ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The U.S. trucking industry showed improvement in truck safety, including an increase in the number of drivers wearing their safety belts, as well as industry compliance with hazardous materials regulations, according to the results of the 2007 truck safety Roadcheck conducted throughout North America by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

Figures, however, also showed slight increases in the number of drivers and vehicles parked for work and rest violations as law enforcement officials continue to do a better job of targeting drivers with previous violations.

The number of vehicles, including trucks and buses, placed out of service represented 21.5 percent of the vehicles inspected. This compared with 21.7 percent in 2006.

The number of safety belt violations during the June 5-7 enforcement blitz decreased significantly to 829 in 2007 from 1,223 a year earlier. The number of hazardous materials trucks placed out of service also declined to 17.7 percent from 18.2 percent in 2006. The number of trucks parked for brake defects also dropped.

Drivers placed out of service for non-compliance with hours-of-service rules increased slightly, as 4.9 percent of all inspections resulted in a driver being placed out of service for hours of service violations, up from 4.5 percent in 2006.

The Roadcheck inspections were not performed at random. Trucks and drivers were targeted for inspection based upon the safety record or previous inspection records of the motor carrier or the driver, or upon the observation skills of the trained inspectors. The inspectors use a computerized Inspection Selection System (ISS) by entering the vehicle, company and driver identifying information into the computer. The ISS then gives the inspector one of three results: “inspect,” “inspection optional” or “don’t inspect.”

ATA President and CEO Bill Graves praised CVSA for a successful Roadcheck saying, “Safety on the nation’s highways and the safety of the motoring public continue to be the top priorities of the trucking industry. ATA supports the removal of unsafe trucks from the road. CVSA continues to become better at targeting those drivers and vehicles that should be out of operation. We appreciate CVSA’s annual Roadcheck effort, which helps ensure that education and enforcement are having a positive impact on safety.”

Last week, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators reported that 82 percent of vehicles inspected Roadcheck passed the roadside compliance blitz, demonstrating a high level of mechanical fitness.

In total, a total of 7,275 vehicles and drivers underwent full inspections for mechanical and driver fitness. Of those vehicles, 5,926 passed the rigorous inspection standards (check out Related Stories below for more).