december2022 - 10

» ZF's OnGuardMAX and other automatic emergency braking systems have
been made possible by innovations in braking technology.
ZF CV Solutions
Making
the right
connections
Digital technology also is helping to
prevent brake issues. To help fleets
make more precise decisions about
brake maintenance, the PreSet
Plus SmartHub provides actionable
insights on wheel end components
from a sensor applied to the hub
barrel and alerts fleets about issues
with brakes, noted Isaac Otto, product
manager at ConMet Digital.
ConMet Digital also offers SmartAir,
which provides line pressure monitoring
for visibility into trailer
emergency-brake air pressure.
Real-time data from the system
is available on the ConMet Digital
dashboard and soon through a
driver mobile app, where users
can set alerts for information
during pre-trip or maintenance
inspections as well as on-the-go.
" Line pressure monitoring gives
drivers visibility to brake drag as
a result of improperly connected
air lines, debris in the pneumatic
system, or forgetting to release
the parking brake, " Otto explained.
" Trailer applications are where
SmartAir line pressure monitoring
becomes crucial for identifying slow
air leaks across one or more trailers.
" Fleets face mounting needs for
efficiency and increased uptime,
and inspections and violations
can delay deliveries and sideline
vehicles, causing costly downtime, "
he continued. " Actively monitoring
brake air pressure can help fleets
and drivers take corrective action
before hitting the road, reducing the
chance of costly fines and violations. "
(24%) and Canada (38%), and 26.1% of violations
were second only to tires in Mexico.
According to FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management
Information System, common out-of-service violations
for all of 2022 included: brake hose or tubing
chafing and/or kinking (Violation code 393.45B2),
inoperative/defective brakes (393.48A), brakes out
of service (396.3A1BOS), and missing or defective
parking brake system (393.95B).
It's impossible to know all the different variables
and events that led to all of these violations.
What is known is that the last line of
defense, the driver, likely missed something on
their pre-trip inspection.
" Considering that a high percentage of violations
for brake issues are air leaks and chafed air
hoses, a big part-but not all, of course-of these
could be avoided with a good pre-trip inspection, "
noted Keith DiRuscia, manager of fleet maintenance
at Pitt Ohio. " We still keep our preventive
maintenance intervals at a point where we catch
most brake thickness and cracked lining at the
shop level. "
Drivers are the last line of defense, though,
and former Washington State Patrol officer Fred
Fakkema, currently VP of safety and compliance
at Zonar Systems, offered some tips to help drivers
avoid these types of brake violations.
" While conducting pre-trip inspections, listen
for leaks and look at the hoses and valves, " he
said. " It's very easy to see chafing and check the
connections. A visual check of slack adjusters
and wheel ends is also important during the
pre-trip. Many drivers believe that since there
are automatic adjusters, there is no reason to
look. But they are still mechanical and need to
be maintained. "
Fakkema urged that drivers not get complacent.
Issues such as pressure loss or an inoperable parking
brake should be discovered during a proper
pre-trip. It is important that fleets are proactive
at all times.
" Once a fleet realizes they may have an issue
with brake violations, it may be too late, and
they will have already received numerous roadside
inspections with brake violations, " he said.
10 Fleet Maintenance | December 2022
" A fleet should always have pre-trip inspections
and identify brake violations in their ongoing inservice
training. The training and reinforcement
of these issues are vital-not only for the safety of
the driver but also for all motorists on the road. "
Fakkema noted that seven of the top 20 CVSA
violations were for brakes.
" If you stop and think about that, the mechanism
that stops an 80,000-lb. truck is among
the most noted violations, " he explained. " That
alone should encourage the driver to do a proper
pre-trip inspection to get in that safety mindset
before leaving the yard. "
Better solutions
for better braking
To help keep those 80,000-lb. tractor-trailers and
all other commercial vehicles stopping as they
should, manufacturers have continued to churn
out continually better braking technologies that
exceed FMVSS requirements.
" The OEMs have an additional 10% better than
FMVSS requirement, and all production brakes
must meet those requirements, " said Chuck
Brodie, field service team leader at ZF Commercial
Vehicle Solutions.
Because brake manufacturers all have the same
basic stopping reqirements, they have to set themselves
apart in different ways. Here's how several
of the leading brake OEs have done that.
Meritor
In 2020, Meritor introduced the EX+ LS single
piston air disc brake designed for linehaul, city
pickup and delivery, and trailer applications.
According to Alicia Wong, director of brakes at
Meritor, the lighter mono-block air disc brake is
the result of five years of development.
" The EX+ LS brakes include features of our EX+
platform, such as the adjuster mechanism, and have
new advantages such as an improved sealing system
with fewer entry points for moisture, enhanced
taper wear performance, and an approximately
20-lb. weight reduction on a 6x4 truck, " she said.
december2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of december2022
