CVSA Roadcheck 2023: what the ABS and cargo checks found
Roadcheck 2023 put anti-lock brakes and cargo securement under a spotlight for 72 hours. The numbers show which one stops trucks and which one only gets written up.
Written by Rigo Diaz
Roadcheck 2023 in numbers
CVSA Roadcheck 2023 ran May 16-18 across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., with a focus on anti-lock braking systems and cargo securement. Inspectors completed 59,429 inspections, placed 11,270 vehicles and 3,256 drivers out of service, and recorded 4,127 ABS violations and 2,975 cargo securement violations.
I spent more than six years in risk management before I founded Simplex, and I have led it for more than 25 years since. I read Roadcheck results for the pattern, not the headline.
Roadcheck 2023 is history, and its violations have aged out of every carrier's CSA measures. Its numbers still matter: 2023 was the last time before 2026 that cargo securement was a focus, and the result barely moved.
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Generated with AI text-to-speech from this article's key insights, in order, rather than reading it word for word. Chapter times come from a transcript of the audio. The article itself was written and reviewed by Rigo Diaz.
Key takeaways
Roadcheck 2023 ran May 16-18
Inspectors in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. completed 59,429 inspections in 72 hours. CVSA released the results on July 31, 2023.
ABS drew 4,127 violations and no out-of-service orders
ABS defects are not out-of-service conditions, but they are still written on the inspection report. Trailers carried 2,697 of them.
Cargo securement ranked fourth
Its 2,171 out-of-service violations made up 12.4% of all vehicle out-of-service violations.
Brakes and hours led, as usual
Brake systems and defective service brakes were 39.3% of vehicle out-of-service violations. Hours of service was 41.1% of driver out-of-service violations.
The cargo number repeated in 2026
When cargo securement returned as the focus in 2026, it again ranked fourth at 12.4%.
In this articleContents
What was CVSA Roadcheck 2023?
CVSA Roadcheck 2023 was a 72-hour inspection and enforcement event held May 16-18, 2023, in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) runs it each year with support from FMCSA, Transport Canada, and Mexico's Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation.
Inspectors ran their usual roadside inspections at weigh stations, designated inspection areas, and along roadways. Most were Level I, the 37-step check of the driver's credentials and the vehicle's components; our guide to CVSA inspection levels explains the others.
Each year CVSA picks areas to emphasize. In 2023 they were anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and cargo securement. A vehicle that passed a Level I or Level V inspection with no critical violations could get a CVSA decal, valid for three months.
What were the CVSA Roadcheck 2023 results?
Most trucks and drivers passed: 81% of vehicles and 94.5% of drivers had no out-of-service violations, according to CVSA's 2023 results. Inspectors placed 11,270 vehicles (19%) and 3,256 drivers (5.5%) out of service and applied 20,151 decals.
Across all inspections they recorded 116,669 violations, out of service and not. Brakes led the vehicle side, hours of service the driver side:
| Category | OOS violations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Brake systems | 4,412 | 25.2% |
| Tires | 3,368 | 19.3% |
| Defective service brakes | 2,468 | 14.1% |
| Cargo securement | 2,171 | 12.4% |
| Lights | 2,015 | 11.5% |
- Drivers: hours of service (2,169, 41.1%) and false logs (1,392, 26.4%) made up two-thirds of driver out-of-service violations. No medical card was fifth at 241.
- Safety belts: inspectors wrote 949 belt violations, meaning 1.6% of drivers inspected weren't wearing one.
- Hazmat: 2,853 hazardous materials inspections produced 236 out-of-service violations, led by loading.
What did inspectors find on anti-lock brakes?
They found 4,127 ABS violations: 2,697 on trailers, 1,426 on power units, and four on motorcoaches. None put a vehicle out of service, because ABS defects are not out-of-service conditions, so they don't appear in the table above.
Federal rules require ABS on truck tractors built on or after March 1, 1997, on other air-braked trucks, buses, and trailers built on or after March 1, 1998, and on hydraulic-braked trucks and buses built on or after March 1, 1999 (49 CFR 393.55). Trailers built on or after March 1, 1998 also need an exterior ABS malfunction lamp.
How to check the ABS lamps
According to CVSA's ABS guidance, the lamp is yellow and marked ABS. On a tractor or truck it sits on the dash; on a trailer, it sits outside, near the red side marker lamp on the left rear side. A tractor built after March 1, 2001 that is equipped to tow has two dash lamps, one for itself and one for the trailers.
- At power-up, each lamp should come on briefly while the system self-tests, then go off.
- If it never lights, the bulb, wiring, or controller may be at fault, and you likely have a violation.
- If it stays on, or comes on while driving, the ABS has a malfunction, which is also a violation.
Trailers carried almost two of every three ABS violations, and a trailer's lamp can only be seen from outside. Make it part of the walk-around, not just the dash check. Our Brake Safety Week guide covers the rest of a brake check.
Not out of service doesn't mean free. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System uses violations recorded on an inspection report whether or not a ticket is written. In its violation list, every ABS violation counts in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC with a severity weight of 4 on a 1-to-10 scale.
What did inspectors find on cargo securement?
They recorded 2,975 cargo securement violations, out of service and not. Of the out-of-service kind there were 2,171, the fourth most common vehicle out-of-service violation at 12.4%. Unlike ABS, a cargo securement defect can stop the truck until the load is fixed.
