For Mexico you have to dodge bullets to the exam, drive as fast as you can without running into a drug dealers gun fight, race back to the test center pay off the tester, then pay off the local registar. The you get your mexican drivers licence which is no good anywhere else.
releasing the spring brake got something to do with tightening or loosening the bolt in the centre of the brake cylinder?
you are releasing your brake with no air you use your slack adjuster mess with the rest you could make a real problem for yourself
The slack adjuster is that on the link between the brake pot and the caliper/drum (loosely like the track rod on a car)
DABenji:
Right let’s clear a few things up, I do know more about the braking systems of a truck and trailer just giving a short answer as I was off to work, never heard of brake caging before until here so I Googled it but answer me this, where did you get your knowledge? Probably books and the old chestnut other drivers, I wanna give this a go so just come to peace with it, if I don’t succeed oh well, instead of saying don’t bother the bears would get you before your first tip can’t you be more well this is what you will need to do and who you need to speak to, as a newbie to driving across the pond Idon’t have that knowledge to cut a few trees down and build a bridge using nothing but some string and a tube of toothpaste (that btw was a joke) so I’m looking to the drivers in the know for some advice, thank you ta, also has releasing the spring brake got something to do with tightening or loosening the bolt in the centre of the brake cylinder?
The guys are doing you a favour,your dream of becoming an IRT isn’t going to happen until you proved your worth as a truck driver in North America/Canada.Try somewhere closer to home,ie Scandinavia.
Believe me when I tell you the novelty of driving on snow and ice runs out PDQ,this winter I’d had enough before the end of November 
Brentanna:
releasing the spring brake got something to do with tightening or loosening the bolt in the centre of the brake cylinder?
you are releasing your brake with no air you use your slack adjuster mess with the rest you could make a real problem for yourself
To release a spring brake, which you would do if the diaphram popped or a line got torn off, is generally done by tightening the spring retainer in the cylinder, but you need to know how to do it, not just the theory…
Brentanna, you would be unlikely, if the spring brake has fully applied, to be able to move the slack adjuster to release it, and as they are self adjusting, they would just tighten up again.
My knowledge of the braking system came from years of experience and running my own vehicles in Europe. I know what I am doing, simple as that, and I learned it over the course of time.
My knowledge of the ice roads is something I have gained, but I am 42 years old and have been on the road for 23 years. If I am not capable then, in fairness, who is likely to be. This is my 6th winter here. I know how it can be. You do not, so to expect any firm to let you loose where insurance doesn’t exist, and where a real calamity is a very real danger to life and limb, before you have proved yourself for at least a year is preposterous…
Sorry, but that is the cold, hard truth.
to be able to move the slack adjuster to release it, and as they are self adjusting, they would just tighten up again.
actually you can release even with self adjusting you just have to know how. I have released the brakes using the slack adjusters before when they are fully applied. Thats what god gave us a 9/16 wrench and a ball peen hammer for. I have only released at the cylinder once that was due to damage to the slack adj.
Brentanna:
to be able to move the slack adjuster to release it, and as they are self adjusting, they would just tighten up again.
actually you can release even with self adjusting you just have to know how. I have released the brakes using the slack adjusters before when they are fully applied. Thats what god gave us a 9/16 wrench and a ball peen hammer for. I have only released at the cylinder once that was due to damage to the slack adj.
brentanna, yes you can back of a self adjuster like you say but they will tighten themselves again, if you used a 9/16 and a hammer then they were not self adjusters, you must have been doing the old type manual slacks, autoslacks use a 7/16 on the most common ones like haldex, merritor use that stupid little 1/4 or so bolt head on the top of the slack and the pull out spring on the front, which you pry out or can take right out to replace the worm drive with a 5/8 wrench. caging the brake actuater/chamber or pot as they call them here is by far the best way, when the brake chambers are new they come with there own caging bolt attached to them in a special slot. i liked the european ones better as they just had the 24mm fixed bolt head, with the caging bolt it can be a bit tricky if the springs are worn and the key hole is out of line. of course the fastest way is like the wreckers do it in a scrap yard…torch the push rod. but the guy who wants to get the air brake test done will have to answer “you cage the brakes” wich means winding off the spring in the chamber using a caging bolt. if anyone wants some i have lots, i take them out when i replace the chamber as the corrode and you can’t get them out when you need them. plus half the drivers here can’t use them anyway!!
Brentanna:
to be able to move the slack adjuster to release it, and as they are self adjusting, they would just tighten up again.
actually you can release even with self adjusting you just have to know how. I have released the brakes using the slack adjusters before when they are fully applied. Thats what god gave us a 9/16 and a ball peen hammer forwrench . I have only released at the cylinder once that was due to damage to the slack adj.
Wished i had known god was giving out wrenches, i would have gone to church instead of canadian tire!!
DABenji:
The slack adjuster is that on the link between the brake pot and the caliper/drum (loosely like the track rod on a car)
Yes kind of, it does exactly what it says, it takes up the slack, the distance between the brake shoes and the drum, disc brakes are not very common here yet. next time you look under a truck/trailer with drum brakes lay under the axle, look to your left and right, you will see a round chamber with hoses going into it (one chamber for each wheel ) out of the chamber is a threaded rod ( push rod ) follow that to the slack adjuster ( attached by a clevis and pin ) at the back of the slack adjuster will be an adjusting bolt or might be on top depending on the type. the slack adjuster is fitted onto the s cam wich in turn rotates slightly when the brakes are applied forcing the shoes against the drum. loss of air will mean the brakes will stay on, this is when ‘caging’ is needed, look at the front of the chamber you will see a bolt head,(on the european type) this has to be turned out approx 6 inches forcing the spring in the chamber to release and in turn releasing the brakes from the drums.
