Georgia Department of Public Safety Institutes New Roadside Brake-Testing Program

ORLANDO — November 23, 2010 – Brake system defects in commercial vehicles continue to be a threat to highway safety. To this end, the Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD) of the Georgia Department of Public Safety recently acquired a VIS-Check performance based brake tester for field inspections of heavy duty tractor trailers. The portable VIS-Check unit deploys easily in a variety of roadside situations and is designed to withstand heavy use and meet DOT functional specifications with accuracy.

“With the addition of the portable Performance Based Brake Tester (PBBT), our commercial vehicle inspectors are now able to perform a more thorough roadside vehicle inspection,” according to Colonel Bill Hitchens, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. “The equipment has already proven to be a valuable tool during our annual motorcoach inspections at the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo in Moultrie.”

The CVSA attributes new levels of heavy duty truck safety to increased roadside inspections nationwide. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to identify and monitor unsafe procedures and identify solutions that promote commercial vehicle safety. The CVSA Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook recommends taking vehicles off the highways that fail to “develop a total brake force as a percentage of gross vehicle or combination weight of 43.5 or more on an approved PBBT (393.52(a)).”

ABOUT VEHICLE INSPECTION SYSTEMS

Vehicle Inspection Systems Inc. is committed to keeping our highways safe through the use of efficient and innovative equipment like the VIS-Check and the VIS-Polish wheel polishing machine. VIS is a member of the Nepean Group, a diversified engineering company established in 1974. Since its inception in 1994, VIS has implemented workplace automation and best practices in hundreds of heavy vehicle service shops.