Brake safety conference scheduled for Toronto

BETHESDA, Md. (Aug. 4, 2000) — North America’s commercial vehicle enforcement community will hold a seminar Sept. 15-16 in Toronto to examine how to reduce brake defects and improve brake safety.

Sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, the North American Brake Safety Conference will be directed primarily at finding new brake safety strategies for motor carriers. It will be held during Truck World 2000, a trade show taking place at the The National Trade Centre Exhibition Place in Toronto.

“We want to hear from maintenance managers, drivers, fleet owners — anyone interested in brake safety,” said John Meed, manager of CVSA Programs for Saskatchewan’s Transport Compliance Branch and one of the event’s organizers. “Consider this an open invitation.”

It’s one with a price, however. Registration fees are $200 for U.S. residents and $250 for Canadian residents.

Meed said the conference will look at data received so far from Operation Air Brake 2000, a targeted brake inspection program in Canada and the U.S. Data collected so far indicate 13.7% of trucks inspected in Canada and 20.2% of trucks inspected in the U.S. were placed out of service because of brake defects.

“We want to identify what it’s going to take to reduce the incidents of brake-related defects,” Meed said. “All issues will be on the table, from technology to training.”

For details, contact Larry Stern of CVSA at 301/564-1623.