Section 393.45 governs the brake tubing and hose installed on commercial motor vehicles. The hose must be free of chafing, crimping, kinking, leaks, and other conditions that compromise function.
Common findings
- Air hose chafed against the frame or another component to the reinforcement.
- Hose kinked at a connection.
- Audible air leak at a fitting.
- Improper repair (taped patch instead of replacement).
OOS criteria
A brake hose with damage such that hose failure may be imminent is an out-of-service condition per the North American OOS Criteria. The vehicle cannot be operated until repaired.
How to prevent it
- Pre-trip air system check: build pressure, listen for leaks, check protected hoses at every flex point.
- During brake adjustment checks, inspect all hoses at the slack adjusters and chambers.
- Replace any hose that shows reinforcement, regardless of whether it's currently leaking.
How Roadworthy HQ helps
A brake tubing or hose citation shows up in Roadworthy HQ as part of the inspection it came from, not as a record of its own: the app does not store individual violation codes. Log the roadside inspection on the vehicle's Inspections tab: date, state, level, driver, the number of violations, and whether it was out-of-service. For an out-of-service inspection the 15-day §396.9(d)(3) repair-certification countdown stays on that tab until you enter the certification date. The rule's 15 days cover every violation on the report, not only out-of-service ones, so for a non-OOS inspection that date is yours to track. The repair itself goes in the vehicle's maintenance log: date, type, what was done, who did it, and cost. DVIRs are logged per vehicle with the defect described in your own words, and a defect marked safety-affecting that is logged without a repair certification sends a critical alert. The §396.17 annual inspection report uploads to the vehicle, with reminders 60, 30, and 7 days before the next one is due.