Speed violations top trucker citations in CVSA July campaign
Law enforcement stopped 8,000 drivers across 36 states, Canada, and Mexico during the July 12-18 roadway safety campaign.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announced that law enforcement officers stopped 8,000 drivers in 36 states, Canada, and Mexico during the July 12-18 roadway safety campaign. Speed violations topped the citation list.
What violations did CVSA inspectors cite most during Operation Safe Driver Week?
Speed violations led the citation count during the July campaign. CVSA has not yet released the full breakdown of violation categories or the number of out-of-service orders issued during the week.
Operation Safe Driver Week is CVSA's annual enforcement initiative targeting unsafe driving behaviors by both commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle operators sharing the road with trucks. The campaign runs for one week each summer and focuses enforcement resources on high-risk driving behaviors that contribute to crashes.
Multi-jurisdiction enforcement reach
The 8,000 driver stops spanned 36 U.S. states plus Canadian provinces and Mexican states. CVSA coordinates the campaign across North America, allowing state patrol agencies, provincial enforcement, and federal motor carrier safety investigators to concentrate inspections during the same week.
This multi-jurisdiction approach increases the likelihood that carriers operating interstate routes will encounter enforcement during the campaign period. Drivers crossing state lines or international borders during the July 12-18 window faced heightened inspection activity at weigh stations, roadside pull-offs, and mobile inspection sites.
CSA implications for cited violations
Speed violations carry different CSA severity weights depending on how far over the posted limit the driver was traveling. Speeding 15 mph or more over the limit generates higher severity points in the Unsafe Driving BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category) than speeding 6-10 mph over.
Violations discovered during Operation Safe Driver Week enter the FMCSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) the same way routine roadside inspections do. State enforcement uploads inspection reports to the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS), and FMCSA updates carrier and driver SMS records monthly.
Carriers with multiple speed violations from the July campaign will see those citations reflected in their Unsafe Driving BASIC percentile when FMCSA runs the next SMS update. High percentiles in any BASIC can trigger an FMCSA intervention, including warning letters, off-site investigations, or on-site compliance reviews.
DataQs challenge window
Drivers and carriers who believe a citation issued during the July 12-18 campaign contains an error have 60 days from the inspection date to file a DataQs challenge. The DataQs system allows motor carriers to request FMCSA review and correction of roadside inspection data, crash reports, and other safety records.
Common grounds for DataQs challenges include incorrect violation codes, duplicate entries, or citations issued for equipment defects the carrier can prove were repaired before the inspection. FMCSA adjudicates DataQs requests and either upholds, modifies, or removes the contested data from SMS.
The 60-day window for July 12 inspections closed September 10. Carriers who missed the deadline cannot remove those violations from their SMS record unless they can demonstrate the data was not available for review within the original 60-day period.
What to do if your driver was cited
Pull the inspection report from the FMCSA SMS portal within 48 hours of the stop. Verify the violation codes match what the inspector told your driver at roadside. If the report lists a speed 5 mph higher than your driver's ELD (electronic logging device) recorded, file a DataQs challenge with the ELD speed data as supporting documentation.
Review your fleet's Unsafe Driving BASIC percentile after the next SMS update. If the July citations pushed your percentile above 50, expect an FMCSA warning letter. Percentiles above 65 in any BASIC can trigger an investigation.
Coach drivers cited for speed violations before they return to service. FMCSA counts repeat violations more heavily in SMS calculations. A second speeding citation within 12 months of the first increases the severity weight applied to both violations.
