Confused and tired of waiting!

Must of been one of them there Hollywood trucks!

 

That's why checking the tanks is part of the pretrip.

 

I hate to say but that mechanical problem (or text message) is going to cost you. Take comfort in the fact that it could have been much worse, and we could be seeing you on CNN. You've probably learned now that there's a reason pretrip inspection (and putting down the phone) is important.

 

Anybody on here, please comment. The pre-trip instructions for the CDL tests from the Trucking Schools (yes, the 4-6 week places with the PTDI certifications) are a complete joke. Rookie drivers are not taught properly. I was told "Nobody adjusts their own brakes." Plus, when you are OTR, you discover that Megacarrier Trainers skip the pre-trip except for walking around and banging tires. They 'gotta roll' and don't have time. See? So newbies are thrown to the wolves. It's their own fault, right.

 

Yes. Hitting another truck from behind? Yes it is.

 

A good trainer turns the lights and flashers on, then starts banging the tires. This way he checks the tires and lights. After that's done; it's hammer down.

 

what is the response from company mechanics / company policy on Self adjusting brakes..?

 

Yes it is. When it comes down to it, YOU are the captain of the ship, and it's your CDL, career, livlehood, and potentially your life on the line. If a company is going to fire you for being safe, then you need another job.

 

A 5 axle may have 10 brakes with at least 6 of them being spring/parking but last I checked they only have one actuator bolted to the firewall to operate them all. I experienced a failure of one where I literally broke the seat back to get the truck stopped from 25 mph. Had I been smarter I'd have just popped the brake valves but having a brake pedal go solid when you're trying to stop at an intersection doesn't give you time to think it over.

 

Your brake system is all mechanical parts. They break, and not always conveniently right before or after a shift. It's very possible that something failed in his system at the truck end of the system. If your service brakes fail, you're not going to get a warning light, as long as there's pressure in your system, everything is OK, but if pushing on the brake pedal isn't pumping air, you're not stopping.

OP, they're going to find you to blame. Because even if your brakes failed, the law says you should have been following far enough back that you can react if something like that happens. If you have a trolly brake, that can help slow you down.

Brakes DO just stop working. There's parts to them that you're not trained to check an diagnose. But it's your responsibility to try to be prepared. There's no gray area in the law. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it, but it's still your fault.

Beause of this, it's a good idea to know your company's policy on PM service and all these little things and MAKE SURE THEY FOLLOW IT!!!!!!!! It's your license, you don't want to drive a truck that's 40k miles overdue on being inspected by a mechanic and getting any work done that it needs.