How many missing or broken leaves in a NY leaf spring will cause a commercial vehicle to be placed out of service?

How many missing or broken leaves in a NY leaf spring will cause a commercial vehicle to be placed out of service?

• A. 1/4 of the total number
• B. 1/2 of the total number
• C. 1/8 of the total number
• D. 3/4 of the total number

Answer: (A)

A leaf spring’s strength comes from all of its leaves working together. If a quarter or more of the leaves are missing or broken, the spring can’t support the load properly, leading to unsafe handling or spring failure. That safety threshold is used in New York for determining when a commercial vehicle must be placed out of service. So one quarter is the trigger point. The other fractions would either miss real damage (too small a portion) or imply far more damage than the rule requires.

A leaf spring’s strength comes from all of its leaves working together. If a quarter or more of the leaves are missing or broken, the spring can’t support the load properly, leading to unsafe handling or spring failure. That safety threshold is used in New York for determining when a commercial vehicle must be placed out of service. So one quarter is the trigger point. The other fractions would either miss real damage (too small a portion) or imply far more damage than the rule requires.