In addition, let me say a word of two about the use of Air brakes in the overall automotive industry.
So, as we said, Air brakes are used in trucks, buses, trailers and semi trailers. There are several reasons why this brake is the preferred type of braking system for these vehicles.
First and most important reason for these heavy-duty vehicles to use Air brake instead of hydraulic brakes is the fact that the use of air allows multiple vehicle units to be coupled. This way all units have braking capability and can be controlled from the cabin.
Further more, the use of an Air brake system allows for the combination of an emergency breaking system that puts in use parts of the service brake as well as the parking brake systems.
The Air brake systems have three braking systems combined:
- The service brake system;
- The parking brake system; and
- The emergency brake system.
Most of the class 8 trucks have Air brakes; they have 4 wheels drum Air brakes. Now, of course there are some trucks that have 4 wheels disc hydraulic brakes, but those types of trucks will take bigger effort and distance to stop than the vehicle that has Air brake system.
