TORONTO, ON – Today’s Trucking magazine has launched a free online video series that offers new insights into roadside inspections, and already posted the first five installments at www.todaystrucking.com.

Editor John G. Smith and Samantha Sarasin, Ontario Ministry of Transportation enforcement officer and provincial Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) instructor, walk viewers through each and every step needed to complete a CVSA inspection.

“It’s important to note that it was a clean inspection,” Smith adds, referring to the tractor-trailer that had been donated by JG Drapeau for the video shoot. “We’d like to thank the fleet, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and especially officer Sarasin for helping to make this video series a reality.”

The videos already posted on the site explore the meaning of CVSA stickers, the difference between minor and major defects, paperwork requirements, preparing equipment for an inspection, and the first stop at the front of the truck. Videos added in the coming weeks will cover the entire tractor-trailer, showing what inspectors are looking for when they come across specific components.

“Nobody should be surprised by what happens during a roadside inspection, but Out of Service rates show that some operators continue to overlook the various steps covered in a Schedule 1,” Smith said. “We’ve decided to break down the process into bite-size videos so the information can support everything from entry-level training to ongoing driver meetings.”

Regular installments will be posted online during coming weeks, and the entire series will be posted prior to the 72-hour Roadcheck inspection blitz, scheduled this year from June 6-8.