An effective brake system is one of the main features of a safe vehicle. You will want to ensure that your brakes have the ability to stop your truck effectively. If you are driving a truck, then you are going to need to think about the different truck brake options that are available to you. Here are the three main types of brakes that are used by trucks.

Service Brakes
The type of truck brake that will be most commonly used by the driver is service brakes. Most trucks operate with air brakes. These brakes utilize air pressure. When the driver pushes the brake pedal for his service brakes, air gets pushed through a chamber in the airlines. A rod will apply pressure to the slack adjust, which will turn the camshaft. The brake drum then is operated. Truck drivers who are out on the road a lot will find that this type of truck brake will need to be replaced most frequently.

Parking Brakes
In order to operate parking brakes, the person driving the truck will need to push one or two valves on the dash. This does same thing as the service brakes. The only difference is that a rod will not be pushed out through the pressure of the air. Although service brakes are more commonly used, most drivers will find that they use this type of truck brake on a fairly regular basis. Since this is another one of the elements of a truck’s brake system that is used on a fairly regular basis, it is likely that you are going to need to change them fairly often in order to maintain the safety of your truck, depending on how much you drive.

Emergency Brakes
Many truck drivers do not use their emergency brakes on a regular basis, but some will use them at some point in time. The only time when emergency brakes are used is if the other two types of brakes fail. There is a spring inside the brake chamber that is activated by the emergency brakes. This spring consists of over 2,000 pounds of pressure that stops the vehicle as quickly as possible if the emergency brake is activated. This is a truck brake that will not be used much for everyday driving, as it is for emergency purposes only. Emergency brakes often do not need to be replaced or fixed too often, as they are only used on a limited basis. This does not mean that something can’t go wrong with them, however.

Understanding how your truck’s brake system works is very important. Not only should you have a good understanding of what all of the brakes are used for, but you should also know how to maintain them. Replacing truck brakes when necessary will help ensure that your truck is kept in the safest condition possible. Any time that you notice a change in how well your brakes work, it is best to have them checked out by a professional. It is much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your truck brake systems.