The following was published in CCJ's Air Brake Book, 11th edition, sponsored by SilverbackHD. CCJ's Air Brake Book is a complementary industry resource, courtesy of our partnership with SilverbackHD, ...

In 1992, commercial vehicle air brake systems took a tentative step into the future when antilock braking systems were mandated by the federal government. Some truckers had a hard time trusting the ...

It’s impossible to fix something without understanding how it’s supposed to work. Brake system repair decisions can be difficult to make, and costly to execute, without a basic understanding of system ...

Many of the larger vehicles on our roads have one intriguing thing in common: They can make sudden, loud, gas-escaping hissing noises. These noises, admittedly, have made this writer jump — on more ...

The air-brake system has three sections: the supply portion, the parking brake and the service brakes. The parking brake system has air pressure inside only when the parking brakes are released, while ...

Plumbing up a trailer with air-brakes might be almost as simple as tying your laces, but it’s a different story with tractor pneumatics. While the system itself is beautifully straightforward in ...

As much as I enjoy driving tractor-trailers, one thing that has irked me for many years is the parking brake valves on the dashboard. The two push-pull valves -- the yellow one for tractor brakes and ...

Air-brake systems are subject to excessive oil contamination. As reliable as they are, vehicle compressors can and do fail. One form of announcing this problem to the diagnostic technician is the ...

For heavy duty trucks like semis hauling lots of cargo over long distances, conventional friction brakes just can't do it on their own. To maintain safe speeds and prevent overheating on long descents ...