Free driver prep sheet
Brake Safety Week 2026
CVSA's brake-focused inspection and enforcement week runs August 23–29 across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This prep sheet lays out exactly what inspectors are looking for this year, what puts a truck out of service, and how to roll through it clean.
You're set — here's your prep sheet
Brake Safety Week 2026 Prep Sheet (PDF, 4 pages) — the checklist to walk before the week, the stop-and-fix triggers, and the numbers behind this year's enforcement focus.
Download the Prep Sheet (PDF)What's inside
- This year's focus: drums & rotors — why inspectors are specifically collecting drum and rotor data in 2026, and CVSA's own eight-point checklist for what they'll be looking at.
- Walk it like an inspector — a pre-week checklist built from the published Operation Airbrake procedure: air system, pushrod travel, linings and pads, hoses, ABS, and tractor protection.
- The 20% rule, in driver language — what "20% defective brakes" actually means, and the simple arithmetic that parks a five-axle rig. It was the single most-cited brake OOS reason last year.
- Stop-and-fix triggers — the defects that mean the truck goes to the shop, not the scale house.
- The 2026 numbers — results from April's unannounced Brake Safety Day, the best preview of what inspectors are already finding this year, plus last year's full-week stats.
- Final gate check & what changed for 2026 — the before-you-pull-out list, and why prepping from an older Out-of-Service handbook is a mistake this year.
Built from CVSA publications and U.S. federal regulations, with every source cited. Educational summary, not legal advice — always verify against the current official documents.