From: GOTAM35 (gotam35@sc.rr.com)
Date: Sun May 18 2003 - 13:25:30 PDT
I have resisted as long as I can. I must open my big mouth.
I have a CDL with an air brake endorsement. I have the health card to go
with it. I have driven or operated a vast number of different civilian
trucks. Let me share a few facts about the CDL and air brakes.
As a side note, I have forgotten many things, made up a few and misquoted a
couple. None intentionally.
The M35 and other 2 1/2 ton trucks with the same chassis do not have air
brakes. Period. They have hydraulic brakes with an air powered booster.
Your foot has the ability to increase the braking ability of the truck with
the increase in pressure you provide the brake peddle. The air aids with
this. You push brake fluid (dot 5 hopefully) to each wheel. With air
brakes your foot increases the amount of air that goes to air chambers at
each wheel. No air, NO-NO-NO brakes. Most modern vehicles have springs
brakes but they provide very little braking ability when compared to the
rest of the brake system. If you don't keep your slack adjuster tight, you
don't have brakes. Of course when you do your daily inspection of these
things you would catch that. The air chamber usually rotates a "S" cam to
move the brake shoes. Once the camber has moved to the extreme you have all
the brakes your going to get.
You need a CDL, with the air brake endorsement, to drive a vehicle with air
brakes. I am told that is a national standard. That is the whole point of
the CDL, to make all commercial truck drivers abide by the same standard of
safety.
You do NOT need a CDL to operate a M35. It can't haul enough weight by the
manufactures rating and it does not have air brakes. I hesitate to bring it
up, but with the troop seats, it may be classed to haul enough people to
require a CDL. Let's don't go there.
If you are in doubt, go to your local DOT office an get a copy of the
commercial drivers license hand book. Don't take a crack pot on the email
list at his word. People are wrong sometimes, myself included.
You have to keep all the original safety equipment that came on your truck.
Age is irrelevant.
If your truck came with an air buzzer, you must have one. If it didn't have
a warning light, you don't have to have one. Some states may have more
strict standard, I suppose that is possible, but a state can't water down
the federal standard.
Flame away, I don't care. I just don't want any of you guys getting
yourself or any one else hurt. A truck the size of a deuce has a lot of
kinetic energy.
Joe Trapp
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