Does your home jurisdiction require air brake endorsement?

michelb wrote:

John & Angela wrote:

slickest1 wrote:
The fact that you think you have auto air tank purging and air driers on your compressor says to me you really don't fully understand your system. What you hear purging would be the air dryer that is plumbed into your air system that removes most of the moisture out of the air before it gets to your tanks.
I don't think most people need the same course a truck driver needs but should have an idea of what they are driving and that it should be maintained. Air brake systems are more complicated and need to be because of they weight they need to stop. There are alot of safety measures built in to them like auto slacks and such that need to be maintained. You may scoff at us old truckers all you want, but telling people that are new to this that you can just get in it and drive it without knowing anything about it is just plain Bad Info.

Beat me to it. Thats kinda scary. I wonder how many people are driving around out there that haven't purged their tanks. I would hope they get told how to purge their tanks on their walk through from the dealer. Scary.

FWIW, I purchased a 10 year old DP last year and the lanyards for the airtanks had NEVER been pulled - they were still covered in the foam that Tiffin sprays under the chassis and I had to dig them out.

My coach does have automatic moisture ejector so you don't have to do them daily but unless you're 100% that the automatic moisture ejector is working properly, you should probably pull them once in a while ...

I have a similar system on my coach. About a year ago after reading so much info on this forum I crawled under my coach to find the lanyards. They were neatly coiled up and wire tied to the frame just like they came from the factory. I cut the ties and got out from under the coach. I pulled the lanyard and got nothing but dry air out of the tanks.


Now, before any of you press the Start button on the microwave in your rig you must go to your local community college and take a Basic Electronics 101 course so you can safely operate your microwave.

peaches&cream wrote:

Tom_Anderson wrote:

two-niner wrote:
All of this "sitting in the cab pumping the brake pedal X number of times" is good. How do you know they really adjusted??

You measure the stroke, just like always. All of this pumping stuff isn't really necessary if you measure the pushrod stroke and it's within spec.

No one has answered my question, does the pedal go lower (as in hydralic brakes) as the adjustment gets out of tolerance? Or does the pedal go to the floor upon a stop when it is out of tolerance? Since we have professionals responding to the post, I would think they would know the answer? I normaly press my brake pedal as far as it will go, every day as I drive the MH. Usually make at least 10 stops or more each day. Do I need to do a "panic stop"? Please explain what a CDL teaches you over a "peon" like me?
Give me some info?

Pushing down on the pedal helps tighten up the brake adjustment. But to properly check adjustment, you have to go underneath and check where the slack adjuster connects to the push rod. Chock the wheels and turn off the parking brakes so you can move the slack adjuster. Wearing a pair of gloves you pull hard on each slack adjuster. If you can move it more than one inch where it connects to the push rod, then it needs adjustment. At least that is what I was told to check them.

peaches&cream wrote:

Tom_Anderson wrote:

two-niner wrote:
All of this "sitting in the cab pumping the brake pedal X number of times" is good. How do you know they really adjusted??

You measure the stroke, just like always. All of this pumping stuff isn't really necessary if you measure the pushrod stroke and it's within spec.

No one has answered my question, does the pedal go lower (as in hydralic brakes) as the adjustment gets out of tolerance? Or does the pedal go to the floor upon a stop when it is out of tolerance? Since we have professionals responding to the post, I would think they would know the answer? I normaly press my brake pedal as far as it will go, every day as I drive the MH. Usually make at least 10 stops or more each day. Do I need to do a "panic stop"? Please explain what a CDL teaches you over a "peon" like me?
Give me some info?

No, the pedal travel does not change with brake adjustment. And automatic slack adjusters are supposed to adjust automatically, without making panic stops. That's just a way of making sure they do.

Air brakes are not rocket surgery. In fact, everything that most professional truck drivers know about them can be found in the DMV commercial driver handbook, which can be picked up for free at any DMV office (in California, at least).

Tom_Anderson wrote:

two-niner wrote:
All of this "sitting in the cab pumping the brake pedal X number of times" is good. How do you know they really adjusted??

You measure the stroke, just like always. All of this pumping stuff isn't really necessary if you measure the pushrod stroke and it's within spec.

No one has answered my question, does the pedal go lower (as in hydralic brakes) as the adjustment gets out of tolerance? Or does the pedal go to the floor upon a stop when it is out of tolerance? Since we have professionals responding to the post, I would think they would know the answer? I normaly press my brake pedal as far as it will go, every day as I drive the MH. Usually make at least 10 stops or more each day. Do I need to do a "panic stop"? Please explain what a CDL teaches you over a "peon" like me?
Give me some info?

two-niner wrote:
All of this "sitting in the cab pumping the brake pedal X number of times" is good. How do you know they really adjusted??

