Louisiana CDL DMV Air Brakes 2

Compressed air in an air brake system usually contains a certain amount of water and compressor oil. The water and oil can damage the brakes if left to accumulate in the system. Manually operated air tank drains must be opened daily to remove this build-up.

If you need to make an emergency stop, you can use either the controlled braking method or the stab braking method. It's important to brake in a way that keeps your vehicle in a straight line but will still allow you to turn if necessary.

Brakes out of adjustment will fade before those that are properly adjusted. Brake adjustment must be checked frequently to help prevent brake issues.

Before beginning a trip, it is important to check the brake drums during your walk-around inspection. It is unsafe to drive if any brake drum has a crack more than one half of the width of the friction area.

In an air brake system, the air compressor governor controls when the air compressor pumps air into the air storage tanks.

If the low air pressure warning signal comes on while you are driving a vehicle with air brakes, you should immediately bring the vehicle to a safe stop while you are still able to control the brakes. Inspect and repair the brakes as soon as possible.

The air storage tanks in an air brake system store compressed air to be used for braking. They hold enough air for the brakes to still be used several times if the compressor stops working.

Drum brakes are attached to the wheels and located on the axles of a vehicle. The braking mechanisms that cause the vehicle to stop can be found inside of a drum brake.

In an air brake system, the air compressor governor controls when the air compressor pumps air into the storage tanks. It stops pumping if the pressure in the tanks becomes too high, and begins pumping if the pressure becomes too low.

An Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) helps to provide additional control during hard braking, but does not necessarily shorten a vehicle's stopping distance.

Many large CMVs are equipped with air brakes. An air braking system uses compressed air to operate.

In an air brake system, air tanks have drains to remove accumulations of water and compressor oil. Allowing water and oil to accumulate in the system could cause damage to the brakes.

Always apply the parking brake when leaving your vehicle unattended.

Before a trip, you should check each slack adjuster after parking, setting wheel chocks, and disengaging the parking brake. Pull the slack adjusters to make sure that they do not move more than about one inch from where the push rod is attached. If they move more than one inch, they may be out of adjustment and will need to be fixed.

Compressed air in an air brake system usually contains a certain amount of water and compressor oil. The water and oil can damage the brakes if left to accumulate in the system. Tanks must be drained regularly to remove this build-up.

Compressed air usually contains a certain amount of moisture and compressor oil, which can build up in the air storage tanks and damage the brake system. The tanks should be drained to clean out these accumulations. On a tank with a manual drain valve, draining should be performed at the end of each day of driving.

While driving, spring brakes are generally held in place by air pressure. If the air pressure gets low enough, the springs will activate the brakes.

A one-way check valve is required to be between an air compressor and the first main reservoir. This valve prevents air from escaping the system if the air compressor develops a leak.

Some air brake systems include an alcohol evaporator. The evaporator introduces alcohol into the braking system to prevent the formation of ice, which can cause damage.

If the low pressure warning signal activates while you are driving, it is important that you safely exit the roadway as soon as possible and park your vehicle. If the air pressure gets too low, the brakes will no longer work well enough for you to stop safely.

Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS) are compatible with air brakes and help a driver maintain control of their vehicle by preventing wheel lockup.

Vehicles with air brakes are required to be equipped with a low pressure warning device. A wig wag is a type of low air pressure warning device. This device drops a mechanical arm into the driver's view if the pressure in the tanks drops to a level between 55 and 75 psi.

When a brake pedal is pressed and the S-cam is turned, the S-cam presses the brake shoes against the inside of the brake drum. This causes friction and will cause the vehicle to slow.

Because air takes time to flow through the air lines to the brakes, air brakes cannot begin working instantly. There is often a brake lag of at least one-half of a second between the moment the brake pedal is pressed and the moment the brakes begin to work.

A vehicle that is equipped with air brakes must also be equipped with a supply pressure gauge. This gauge tells the driver how much air pressure is in each of the vehicle's air tanks.