Improving fleet safety isn’t about reacting during an inspection… it’s about understanding where your risks live and addressing them BEFORE they cause unexpected downtime, or worse, a violation.
From May 12-14th, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) will conduct its annual International Roadcheck. Over this 72-hour window, inspectors across North America will be performing comprehensive Level 1 Inspections. While they will assess 47 different steps, covering both driver and vehicle fitness, the CVSA places special emphasis on specific categories each year.
For 2026, the vehicle focus is Cargo Securement, and the driver focus is Electronic Logging Device (ELD) compliance and tampering. Here’s what your fleet needs to know to get it right:
Vehicle Focus: Locking Down Cargo Securement
Improper or inadequate cargo securement poses a severe risk to your drivers, and everyone else on the road. Shifting weight affects a vehicle’s maneuverability, while unsecured loads or dunnage can become deadly road hazards. In 2025 alone, over 34,000 violations were issued for unsecured cargo, components, or dunnage.
Getting it right means looking beyond the obvious tie-downs:
-Best Practice: Reinforce comprehensive pre-trip and in-route inspections. Drivers should verify that all tie-downs, straps, and chains are free of defects and rated properly for the load. Pay special attention to secondary components. Ensure tools, dunnage, spare tires, and heavy vehicle equipment are locked down just as tightly as the primary freight.
Driver Focus: ELD Accuracy and Integrity
This year, inspectors are heavily scrutinizing ELD tampering, falsification, manipulation, etc. Last year, falsified records of duty status were the second most cited driver violation. While deliberate manipulation is a major red flag for inspectors, many ELD violations actually stem from a simple lack of understanding regarding federal exemptions and proper editing procedures.
Getting it right means ensuring your drivers are as comfortable with their software as they are with the steering wheel:
-Best Practice: Treat ELD training as an ongoing process, and not as a one-time onboarding task. Ensure drivers understand how to properly log their hours, how to correctly apply allowable exemptions, and the legal way to annotate edits without concealing driving time. An accurate log protects the driver’s CDL, as well as their carrier or employer’s CSA score.
Safety Is A System, Not A Season
DOT compliance rarely fails because of one massive issue. It breaks down from missed preventative maintenance intervals, incomplete records, or small details continuing to add up during a Level 1 inspection.
At Brown NationaLease, we know that a structured maintenance program helps keep equipment inspection-ready, documentation clean, and downtime predictable. That consistency matters year-round.
If you want to ensure your fleet is prepared for the CVSA Roadcheck, and beyond, we’re ready to help!