You measure the stroke, just like always. All of this pumping stuff isn't really necessary if you measure the pushrod stroke and it's within spec.

All of this "sitting in the cab pumping the brake pedal X number of times" is good. How do you know they really adjusted??

Must show proficiency in their operation according to my handout. In other words....did they really adjust, or are they already in tolerances, that is the question. Check the NV DMV and they show drawings and diagrams, gotta know it.

Kerry (last post on this subject)

Executive wrote:
Less government, YES...but if you've got a coach with an air system, including the brakes, you should know the simple maintenance required to keep them in the best, read safety, condition...."pedal to the metal" simply means apply the brake "firmly" as far as it will travel....Dennis

Thanks Dennis. I was wondering what I needed to do to get the pedal too go all the way to the floor?

Does the pedal not go further toward the floor as the adjusters get out of adjustment? Or does the MH just run out of brakes all at once?

For "dumba@@@S" like me, here is a simple explaination.
To ensure that the brakes are always in adjustment, the following
is recommended:
1. During your pre-trip inspection complete 10 full
brake applications while the unit is parked. A slack
adjuster will adjust approximately ½ inch with every 10
full brake applications. By including this procedure as
part of your pre-trip inspection will ensure that your
brakes are always fully in adjustment. In the event of a
roadside inspection, repeat this process while waiting
your turn in the inspection process. This will ensure
that the automatic slack adjuster have the adjusted the
brakes to compliance.
2. During the Pre-Trip inspection, a driver is required
by D.O.T. to check the low air pressure-warning device.
This should be audible at 60 psi. To check this device
the air pressure must be lowered to 60 psi. If while
accomplishing this portion of the inspection, a driver
would fully apply and release, the air pressure should
drop approximately 4 psi with each application.

peaches&cream wrote:

moisheh wrote:
I did not read this thread right from the beginning but one thing that has not been mentioned is a "6 pack". Almost all MH's have automatic slacks. But they do not always adjust. At least once a week ( if you are on the road) here is a procedure that will adjust your slacks. The wheels should be blocked and the park brake off. Build up to full air pressure. You will be doing 6 full to pedal to the metal brake applications. However they must be at near maximum air pressure. 18 wheelers have an extra air gauge that will tell when you are at that pressure. In most MH's you will do 2 applications and then build up the air pressure. When you have made 6 full applications your brakes are adjusted. As for air brake endorsements it is ridiculous that every state does not require that endorsement. Every Province in Canada has that requirement. I will go one step further. Before driving a vehicle over a certain GVW one should be required to take a driver's test!!! I decided that the air brake endorsement was not enough and I now have a CDL.

Moisheh

Please explain what "pedal to the metal" means?

Fully stroked i.e. depress the brake pedal all the way to the floor and hold it for 30 seconds.

If you have not done this recently, roll down the window and you will hear the slacks ratcheting to the proper position.

s N s wrote:
If you're referring to just an RV then I have to say that MI has no endorsement on air brakes. There are a couple of states that do. I believe CA is one of them. Personally I think anyone with an air brake equipped RV should have an endorsement. It's not a bad idea for anyone driving any type of motorized RV to have a special license in my opinion. I have seen people out there that don't have a clue as to what they're doing.

California does not require an endorsement. In California you can drive any motorhome 40 foot or less with a Class C. You need a non-commercial class B for over 40 feet. Weight or air brakes don't make a difference as long as you're in a private RV.

Tom/Barb wrote:

havasu wrote:
So just for fun and being totally honest, can you answer the following?

1. What are slack adjusters and what procedure should you follow to check them?
2. Do you have 1 air tank or 2?
3. How often should you drain your tanks?
4. At what pressure should the spring brakes apply
5. What pressure should cause the low pressure alarm to sound
6. What is the maximum air pressure allowed
7. How many seconds should it take to build operating pressure
8. What are the 2 tests for air leakage
9. What the are maximum leakage rates allowed

How many can you answer without Googling?

Who cares? you have your coach maintained by a professional and it works properly when you step on the pedal.

You do not need to know all the details to be safe. other wise a transport pilots would have to be aviation engineers to fly.

Actually, although Airline Pilots don't have to know how to rebuild a jet engine, they have to know a lot about the air craft systems including how a lot of those systems work and what the limitations of those systems are. For example they have to know a lot about the brakes and how to preflight inspect the brakes and what to look for.