Brake conference report offers insight into defects

TORONTO (March 19, 2001) — Defective or poorly adjusted brakes continue to be the leading reason for removing trucks and buses from North American highways. In Canada, the frequency of vehicles with out-of-service brake defects is about 4%-about half the rate in the United States, but high nonetheless.

Two new reports made public by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, and the Ontario Trucking Association shed light on why.

The first report sums up proceedings from the North American Brake Safety Conference held in Toronto last September, which brought together regulators, equipment suppliers, and maintenance managers to talk about the issue. The second provides 12 recommendations on how each group can improve the situation.

The CVSA wants comments on the reports; for information, contact CVSA at 301/564-1623, or the OTA at 416/249-7401.