393.45A-HJS: Brake Tubing/Hoses Inadequate — Driver Q&A

Yes—most likely. Across our inspection records, brake tubing or hose defects result in an out-of-service placement 87.5% of the time. This is substantially higher than the 31.4% all-FMCSR average OOS rate. Once cited, the expectation is that your truck will not move until the brake lines are repaired and re-inspected by a certified technician.

This violation carries a CSA severity weight of 7. The total points you receive depend on the 30-day window in which violations occur. If this is your only citation in the current 30-day period, you receive 7 points. If other violations fall in the same window, points stack. Work with your fleet safety manager or a compliance consultant to understand how this specific citation affects your overall CSA BASIC scores.

Immediate actions:

1. Do not operate the vehicle. You are likely out-of-service.
2. Schedule a certified brake shop immediately. Brake tubing and hose damage must be repaired by a qualified mechanic.
3. Request the specific defect location from the inspector's report. Our data shows brake issues often co-occur with slack adjuster defects (393.47E), steering wear (393.53B), and other brake system problems—have the shop inspect the entire brake system.
4. Get written documentation of repairs and retain it for your next inspection.
5. Contact your insurance and carrier (if you lease) to report the citation and OOS status.

Yes. This code ranks #1651 by citation volume (48 all-time citations), but its 87.5% out-of-service rate far exceeds peer codes in vehicle maintenance. For example, inoperable lamps (393.9) are cited 660,737 times but place trucks OOS only 15.4% of the time. Brake tubing damage is a safety-critical defect and treated as such by inspectors and enforcement.

You can file a DataQs record review request if you believe the citation is factually incorrect or the defect has already been repaired and documented. DataQs challenges work best when you have written evidence—repair receipts, photos of the corrected brake lines, or a certified inspection report showing compliance. However, this is an equipment-based finding (brake tubing condition), not a procedural error, so contestation is difficult unless the inspector's documentation is genuinely inaccurate.

Texas leads enforcement in the last 180 days with 14 citations and a 71.4% out-of-service rate. Our database is concentrated on the highest-volume inspection corridors, and Texas roadside inspections are frequent. This does not mean other states ignore brake tubing defects—it reflects inspection density in our records. Maintain brake systems to DOT standard regardless of location.

Very urgent. In the last 90 days, we recorded 8 citations for 393.45A-HJS, with September 2025 seeing a spike to 8 citations—all resulting in OOS placements. The 87.5% OOS rate means the inspector is confident the defect is safety-critical. Brake system repairs cannot wait. Operating with compromised brake tubing or hoses increases accident risk and regulatory liability.

Both. Under FMCSA rules, the violation appears on the carrier's record (via Safety Management Cycle BASICs) and on your personal driver file if you are the primary operator cited. CSA scores affect the carrier's public Safety profile. If you lease to a carrier, ask how the citation impacts your lease agreement. If you are an owner-operator, the citation is entirely on your company record.