Adjusting Brakes

Exactly the attitude at our shop... brakes should NOT be a gray area for a driver IMO. It should be as simple as spotting a green vs red decal and a yellow arrow as chalupa points out. Ours do not have this and we don't skip on maintenance otherwise.

In comparison, I hauled mail for a USPS contractor with an 86.1% Vehicle Maintenance CSA and there was never anything wrong with the truck according to the shop. "There's nothing wrong with that truck!!" Yeah, sure. Maybe $10 grand in repairs would just be a good start.

I do think with snowwy that as drivers we need to get underneath at times and check out the goods. As I stated earlier, I found a bad slack adjuster on my last pre-trip, informed the shop that I would write it up when I got back.

Now I'm not so sure. That run was Indy/Philly/Rochester/Philly/Bridgeport, OH/Philly/Indy. I adjusted the bad slack adjuster myself and had no problem with it. The company would have been pissed to no end had I red tagged my truck. But we haul Haz in tankers and vans. (Plus, we're paid for breakdown time. All of it. So I could have waited on the clock and had the shop swap out that slack adjuster. Paid percentage on the run itself.) Was this different from other OOS brake issue?

Was I wrong here? KW, I think, says yes. snowwy, I think, says no. chalupa thinks my company should upgrade the cans and slack adjusters to more easily spot a bad slack adjuster. I drove off knowing that one of the four slack adjusters on my drives did not click, needed replacing. Maybe that is overconfident. Leaving the yard in Indy for Philly knowing I had a bad slack adjuster on one drive.

It's trucking. All our runs have an urgency about them. "When do they need this?" "As soon as you can get it there. They wanted it yesterday."

 

It's a hot topic for sure. Ask 10 drivers and sometimes get 12 answers.

Just don't want anyone to wrongly assume they are talkin to a newbie in all this. No need to give my history.
Any monkey can adjust them manually. It is no challenge. I'm just saying, (along with FMCSA and the rest listed), that it's too easy, and that most drivers (and even most "mechanics") don't take proper steps beyond that, to insure the problem is isolated to just "a defective adjuster".
Why is anyone adjusting them manually, if they don't work via self-adjusting? On a few posts, the talk of putting a wrench to it is.. not limited to emergency situations, but daily or anytime. BTW, I know why, but the answer isn't correct or a good one, imo.
Bet your bottom dollar that soon FMCSA will let it be well known to every driver, that they can't do it that way. It's in the works now.

Now as to the time spent on TTR. I share that problem, big time.
I heard there's a TTR Rehab Clinic in the Cayman Islands. Too bad my GPS maps don't cover that far.
I'll have to settle for Bourbon St, Nawlins, for in-house therapy.

Victor_V: "I do think with snowwy that as drivers we need to get underneath at times and check out the goods."
BTW, I also get down n dirty close-up under the truck, every single pre-trip, checking all brake parts, plus the other scores of items.
Never said anything eluding to the contrary.

Victor_V: "I adjusted the bad slack adjuster myself and had no problem with it. Was I wrong here?"
Makes me then ask...
How did you determine it was "bad"? Just curious.
Since it was "bad", are you certain it properly held that setting?
My point also is, if there was a slack problem, did you also inspect the rest of the brake parts, to make sure there wasn't a defect, allowing that slack in the first place? It's quite likely it was a truly bad slack adjuster, but never rule out bad bushing in the S-cam shaft, broke/cracked S-cam roller at shoe, etc, etc.
If you feel you've done everything properly and safely, and sure it held it's setting, roll with it. But check it periodically.

 

the point that outta be made is this.

brakes out of adjustment. there's a reason. and it's usually up to us to find out why. or, call road service, and quite possibly sit all day somewhere.

i don't put up with loose brakes. i'd rather drive myself to a shop. then be sitting somewhere with nothing around. waitng, and waiting, to be fixed.

i can understand when it comes to fmcsa. being as most drivers probably don't think to look for all possible problems.

i know i probably wouldn't. if it wasn't for that one company i spoke of. if more local companies did what my one did. more drivers would be more aware of bad brake situations.

 

And 2 more cents.....Victor , you are your own man...do what you need too but for me , I am far to cynical about carrier mgmt. They are convinced there are 10,000 drivers just like you waiting to apply, to take your job. They would put you out with the trash in a New York minute. Gizmo is a perfect example and the list goes on.

What you did yesterday is done and forgotten. The countless times you saved their arse, all forgotten.....so I say CYA 150% of the time. If their equipment is not 100 % then I'm not moving, done.

Point: If my PSP goes over their majic number,,,, I'm toast, simple as that AND no one else is going to want me with the high PSP so why would I? For the team? What team is that ?

Later,
JMO

 

Over 20 years w/out a ding on my record and there's a reason for it. If we can't do it legal then let's not waste each others time.

 

Was easier for me to comment on, via this way, in this case.
My point is, just because I disagree with you on adjustment procedure, or related items, doesn't mean I'll be sitting or waiting anywhere.
That seems to be what you're inferring. It's possible (as with anyone), but better chance it won't be the case.

 

On manual adjusters a lot of times the "lock" doesn't come back out to cover the adjusting nut. This is due to lack of maintenance most of the time fiddling with it will get them to pop back out. Still doesn't mean that they aren't stripped and will hold. I have had to adjust auto's a lot because lack of grease, or grease gets hard and it won't self adjust. Once you set it manually and check to make sure the lock holds it is fine. If I can turn adjuster to loosen shoes its bad if not its just "stuck" till its greased and freed treat it as a manual or replace it. I realize that greasing and maintenance is not a company drivers job, but if you don't like how they stop set them. As far as greasing one and fiddling with it to get it to auto adjust it would depend on the mood I'm in if I was a company driver. Either way if you drive it you should be able to set the brakes in my opinion.

 

Just becaus your slack adjuster doesn't click doesnt mean it's bad, some just don't click..

I was taught by my grandfather to run the brakes till they touch then back them off 3 clicks or a quarter turn..still do it that way too.

 

Yea I use the quarter on drives and trailer, Half on steer and won't touch steer unless forced. Learned it similar to way you did. Also worked in the shop of a company that ran 200 trucks and countless trailers it was the way they done it too. Course that was in the mid 90's.

 

When I first started I backed my front brakes off and didn't grease them up until DOT got a fetish with checking brakes on the steers, if they wouldn't have that I would still have my front brakes backed off. He'll I wouldn't care if they'd just take mine off..