What Causes Trucks To Lose Brakes?

Trucks are heavy vehicles that depend on brakes to stop and control their speed. When they experience brake failure, it might be fatal to other road users and the driver himself. Most common truck accidents result from the failure of the brakes. Let us look at some of the things on what causes trucks to lose brakes?

What Causes Trucks To Lose Brakes?

Poor Lubrication

When winter is approaching, you should thoroughly lubricate parts of your brakes, such as the caliper pins, clips, mounting tabs, and the back sides of the brake. Winter weather is harsh, and most roads have salt to reduce ice and snow. The salt is corrosive to the brake parts. Proper lubrication will prevent salt from getting into contact with the parts of the braking system. 

Brake Imbalance

Brake imbalance is a scenario where some parts of the brake apply more or less pressure than others. Mismatching brake parts or errors in the pneumatic system resulting in an uneven air pressure supply is the common culprit of brake imbalance. If you note that your truck is jackknifing, your brakes are not balanced. 

Overheating Brakes

When brakes become hot, and you fail to stop your truck for them to cool down, they might fail. Poor driving techniques when going down the hill is a common cause of brake overheating. When your breaks regularly heat up, their life span will be short and can lead to break malfunction, making it difficult to control your truck at high speed.

Faulty Suspension

The suspension system provides stability for the truck while on the road, and brakes enable the truck to adjust speed according to the traffic. When your suspension is faulty, it becomes hard to handle your truck when braking. Your truck might nosedive or swerve. When this happens, you will try as much as possible to stop your truck which will cause severe damage to the brakes.

Leakage on the Hydraulic System

Leakages in the hydraulic system interfere with the fluid pressure. The build-up created by the brake fluid initiates the braking of the wheels. If your brake fluid leaks and reduces in level, your truck will not effectively break or might even fail to brake. The problem of brake fluid leakage requires immediate attention.

Excess Load

Most trucks can carry only a specified amount of load. If the load is too much for your truck, it will consume more fuel, and braking might be difficult. The brake fluid might generate inadequate pressure to stop your truck. When the truck is overloaded, it will need a greater breaking distance which will stress your braking system. Apart from excess weight, another issue that might lead to braking failure is load distribution in your truck. If the load is not evenly distributed, you might find it hard to apply brakes.

Conclusion

Trucks use either the drum or disc braking system. You will find the discs on the front wheels and the drums on the rear wheel. Brake failure is common in trucks. The above are some of the possible causes of brake failure. Whenever your truck loses brakes, consider taking it for a mechanical check-up.

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