Brake Safety Day Results: 398 Taken Out of Service

2025 Brake Safety Day Results: Nearly 400 Trucks Placed Out of Service for Brake Violations

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has released the results from its 2025 Brake Safety Day, an unannounced one-day inspection effort focused on commercial vehicles. Held on April 22, inspectors in 45 jurisdictions across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico conducted a total of 4,569 inspections. Out of those, 398 trucks—or 8.7%—were placed out of service due to critical brake-related violations.

Brake Safety Day Focuses on Drums and Rotors

This year’s Brake Safety Day put special emphasis on brake drums and rotors. Inspectors discovered 32 violations related to these components, with 14 of those violations serious enough to warrant out-of-service status. Faulty brake drums or rotors can severely impact braking efficiency and may lead to safety risks such as road debris or complete brake failure.

Out of the 32 total violations involving brake components:

• 20 violations involved air disc brakes,
• 8 violations involved S-cam brakes,
• 4 violations involved hydraulic brakes.

Broken or rusted rotors were among the most common issues cited.

Breakdown of Brake Violations

Brake Safety Day results revealed that a majority of the out-of-service violations stemmed from vehicles failing the 20% defective brake rule. Under this criterion, if 20% or more of a vehicle’s brakes are in poor condition, the vehicle is immediately pulled from service. Of the total vehicles placed out of service:

• 237 violations (59.5%) were due to defective brakes,
• 77 violations (19.3%) involved brake hoses or tubing,
• 48 vehicles (12.1%) had steering axle brake issues,
• 38 vehicles (9.5%) failed the air loss rate test,
• 14 vehicles (3.5%) had issues directly tied to brake drums or rotors.

An additional 112 brake-related violations were noted, including air and hydraulic fluid leaks, worn lines, and problems with the low-air warning system.

Braking Efficiency Testing

Some jurisdictions also used performance-based brake testers (PBBTs), which measure how well a vehicle can stop. In the U.S., 100 vehicles were tested using this method. Eight vehicles (8%) failed to meet the minimum required braking efficiency of 43.5%, resulting in their removal from service.

Results by Country

Here’s how the numbers broke down across North America:

• United States: 3,819 inspections, 303 OOS vehicles (7.9%), 29 drum/rotor violations
• Canada: 744 inspections, 95 OOS vehicles (12.8%), 3 drum/rotor violations
• Mexico: 6 inspections, 0 violations

The combined result across all countries was an 8.7% out-of-service rate.

Past Years Show Declining OOS Rates on Brake Safety Day

Brake Safety Day is part of CVSA’s Operation Airbrake initiative. While results vary year to year, recent trends show a slight decrease in brake-related out-of-service (OOS) rates during the unannounced one-day event:

• 2024: 4,898 inspections, 570 OOS vehicles (11.6%)
• 2023: 11.3% OOS rate
• 2022: 14.1% OOS rate
• 2021: 12.6% OOS rate
• 2019: 16.1% OOS rate

The 2025 OOS rate of 8.7% marks a notable improvement compared to recent years, suggesting that commercial motor carriers may be making progress on proactive brake maintenance.

Upcoming: Brake Safety Week 2025

In addition to the unannounced Brake Safety Day, CVSA also conducts a planned Brake Safety Week each year. This year’s week-long campaign is scheduled for August 24–30, 2025. While Brake Safety Day is more limited in scope and sudden in execution, Brake Safety Week allows for broader enforcement and often includes tens of thousands of inspections.

In 2024, Brake Safety Week included 16,725 inspections, with 13% of vehicles placed out of service. Similar numbers were seen in 2023 and 2022, reflecting ongoing concerns about brake maintenance in the industry.

Brake Safety Remains a Top Concern

Brake-related violations continue to be one of the leading causes of vehicle out-of-service orders in commercial trucking. These inspections serve as a critical reminder that preventive maintenance and regular checks are essential not only for regulatory compliance but also for road safety.

Through programs like Operation Airbrake, CVSA and its partners aim to reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities caused by faulty brake systems on large trucks and buses.