You have doubtless noticed the huge 18-wheelers that thunder down the highways all throughout America. These are a crucial part of what keeps the country running. While there are other ways to get objects from Point A to Point B, it is these sorts of trucks that are primarily responsible for much of the commerce that takes place on a daily basis.
These semi trucks must be maintained in order to keep them running properly. Sometimes, one of these trucks is owned by its driver. More often, though, the trucks are part of a fleet that a parent company owns. The drivers can use the trucks, but they officially belong to the company.
In such cases, it is the trucking company that is responsible for maintaining all of their most crucial components. That is certainly true of the brakes, for instance. Brakes are vital on any vehicle, but think how much more it matters when you have a gargantuan truck loaded with merchandise that weighs multiple tons.
Semi truck parts are always available if one of the components of an 18-wheeler ceases to operate correctly. Often, a trucking company will have a specific brand they use and a preferred garage that they take their trucks to regularly. However, these companies should also make sure that their drivers know some of the basics of brake maintenance.
That is what we will talk about in detail in the following article. We will cover some of the specific things that trucking companies and drivers can do in order to ensure that the brakes are functioning correctly every time a driver presses down on them.
Bleed the Brake System
There is a practice called bleeding that is necessary to keep the brakes of a semi truck operating correctly. It involves removing air bubbles that might otherwise affect the ongoing efficiency of those brakes.
To do this, you park the truck and remove the old brake fluid. Then, you add new brake fluid, Following that, you can determine which wheel to bleed. You might have to do all of them if the operation of the brakes seems a little rocky.
Then, you can connect the vacuum pump and open up the bleeder valve. When the process of equalization has taken place, you can close the brake bleeder valve.
Truck drivers who have never done this before might find some YouTube videos helpful. They can also entrust the job to a mechanic at the garage they use if they’re more comfortable with that.
Do Regular Air Pressure Maintenance
Doing air pressure maintenance for the truck’s braking system is also necessary. This involves checking the tire pressure of the truck in the morning when those tires are cold. This will give you the most accurate reading if you’re looking for an optimal air pressure level.
You should remove the valve cap and then firmly press the gauge into the valve’s stem. You can then adjust the pressure as needed.
Each semi truck will have an optimal tire pressure number, and you should know it. The PSI should always be at an acceptable level before you start driving for the day, especially if you plan to spend the next several hours behind the wheel while traversing many miles of open road.
Make the Proper Adjustments
There are some additional adjustments that truck drivers should make to ensure that the brakes continue to operate correctly. For example, the driver should be mindful of the slack adjusters.
They can allow the driver to have optimal brake engagement. Drivers need this, whether they have to gently apply pressure to slow the vehicle or they must slam down on the brakes to prevent a crash if traffic conditions in front of them suddenly change.
To do this, you can find the adjusting nut which should be prominently featured on the slack adjuster. It is accessible underneath the vehicle.
Using a wrench, you can tighten this until the brakes start to engage. At that point, you can give the wrench half a turn in the other direction. There’s a sweet spot that you need to find if you hope to get the best use out of the truck’s brakes.
Monitor the Brake Pads
You can also keep an eye on the condition of your brakes as a long-haul truck driver by feeling the brake pad’s thickness when you press down on it. This is not something that you will be able to do instantly if you just got a commercial trucker’s license and you’ve never tried it before.
Instead, understanding how the brake pads feel is something that will come with time. The more time you spend behind the wheel of one of these precision machines, the more in tune you will become to what the brakes should feel like when you engage them.
Much like tinkering with the slack adjusters, there will be a way your brakes feel that is neither too tight nor too loose. If the brake pads have worn too thin and they are close to the end of their usable life, an experienced trucker should be able to tell that just by pressing down on them once or twice.
Get Regular Inspections
The last thing you should be doing as a truck driver to make sure that the brakes are functioning well is to have a mechanic look at them regularly. 18-wheelers spend so much time on the road that they need maintenance more often than virtually any kind of noncommercial vehicles. The amount of wear and tear that can happen to one of these trucks if it’s on the road for most of the calendar year is significant, and that is certainly true where the brakes are concerned.
The mechanic should know to check the calipers, rotors, drums, and pads. This is most of what goes into the truck’s braking system. An experienced mechanic should be able to tell by touch and by sight if the brakes are wearing down and will soon need to be replaced.
