Fleets should already be prepared for the upcoming Brake Safety Week, an annual effort led by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). While safety is the key focus, brake issues can also lead to downtime.

What are the leading causes of brake-related issues, and when fleets have a breakdown on the side of the road, what is the best approach for dealing with the situation?

Work Truck turned to Drew Kortyna, senior director of operations at Fleet Services by Cox Automotive, for some insights.

Q&A with Kortyna of Fleet Services

Work Truck: What are the common brake-related failure points?

Kortyna: Some of the most frequent brake-related issues include worn pads or shoes, air leaks, worn drums, wheel seal leaks that contaminate components, and ABS system failures.

Work Truck: How can fleets stay ahead of those problems?

Kortyna: The best way for fleets to stay ahead of these problems is through a disciplined inspection process. That starts with quality pre-trip inspections by drivers — looking closely for air leaks or worn parts — and ensuring any issues reported are addressed immediately. In addition, fleets should schedule quarterly brake inspections with qualified mechanics and maintain DOT compliance inspections at least every six months. Together, these steps help ensure safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance.

Work Truck: If brake problems cause a breakdown, what should fleets do if they need emergency repairs or roadside service?

Kortyna: The first priority is making sure the driver is safe and comfortable while help is on the way. Fleets should use GPS data to verify the vehicle’s location, then immediately contact their company’s roadside assistance call center or a trusted emergency provider, like FleetNet America. 

Work Truck: What should fleets do after a breakdown?

Kortyna: Once the situation is resolved, it’s equally important to perform a root cause analysis of the breakdown to understand what happened and determine whether it could have been prevented.

CVSA Brake Safety Week 2025

Brake Safety Week kicks off Aug. 24 and runs through Aug. 30. CVSA-certified inspectors in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will conduct routine commercial motor vehicle inspections throughout the week, focusing on brake systems and components. According to CVSA, this year’s focus will be on drums and rotors.

Inspectors will record data about commercial motor vehicle inspections, brake systems and components, and brake-related violations and report that data to CVSA. 

Brake Safety Week 2024 Results

During Brake Safety Week 2024, 16,725 commercial motor vehicle inspections were conducted and reported to CVSA, with 2,149 of those vehicles having brake-related out-of-service violations. That equated to a 12.8% out-of-service rate.

Of those vehicles placed out of service, 1,355 (63.1%) had stand-alone out-of-service brake violations, and 217 (10.1%) had steering axle brake out-of-service violations. 

In addition, CVSA reported 1,216 (56.6%) failed the 20% defective brakes criterion. That states that a vehicle is out of service if the number of defective brakes is equal to or greater than 20% of the service brakes on the vehicle or combination.