Can someone please explain the principal of AIR braking system to me please??
My understanding is that air pressure built up by a compressor, engine driven holds the brake pads/shoes off the disc/drum and when the pedal is applied the air pressure is cut and the brakes come into contact with disc/drum causing friction and therefore slowing the vehicle down. Is my understanding correct or do I have this principle wrong?
If so then the only way Dave and Lisa would have come to greif was if they over used the brakes and caused them to heat and expand sufficently to cause brake fade.
The programme that was broadcast showed them having to use an uphil stretch to slow the truck to a stop, then proceed to put rocks under the wheels to stop the truck running back, funny thing I noticed was the rocks were placed in front of the wheels with none behind and the truck facing uphill!!! And if all the air pressure leaked out from the burst/broken pipe this would cause the brakes to apply themselves rendering the truck immovable.
Is this programme a bit OTT to scare joe and joanne public into thinking there are trucks running around all over the world that could possibly be running around unable to stop…I think Not
The TV companies need to get their facts correct FFS
You have the right idea about the brakes and the wrong idea about the TV show, it’s complete and utter ■■■■■■■■ and the people in it are no longer (if they ever were) drivers, they’re scripted and every single aspect of it is over dramatised, it’s big brother with wheels 
The 1st series of IRT was quite good, but as you say (NMM) overdramatised, it is made to appeal to a wider audience and I understand that. But what sort of perception does that give members of the public in the UK for one that there are all these trucks running around this small island with potentially no brakes. Makes U wonder who did the research and who scripted this keech because they seem to have hit on an idea that worked 1st time round as I say, I enjoyed the 1st and maybe even the second episode but now they are just gonna kick the arse out of it and give UK general public an even worse perception of UK truckers…Dont make me very happy!!
You are wrong. The service brakes on trucks like they were driving are ‘helped’ by air pressure from a reservoir. I am not sure about how the parking brake worked but it may just be mechanical.
In the bit I saw they put rocks behind the wheels because Lisa was having trouble pulling off with an underpowered truck and a heavy clutch. I bet you would too.
Sure the commentary was over hyped and padded out with scary shots unrelated to what they were actually doing - BUT. You wouldn’t get me up there in those trucks - even for the kind of money I assume they were getting.
Santa:
You are wrong. The service brakes on trucks like they were driving are ‘helped’ by air pressure from a reservoir. I am not sure about how the parking brake worked but it may just be mechanical.In the bit I saw they put rocks behind the wheels because Lisa was having trouble pulling off with an underpowered truck and a heavy clutch. I bet you would too.
1st, no the brakes are not helped by air, they are full air brakes, their application and release is totally controlled by air pressure which is regulated by the drivers right boot pushing the middle pedal down 
2nd, Underpowered, with a heavy clutch? It’s a Volvo F12, even tired with the smaller engine and the altitude that is not underpowered and you could put an egg on that clutch pedal and push it down without breaking it 
More to the point, have you seen the way they change gear FFS? The idiot with the chin was totally baffled by the clutch pedal and I saw a clip of him running down the road with smoke belching from his brakes, he said ‘it’s dangerous because it may catch on fire’ I reckon it’s a lot more dangerous that he has the linings that hot that they’re smoking, that means glazed linings, no friction, on drums that have expanded, on a road like that
One I do agree with you on is not driving those roads for any amount of money…not with them [■■■■]ing idiots on them I wouldn’t
The default position of the park brake is “fully on” held on by a powerful spring. When air is supplied into the resovoir under enough pressure, the spring is forced back from the “on” position, and becomes “off”. If air is lost from anywhere within the system, the brake comes on and will not come off as it is held on by the force of the spring, and needs no power to stay there.
Did you notice the steering wheels?
Every time I look, it seems to be in the wrong position for going straight, The Volvo badge is upside down ■■
Since when did Californian drivers become Ice Road Truckers anyway?
I’d have banked Mr “I’m an American” off the edge within 5 minutes, his co driver the Spanish speaking one actually seems OK though. For someone who doesn’t have a huge amount of experience he’s aware of his limitations and seems to be cracking on with the job. Not sure I’d fancy those roads in any vehicle.