If I have the right item on the pot, if this is wound in to much will it stop the brakes from disengaging?? as if thats right I have already had experience on this, due to a bad brake fitting at our cannock they put a new brake pot on and had wound the bolt head in the centre of the pot right in tight so had to undo it to get the brakes to release.
If you run a deer over and the cute furry little thing manages to rip out your trailer airlines on its way through the undercarriage it is possible to cage the brake pots with a big screwdriver, a pair of mole grips and a lot of swearing, trust me, I know about these things 
Winding them off via the slack adjusters is not caging them, but you will get the linings clear of the drums by virtue of them being out of adjustment, but it’s not caging as such 
BTD, chainsaws, cutting trees down to make bridges 
You’re off your [zb]ing nut mate, I think you’ll find most interstates have ready made concrete bridges that don’t fall down (well except Minnesota )
DABenji, as has been said, you’ve got no chance mate, any company sending trucks on the ice will require previous experience of some kind, everyone has to start somewhere though and it would be something along these lines, on road in North America for a couple of years, winter roads for a couple of seasons and then maybe you’d get a shot on the lakes, not much chance of doing that in 3 months, so just buy the DVD box set
If you run a deer over and the cute furry little thing manages to rip out your trailer airlines on its way through the undercarriage it is possible to cage the brake pots with a big screwdriver, a pair of mole grips and a lot of swearing, trust me, I know about these things
Winding them off via the slack adjusters is not caging them, but you will get the linings clear of the drums by virtue of them being out of adjustment, but it’s not caging as such
BTD, chainsaws, cutting trees down to make bridges You’re off your [zb]ing nut mate, I think you’ll find most interstates have ready made concrete bridges that don’t fall down (well except Minnesota )
DABenji, as has been said, you’ve got no chance mate, any company sending trucks on the ice will require previous experience of some kind, everyone has to start somewhere though and it would be something along these lines, on road in North America for a couple of years, winter roads for a couple of seasons and then maybe you’d get a shot on the lakes, not much chance of doing that in 3 months, so just buy the DVD box set
OK, so you get the picture then, but can you think about doing it at - stupid, lying on your back on snow, in the middle of the night, then having to chain the poxy thing up to climb a hill…?
Mark, chainsaws are a versatile tool up north. Farley had to cut a tunnel through the ice where it had shifted and buckled once…
Oh, and I know you are aging, but you are surely too young to be repeating yourself…
cant imagine anyone wanting to do that lol, but if it was needed to be done then id just shut up and get on with it. might have a few swear words to throw in mind lol
DABenji:
cant imagine anyone wanting to do that lol, but if it was needed to be done then id just shut up and get on with it. might have a few swear words to throw in mind lol
and certainly not for the pittance Big Freight have paid the last 2 years.
newmercman:
DABenji, as has been said, you’ve got no chance mate, any company sending trucks on the ice will require previous experience of some kind, everyone has to start somewhere though and it would be something along these lines, on road in North America for a couple of years, winter roads for a couple of seasons and then maybe you’d get a shot on the lakes, not much chance of doing that in 3 months, so just buy the DVD box set
Does that experience include 15 years on supermarket deliveries and less than 18 month in Canada 
That’s the experience of some that got sent on winter roads by a well known Mb company
dave_lol66:
DABenji:
cant imagine anyone wanting to do that lol, but if it was needed to be done then id just shut up and get on with it. might have a few swear words to throw in mind loland certainly not for the pittance Big Freight have paid the last 2 years.
The winter i was there they were looking for people to drive the winter roads and the pay was laid out as follows,
If you were a long haul driver your highway rate of 37c per mile would drop to short haul rate of 34c per mile
as the distance of highway milage was not that great 
then once you left the highway you were then paid $17.50 per hour for all hours worked, but they were putting a stop to the booking of mega hours each day.
I know a few blokes whod done the work for a few years and pulled in some good money in the past not sure if the hourly pay was greater in the past, but after last year they said theyd never do it again for BF
after take home pay of $1500 to $1700 for a fortnights work
There are drivers there who do the job just for the love of it and will openly tell you that and fair play to them i say,
but there are also drivers there who have silver trucks for 30yrs service and it really gives me cause for
concern that people with such mental disorders are aloud out unsupervised into the general population
with a loaded truck
$1500 for a fortnight on winter roads
I take home more than that for 5000 miles on tarmac FFS and I can do that in 8 days if I work right to the LEGAL limits 
BIG FREIGHT ARE THE BIGGEST SHOWER OF [zb]S IN CANADA
One of their guys tried to ‘race’ me in edmonton yesterday…
C608 i think the unit number was, empty deck trailer. Me and him level at the lights, You would have thought because he had an auto he would have pulled away from me failry quick… I left him standing lol 
He tried to catch upto me just before I hit the 110 limit signs, at which point i was foot to the floor doing 120