The annual CVSA Brake Safety Week is scheduled for August 22 – 28, 2021. During this industry-focused safety event, enforcement officials will inspect commercial vehicles and place units out-of-service (OOS) until any critical brake issues or other safe-operating violations are corrected. The last brake safety week found that 12% of commercial vehicles inspected had brake related violations and were placed out-of-service.
This North American-wide program is dedicated to improving commercial vehicle brake safety and reducing the number of highway crashes caused by faulty braking systems on tractors and trailers. By conducting roadside inspections and educating transportation stakeholders on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance and operation, the intention is to reduce brake-related violations, which is the largest percentage of all OOS violations.
Brake Safety Week is an opportunity to consider the braking technology used on your equipment. Safety and cost of ownership takes on greater importance with every passing year. Fleets are recognizing the benefits of converting traditional drum brakes to air disc brakes on trailers. Even with the initial price differential, the advantages are apparent: shorter stopping distances; less maintenance with faster pad change because of fewer parts; weight savings for fuel economy and extra payload, and; no brake fade in high temperatures.
Air Disc Brakes promote shorter stopping distances, reduce CSA violations with longer brake life performance. ADB installation on trailers has been trending upwards, as fleet operators seek to improve driver experience, increase stopping power and reduce collision risks. Trailers are an integral piece of the safety equation. To overcome barriers to adoption, ADB Manufacturers have focused on cutting weight and simplified design, which has driven down costs.
Because disc brakes are built with fewer components, maintenance is simpler and takes less time, which delivers increased vehicle uptime. ADBs are a compelling choice for trailers because of their extended service intervals. Twice as long as drum brakes in half the time to perform regular brake service. The savings related to ease of service is approximately 20% the cost of service for drum brakes for lining wear issues.
Disc brakes have built-in compliance as they don’t require brake adjustments and with longer trailer equipment trade cycles, they present a strong value proposition. To further lower the cost of acquisition, some operators are installing them initially on the front steering axle of the trailer. This option enables them to enjoy the benefits of ADBs and progress to disc brakes on all wheel positions as the return on investment is established
With high performance consistency, ADBs don’t fade out the way drum brakes do, which can require as much as 70 feet of additional stopping distance. When coupled with an ADB-equipped tractor, a trailer with disc brakes will shorten the stopping distance by 1.5 car lengths at 95 kilometers per hour. At 110 kilometers per hour, the stopping distance improvement rises to 3.5 car lengths. At 50 feet it’s the difference between a crash and a close call. When braking hard, you don’t want the trailer doing something unexpected.
It is recommended that fleets consider all factors when calculating their payback. Variables like driving habits, brake duty cycle and operating conditions have a significant effect on brake ware. To assist in spec’ing the return on investment for Air Disc Brakes, Bendix offers a useful value calculator.
https://www.valuebybendix.com/adb/visitor-information
K.I.D, Truck & Trailer Service is committed to supporting our customers to be safe operators during Brake Safety Week and all year round. We service our community by delivering good value for commercial fleet operators.
Photo Credit: iStock
Tags: brake safety week, costly truck repairs, CVSA inspections, family-run business value, good business value, small business strong, Trailer Air Disc Brakes, trailer brake service, trailer brake violations, truck and trailer parts burlington, truck and trailer parts milton, truck and trailer parts oakville, truck and trailer safety, truck and trailer safety Burlington, truck and trailer service milton, truck and trailer service oakville