When will FMCSA force disc brakes upon the industry?

That, possibly, and also the mandate of ABS on trucks in the 70s? 80s? I forget. But Anti-lock Braking Systems were mandated on big trucks before the systems were proven and it caused a whole bramble full of problems.

 

Your answer is probably here, big trucking lobbyist will work hard in Washington to delay disc brakes for this very reason, their customers will have to come up with more cash than they are used to, when ordering a bunch of new trucks.

 

yeah those first abs brakes were junk and caused a few fatalities.

 

Disc brake technology needs to improve before it gains mainstream acceptance, my rig has them and i dont want to own another truck with them.. Calipers like to jam on, they overheat a lot easier than anyone will tell you.. and i havent even thought about cost yet.....


the reality is, you guys in the USA are hobbled in braking capacity over a similar setup in au due to running bogie trailers rather than triaxles.

i have dragged both around for the last 8 years and EVERY time i go to a tri i about go thru the windscreen the first time i apply the brakes..

but this option wont be anytime soon, cause another axle means more weight and there are a LOT of trailers out there that would become obsolete overnight..

 

Did not go to the link you posted, curious if they listed the drawbacks, in addition to the pluses about disc brakes. Most are aware of the added cost, and I cannot speak for the disc brakes of today, but when they were first offered back in the mid '70s, hard braking in rain usually resulted in warped rotors.... BIG TIME!!!!!!

During that time frame, was hauling for a broker in Orange TX, and he had recently purchased five (iirc) hopper bottoms with discs. Stopping was awesome, but so was the cost of replacing rotors after a rain. Their stopping power was so good, I thought that the manufacturers would have solved that problem and had them back on the market before now. I think the broker eventually converted his to drum brakes because of this problem.

 

One of the big reasons the industry has not gone to disc, is the weight issue. Disc brakes are heaver than the drum systems. Weight has more bearing on the truck design than many of you people think.

Mark

 

I worked on units that had disc brakes and they work great, the biggest problem with them is that the driver knows it and jams them on and warps the rotors and cracks them from thermal shocks.
Disc brake set ups are lighter than a comparable drum set up, in my experience.
If driven properly they work great and are in wide use in Europe, for a long time.
I do not remember the name but we had a truck in the shop and it had disc's with the big singles on the drives, looked weird but the driver liked them a lot.

 

My wife is an engineer for Mack Trucks, she works with this stuff all the time.

The slow adoption of air disc can be blamed on several factors. Chief among them are price, compatibility and weight, when compared with the air-powered drum brakes found on all Class 8 vehicles. They are not same as the system on your car or light truck.

The systems cost a lot more, and are heaver than drum set ups. There is a concern about how a truck with ABS dics will work with a trailer that is ABS and drums.

Disc system have been in use over in Europe for more than 15 years.

Taken from: http://fleetowner.com/regulations/truck-stops-here-0201

Nonetheless, because they weigh more and cost more to produce (due to limited volumes) ADBs will likely remain the less popular choice for most rigs. The main benefits of ADBs are that they do not fade after repeated applications and last much longer than drums.

Check this page out: http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2002tactical/ganaway.pdf

Mark