What the cargo securement rules require
The federal rules in 49 CFR Part 393, Subpart I apply to trucks, tractors, and trailers, and require cargo to be secured so it can't leak, spill, blow, fall off, or shift enough to affect handling. The general rules cover every load except loose bulk, such as sand or grain, carried in a tank, hopper, or box built into the vehicle:
- Immobilize the load. Use structures of adequate strength, dunnage or dunnage bags, shoring bars, tiedowns, or a combination (393.106).
- Enough strength. The tiedowns' aggregate working load limit must be at least half the weight of what they secure (393.106).
- Enough tiedowns. An article not blocked at the front needs one to two tiedowns up to 10 feet long, then one more for every additional 10 feet or fraction (393.110).
- Sound equipment. No cuts, cracks, or knots in tiedowns, and edge protection wherever a tiedown could be cut or abraded (393.104).
These violations score too. In the same SMS list, insufficient tiedowns or working load limit carry a severity weight of 3, and cargo that leaks, spills, blows, or falls from the vehicle carries a 7.
When the driver must check the load
Before driving, and again within the first 50 miles. After that, the driver re-examines the cargo and its tiedowns at each change of duty status, or after 3 hours or 150 miles of driving, whichever comes first (49 CFR 392.9). The exception is a sealed load the driver was told not to open, or one loaded so it can't be inspected.
How does Roadcheck 2023 compare with 2026?
Closely on the vehicle side. Cargo securement returned as the vehicle focus in 2026 and landed in exactly the same place: fourth, at 12.4% of vehicle out-of-service violations.
| Measure | 2023 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | May 16-18 | May 12-14 |
| Focus areas | ABS; cargo securement | ELD tampering; cargo securement |
| Inspections | 59,429 | 54,575 |
| Vehicles placed OOS | 11,270 (19%) | 10,350 (19%) |
| Drivers placed OOS | 3,256 (5.5%) | 3,184 (5.8%) |
| Cargo securement OOS violations | 2,171 (12.4%, 4th) | 1,724 (12.4%, 4th) |
| Top driver OOS violation | Hours of service (41.1%) | No medical card (27%) |
Cargo securement also stayed in the top five in the years between: fifth in 2024 (9.6%) and fifth in 2025 (11.4%), when it wasn't a focus at all. Brakes led every year.
The driver side moved more. Hours of service and false logs dominated in 2023; by 2026, missing medical certification led. Our Roadcheck 2026 results guide covers that shift and the latest numbers.
Do Roadcheck 2023 violations still count against you?
No. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System stops using inspections and violations once they are older than 24 months, so violations written May 16-18, 2023 dropped out of carriers' measures by May 2025.
What carries over is the pattern. If brakes, tires, and load securement were your problem in 2023, the same categories are where inspectors are finding problems today, and recent violations weigh the most. Our guide to the seven BASICs explains how each category is scored.
Roadcheck is also only one of CVSA's yearly campaigns. Our DOT blitz week guide lists the others and a checklist to prepare for them.
How Simplex helps you pass the next inspection
Roadcheck numbers repeat because the same gaps repeat. We help you find yours before an inspector does.
Help with high CSA scores
Our CSA program support helps you understand the inspection violations behind your scores and work to improve them.
Monitoring that runs all year
Our compliance programs include driver qualification file management, CSA monitoring, mock audits, and HOS management.
Cargo coverage placed by the same team
As a broker, we quote and place motor truck cargo insurance alongside your liability and physical damage coverage.
Frequently asked questions
When was CVSA Roadcheck 2023?+
What were the Roadcheck 2023 focus areas?+
What were the CVSA Roadcheck 2023 results?+
Does a bad ABS lamp put a truck out of service?+
Was Roadcheck 2023 an FMCSA safety blitz?+
Where this information comes from
The dates and results below come from CVSA, and the rules and scoring from FMCSA and federal regulation, checked on October 19, 2026.
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1
CVSA — 2023 International Roadcheck results
Inspection counts, out-of-service rates, top violations, ABS and cargo securement totals, and decals for 2023.
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2
CVSA — International Roadcheck 2023 announcement
The May 16-18 dates, the two focus areas, ABS not being an out-of-service item, and decal validity.
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3
CVSA — 2026 International Roadcheck results
The 2026 figures used in the 2023 vs 2026 comparison.
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4
eCFR — 49 CFR 393.55
Which vehicles must have ABS and malfunction lamps, by manufacture date.
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5
eCFR — 49 CFR Part 393, Subpart I
Cargo securement rules: working load limits, tiedown counts, and equipment condition.
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6
eCFR — 49 CFR 392.9
When drivers must inspect and re-examine cargo and securement devices.
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7
FMCSA — SMS Methodology (PDF)
The 24-month limit on inspection data and what the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC covers.
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8
FMCSA — SMS Appendix A violation list (XLSX)
The BASIC and severity weight for each ABS and cargo securement violation.
Written by
Rigo Diaz
Founder & CEO, Simplex Group
Founder and CEO of Simplex Group, with more than 25 years leading the company and helping trucking entrepreneurs navigate compliance, insurance, and the day-to-day demands of running a carrier. Before founding Simplex, he spent more than six years in risk management, experience that continues to shape how he approaches insurance, compliance, and carrier risk today.
Published · Updated
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The same violations come back every year
Brakes, tires, and loose cargo topped the list in 2023 and again in 2026. A walk-around that catches them works every day, not just during Roadcheck.
If you want a second set of eyes on your inspection history and maintenance routine, talk to our team.