Brake Safety Week Returns: Drums and Rotors Take Center Stage
If you drive a truck or manage a fleet, mark your calendar: the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is bringing back its annual Brake Safety Week from August 24–30, 2025. This isn’t just another box-ticking exercise. Inspectors fanned out across Canada, the United States, and Mexico are about to get laser-focused on the most overlooked—and potentially risky—parts of your brake system: the drums and rotors.
The numbers show why this matters. In last year’s blitz, officers checked just over 16,700 trucks and trailers, and over 2,100 of those didn’t make the cut due to brake-related faults. That’s nearly 13% of vehicles pulled off the road, all for issues that could have led to a serious crash or a costly breakdown. This year, the CVSA is doubling down on the mechanical heart of the braking system—the parts that actually do the stopping when it counts.
Inspectors won’t just eyeball these components. They may whip out performance-based brake testers (PBBT) to measure actual braking force, so hidden problems have nowhere to hide. Drums and rotors take endless punishment from heat and friction. If they’re cracked, worn, or just plain neglected, they can break loose, fall off, or spark other failures in the middle of traffic. Imagine an 18-wheeler losing a chunk of metal on the highway—nobody wants to steer into that chaos.
The CVSA wants to stop these commercial vehicle inspections from feeling like a nail-biting lottery. It’s about clearing unsafe trucks before disaster strikes. Enforcement officers will check for wear, cracks, and improper installation, and if a vehicle’s brakes fail to meet safety standards, it goes straight out of service. Drivers and companies will need to fix every violation before rolling again.
Why Target Drums and Rotors?
Some owners skip maintenance thinking a brake pad swap is enough, but drums and rotors are the heavy lifters. Worn or broken drums can’t handle the force they’re supposed to. Rotors with deep grooves or cracks can chew through pads and send vibration up the steering column, making it harder to control a big rig. But the real danger is something coming loose—or giving way entirely—at full speed.
Inspectors aren’t out to ruin anyone’s day, but when basic brake safety is ignored, it puts everyone on the road at risk. Bypassing repairs or pushing components past their safe lifespan might save time, but it’s a gamble. Through these targeted inspections, the CVSA hopes to boost awareness and push the whole trucking industry toward a higher standard of care—one that keeps drivers, cargo, and everyone else on the highway a little safer this August.
So if you’re rolling through North America during Brake Safety Week, expect to see more officers peering under the chassis, checking for damage, and maybe even setting up with testing rigs. If you haven’t checked your drums or rotors lately, now’s the time.