GREENBELT, Md. – The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has released the latest updates to its out-of-service criteria that governs when drivers and vehicles should be pulled from the road.

The changes to the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria cover everything from brakes to cargo securement devices and seats.

Updated guidelines for braking systems, for example, have been updated to include pictures of cracked brake rotor structural supports. If such cracks extend through rotor vents, the rotor is about to collapse, CVSA says.

Non-manufactured holes in a steering mechanism’s drag link are now clearly forbidden as well.

Bearing straps were also added to the potential out-of-service conditions for universal joints, while new rules for the driver’s seat have been introduced to ban temporary seats that take the place of permanent seats secured in a workmanlike manner. But passenger-carrying vehicles with manufacturer-related violations in temporary seats and aisle seats can still receive a CVSA decal.

Details about the Doleco USA Textile Link Tiedown Assembly better illustrate whether it should be found defective. And drivers who hold a valid Skill Performance Evaluation (SPE), but don’t comply with the related requirements, will find themselves out of service as well.

Meanwhile, frame-related rules were updated to identify those that should not pertain to monocoque-style frames.

Some of the latest changes to the document have been designed specifically to make the information easier to navigate. Subheads have been introduced to the text that pertains to exhaust systems and cargo securement devices.

The changes will be incorporated into training materials and bulletins by the CVSA training committee, Canada’s education quality assurance team, and the American national training center.

The North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria is updated every year.