,369 of 15,528 vehicles were placed out of service for brake violations in August; Canada's rate was 17.8%, the U.S. 15.1%.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has released the results of this year's Brake Safety Week, held Aug. 23-29 across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Inspectors in 51 jurisdictions checked 15,528 commercial vehicles. CVSA says 2,369 were placed out of service for brake-related violations, a 15.3% out-of-service rate. The other 84.7% (13,159 vehicles) had no brake-related out-of-service violations.
Results by country
- U.S.: 14,165 inspections, 2,134 vehicles placed out of service (15.1%)
- Canada: 1,306 inspections, 232 placed out of service (17.8%)
- Mexico: 57 inspections, 3 placed out of service (5.3%)
About 91% of the inspections (14,150) were North American Standard Level I Inspections, the 37-step check of driver requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness.
This year's focus: drums and rotors
CVSA collected separate data on drums and rotors this year. Inspectors recorded 141 drum and rotor violations, and 64 vehicles were placed out of service for them.
- Air disc brakes: 32 broken rotors, 45 rusted rotors and 20 metal-to-metal conditions (97 violations)
- S-cam brakes: 36 broken drums
- Hydraulic brakes: one broken rotor, three rusted rotors and four metal-to-metal conditions (8 violations)
The 20% rule did most of the damage
Almost half of the vehicles placed out of service, 1,176 or 49.6%, met the 20% defective brake criterion in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. That means 20% or more of the service brakes on the vehicle or combination had an out-of-service condition.
Inspectors also recorded:
- 600 out-of-service violations for brake hoses and tubing
- 145 for air loss rate
- 92 for steering axle linings and 119 for other steering axle conditions
- 759 other out-of-service brake violations, such as tractor protection, air tanks, parking and emergency brakes, low-air warning devices, and hydraulic or electric brakes
A single vehicle can have more than one violation.
Performance-based brake testers
Twelve U.S. jurisdictions ran 657 inspections on performance-based brake testers. Twenty-nine vehicles (4.41%) failed to reach the required 43.5% minimum braking efficiency and were placed out of service.
What to check before your next inspection
The violations above point to the items inspectors look at during the brake portion of a Level I: brake adjustment and slack adjusters, linings and pads, drums and rotors, return springs and brake chambers, air pressure and air loss, the tractor protection system, hoses and fittings, parking and emergency brakes, and ABS. Hoses and tubing alone accounted for 600 out-of-service violations, so they deserve a close look on every pre-trip.
The next Brake Safety Week is scheduled for April 18-24, 2027. The full numbers are in CVSA's results release.