Keeping Your Truck's Brakes In Working Condition

1 March 2017
 Categories: , Blog

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Having the ability to bring your truck to a reliable stop is essential when it comes to ensuring the safety of your vehicle. Proper brake maintenance is critical for drivers who operate large trucks, especially when these trucks are towing heavy trailers loaded with cargo.

Here are three simple things that you can do to help ensure you keep your truck's brakes in working condition in the future.

1. Keep your truck's brakes clean.

Most drivers don't realize that their truck's braking system needs regular cleaning. As the brakes engage repeatedly over time, brake dust can accumulate on the surface of the brake pads and rotors.

This brake dust creates a barrier that prevents the brake pads from getting a firm grip on the rotors- an action that is vital to making quick and effective stops. Brake dust can also cause the rotors to get scratched, which can reduce braking efficiency. Taking the time to routinely clean off any excess brake dust from your wheels can be a simple way to ensure your truck's brakes continue to work properly.

2. Don't ride your brakes.

If you want to improve the performance of your truck's braking system, you may need to change your driving habits. Many truck drivers ride their brakes, which means they keep the brake pedal partially depressed while maintaining forward motion. This style of driving causes the brake pads and rotors to remain partially engaged with one another over extended periods of time.

Excessive heat can be generated by this partial engagement, causing the rotors to warp. Warped rotors can compromise braking efficiency in the future, so it's best to fully engage your brakes or fully disengage them to allow for proper cooling so that you won't have to worry about warped rotors.

3. Check your brake fluid level.

Your truck relies on brake fluid to help transfer the force you create by stepping onto the brake pedal directly to the wheel of your truck to bring the vehicle to a stop.

Brake fluid can evaporate or deteriorate over time, so it's important that you routinely check your truck's brake fluid level if you want to ensure that you have access to a reliable braking system as you navigate the road.

Being able to properly maintain your truck's braking system is vital when it comes to reliably bringing your vehicle to a stop. Clean brake dust from the pads and rotors, avoid riding the brake while driving, and check the brake fluid level regularly to prevent braking problems in the future. Talk to a repair professional, such as Stephenson Truck Repair Inc, for more information.