The following was published in CCJ's Air Brake Book, 11th edition, sponsored by SilverbackHD. CCJ's Air Brake Book is a complementary industry resource, courtesy of our partnership with SilverbackHD, the Technology and Maintenance Council and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. You can download the entire Air Brake Book here.
Inspecting air brakes should be done any time a truck or tractor is in the shop as an integral part of a preventive maintenance schedule to ensure safe operation on the road.
If you are inspecting brakes, you should become familiar with federal and state periodic inspection requirements. Anyone performing required periodic inspections must meet specific criteria in terms of experience and training.
If your vehicle cannot meet these criteria at a roadside inspection, it will be placed out of service.
Generally speaking, a commercial vehicle air brake system should be visually inspected at least every three months, with more thorough inspections carried out according to application and manufacturer recommendations.
This often includes an in-depth inspection for linehaul tractors every six months or 100,000 miles – whichever comes first – and every four months in on-highway linehaul applications when seals are replaced and brakes relined.
Bear in mind that application plays a major role in air brake inspection intervals. Trucks and tractors working in harsh vocational and off-highway environments require more frequent inspections since abrasive materials found on jobsites will accelerate lining wear and aggressively corrode other brake system components.
