5 Steps to Prepare for International Roadcheck

While many are looking for a silver bullet when it comes to preparing for International Roadcheck, the annual roadside inspection blitz conducted by CVSA, there are actually five.

1. Verify all your vehicles are current on scheduled maintenance and have current periodic (annual in most cases) inspections.

2. Make sure your drivers know what to expect and what is expected of them during a roadside inspection. This includes reminding your drivers to have and carry current credentials (license, medical card, hazardous materials training, etc.). It also means having a back-office system that continuously verifies your drivers have valid credentials.

3. Conduct retraining on the hours of service and records of duty status requirements. If you use ELDs, the training should include:

• Making the required entries (trailer numbers, shipment numbers, duty changes, comments, daily certification, etc.),
• Knowing how to display and transfer the ELD records, and
• Locating the documentation your driver must present during the inspection (user manual, instructions for transferring records and malfunctions, and at least eight blank logs)

4. Work with your drivers on doing effective daily inspections, including pre-trip, enroute, and post-trip inspections. This includes conducting training on inspections and having mechanisms that verify the drivers are doing the inspections. Also, make sure the drivers know how to handle any defects they are discovered.

5. Due to the focus of International Roadcheck 2023, remind or retrain your drivers on:

• Conducting the ABS key-on check and that they are doing it as part of the daily inspection routine, and
• Properly securing the cargo that you haul (placement and use of load bars or straps, blocks and bracing, dunnage, straps, chains, edge protection, etc.).