Brake Safety Week 2025 Is Coming—Are You Ready?

Following this year’s International Roadcheck and Operation Safe Driver Week, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is gearing up for its third major enforcement blitz: Brake Safety Week, scheduled for August 24–30, 2025.

During this week, inspectors across North America will ramp up brake system checks—and any vehicle with critical brake violations will be placed out of service on the spot.

Why It Matters

Last year, 1 in 8 trucks inspected during Brake Safety Week were taken off the road. That’s not just a compliance issue—it’s a business disruption. Out-of-service orders lead to costly delays, emergency repairs, missed loads, driver downtime, and steep penalties. The average brake violation fine? $7,155.

This Year’s Focus: Drums & Rotors

Each year, CVSA spotlights a specific area of concern. In 2025, inspectors will be zeroing in on brake drums and rotors—looking for cracks, excessive wear, heat damage, and other defects that reduce braking power and create serious safety hazards.

In addition to enforcement, inspectors will collect data on the condition of drums and rotors to help shape future safety initiatives.

CVSA has published a checklist of 8 key inspection points for drums and rotors—including tips for spotting heat cracks and checking rotor contact surfaces. If you haven’t reviewed it yet, now’s the time.

What Past Inspections Show

Earlier this year, CVSA held an unannounced Brake Safety Day—resulting in 8.7% of vehicles placed out of service.Last year’s full Brake Safety Week? 12.8% of the 16,725 vehicles inspected were sidelined for brake-related violations.

It’s Not Just About Brakes

Although this campaign emphasizes braking systems, inspectors are trained to expand the inspection scope if they see warning signs. That means you could be flagged for:

• Driver qualification issues

• Suspended or downgraded CDLs

• Hours-of-service violations

• General vehicle defects

Any of these can result in out-of-service orders or costly citations.

What You Can Do Now

Brake Safety Week is just weeks away. This is your chance to take proactive steps:

• Perform thorough brake system inspections—especially drums and rotors

• Review DVIRs and pre-trip inspections for thoroughness

• Make sure your drivers’ credentials and medical cards are current

• Set up ongoing MVR monitoring to catch license suspensions or drug/alcohol violations early

Need help getting your program audit-ready? Your DOT Compliance Gal can review your driver files, vehicle inspections, and safety practices to make sure you're inspection-ready—and help you fix any issues before they turn into violations.

— Your DOT Compliance Gal

Helping you stay on the road, not stuck on the shoulder.