As of April 1, the 2023 North American Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC), published by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), goes into effect. It will be in effect until April 1, 2024, which is when CVSA will publish the 2024 edition.

Changes

Here is a quick review of the changes taking effect April 1:

• Drivers found to have used drugs in the previous 24 hours, based on self-admission or an officer’s findings, will be placed out of service for 24 hours.
• Hours-of-service (HOS) changes for drivers operating in the United States:
  • A driver will only be placed out of service for false logs if the falsification was an attempt to disguise a violation of an hours limit and:
    • It took place since the last qualifying break that can be verified in the case of the daily limits, or
    • Results in the driver being in violation of the 60- or 70-hour limit.
  • The out-of-service (OOS) period for false logs will change to the amount of time necessary for the driver to come into compliance, rather than an automatic 10 hours.
• HOS changes for drivers operating Canada:
  • A driver that does not have a log or that does not have the previous 14 days of logs will be placed out of service until they can present legal logs covering the current and previous 14 days.
  • A driver will be placed OOS for log falsification if the falsification occurred since the last qualifying break that can be verified, and the falsification is disguising an HOS violation.
    • The OOS period for falsification remains 72 hours.
  • A violation for not presenting supporting documents will be removed from the OOSC.
• Logging apps and malfunctioning electronic logging devices (ELDs) that are functioning as an app that cannot print when required will not be an OOS violation, provided the driver can present the logs on the device.
• Rust on the friction surface of a disc brake rotor must be across the entire face on either side to be an OOS violation.
• A cargo securement note being updated to clarify that there does not need to be a tiedown in each 10 feet of cargo – the 10-feet reference is only needed to determine the required number of tiedowns.
• Clarification in the OOSC on what suspension components should result in an out-of-service order, even if the axle is not shifting.

Just a reminder

The OOSC is not intended to be an operational or maintenance guide. Its intended purpose is to provide officers with a decision-making guide when determining if a driver or vehicle is too unsafe to continue the current movement.

Key to remember: Officers will begin using the new Out-of-Service Criteria as of April 1.