Check Call: Inspections for all

May 14, 2024

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Blitz week has arrived – although it’s not really a week, it’s only three days. May 14-16, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck takes place throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Typically the CVSA picks one major area of focus each year in addition to the regular inspections. This year it chose two: tractor protection systems and alcohol and controlled substance possession.

Two is a bit ambitious but with good cause.The CVSA stated, “The number of prohibited drivers listed in the U.S. Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (DACH) has been increasing. This alarming trend poses a threat to all motorists who travel on roadways throughout North America.”

When setting loads for the week, it’s not going to be a bad idea to remind drivers to do a quick sweep of the cab before heading out to make sure nothing is there that shouldn’t be there or nothing got stuck under something during home time or off hours.

The other thing officers are focusing on is a little trickier: tractor protection systems. More specifically, the tractor protection valve, trailer supply valve and anti-bleed-back valve. For those who aren’t 100% sure what that is, it prevents air loss from the tractor when it is not hooked to a trailer or if a trailer breaks away.

This is a slightly more involved part of the inspection. Officers will still be conducting Level 1 inspections, which go over vehicle and driver documentation and requirements, but should a driver fail the tractor protection component, the vehicle will be placed out of service and will need to be towed or repaired on-site.

Something to note for carriers and drivers who prefer to drive at night and think they’ll escape part of the inspections. Not so. This year, third shift has been included in the inspections. Everyone participating knows it’s a full 72 hours straight.

The biggest thing for this week is to let shippers know that shipments could get delayed or to add extra transit time for the load so that when drivers are stopped for inspections nothing is delivered late. Also, the importance of a pre-trip inspection cannot be overstated this week as now is the time to get that finicky little something fixed before it ends up being the final violation that puts the truck out of service.

May the odds be ever in drivers’ favor.

SONAR Ticker: OTMS

Market Check. Outbound Tender Market Share measures the number of tendered loads in individual markets in relation to total tendered load volume for the day in the U.S. Each market contributes to a combined total of 100, reflecting the market’s share of the national load volume. For instance, Los Angeles has seen a significant 5.4% increase in outbound tender volume, currently commanding a 2.5% share of the U.S. market.

A higher market share suggests increased demand for trucks, influencing overall freight market capacity. Changes in market share levels can lead to network imbalances, potentially sparking spot market activity. The focus of the chart is on month-over-month changes.

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Who’s with whom? Once again Mexico pulls out a win as top trading partner with the U.S. For the month of March, two-way trade between the two countries totaled $68.5 billion. Canada put up a solid fight with $65.1 billion. March marks the third consecutive month and 13th of the past 14 months Mexico has been No. 1 in trade with the U.S., according to FreightWaves’ Noi Mahoney’s article.

The top five imports from Mexico to the U.S. in March were passenger vehicles ($4.2 billion), auto parts ($3.2 billion), computers ($2.8 billion), commercial vehicles ($2.7 billion) and insulated wires/cables ($1.4 billion), according to Census Bureau data analyzed by WorldCity.

The top five exports from the U.S. to Mexico were gasoline ($3 billion), auto parts ($1.7 billion), computer parts ($932 million), computer chips ($837 million) and low-value shipments ($774 million).

Port Laredo, Texas, takes the win for the top-ranked international commercial trade port.