8wheels:
Since when did Californian drivers become Ice Road Truckers anyway?I’d have banked Mr “I’m an American” off the edge within 5 minutes, his co driver the Spanish speaking one actually seems OK though. For someone who doesn’t have a huge amount of experience he’s aware of his limitations and seems to be cracking on with the job. Not sure I’d fancy those roads in any vehicle.
Plenty of snow in California I’m afraid, google Donner Pass, skip over the truck crashes and look at the snow they get, I’ve been over it in May and had snow for the last couple of thousand feet of the climb 
I enjoy the IRT series but am well aware it is (now) seriously over dramatised and at least partially scripted. It was sensationalist from the start (was watching season 1 yesterday where TJ hits a 4x4, they hype it up as though it was a multi-car pileup). Does it do truckers any favours image-wise? Yes and no I would say - yes when they are shown as brave, no when they are shown as stupid or selfish.
Well the reason why they use old stuff up in the hills is there still fixable with spanners and hammers and not a geek with a laptop and some cables in a van ! just because you got a nice shiney Scania Daf or wotnot deluxe and they got old school stuff half of you wished you had drove when you stared out or tossing over in the truck mag’s of the 80’s-90’s ! yea the vosa or the DOT in the states would have a field day on the trucks but there is not vosa or dot in India or Andes that is why they are there to see who has the BALLS to drive those crates ■■■■■■■■■ DAVE & RICK THE ■■■■ went home because they could not handle the pressure
so get over it its a effin TV program made of BULLSITH ! personly id’e rather see it the way the locals do it
As for the driving take a long look its no more dangerous than driving on there home roads ! or our own send them out to do 6 drops in London Birmingham Manchester or with a wide-load threw Norfolk or Wales
Yea there is a language barrier we have that here and in Europe for those of us that go into main land Europe but is it a real problem i managed and picked up some lingo over the yrs that i did Euro work
Oops - I was talking about the trucks in India. The ones with wooden bodies and lots of tassells
BIGGSAM:
Well the reason why they use old stuff up in the hills is there still fixable with spanners and hammers and not a geek with a laptop and some cables in a van ! just because you got a nice shiney Scania Daf or wotnot deluxe and they got old school stuff half of you wished you had drove when you stared out or tossing over in the truck mag’s of the 80’s-90’s ! yea the vosa or the DOT in the states would have a field day on the trucks but there is not vosa or dot in India or Andes that is why they are there to see who has the BALLS to drive those crates [zb] DAVE & RICK THE ■■■■ went home because they could not handle the pressure
so get over it its a effin TV program made of BULLSITH ! personly id’e rather see it the way the locals do itAs for the driving take a long look its no more dangerous than driving on there home roads ! or our own send them out to do 6 drops in London Birmingham Manchester or with a wide-load threw Norfolk or Wales
Yea there is a language barrier we have that here and in Europe for those of us that go into main land Europe but is it a real problem i managed and picked up some lingo over the yrs that i did Euro work
WRONG 
The reason they use old stuff in Bolivia is because it’s a poor country, hence the locals living in shacks and having no teeth, surrounding countries use up to date modern Volvo, Scania, Mercedes and Volkswagen lorries and they all have similar roads, as with almost everything it’s about money, or the lack of
The original question was regarding the operation of a modern braking system and if my understanding was correct, thank you for making things clear NMM and others.
They are Euro trucks and maybe thought yank stuff was different but seems not just they have buttons push pull for handbrake but works on the same principal as Euro spec trucks.
Wish these ■■■■■■■ would get someone with knowledge to script this as that is where the problem lies.
I have never liked Rick Yem but that could be down to editing, liked the part in the last episodes when he raged off to the camera man telling him to get out his truck etc etc then went out the truck threatened him and the camera man stood his ground and he backed down, was the same in the Himalayas he was ragging from the cab how he was gonna do this and that to the bus drivers, then Dave shows up and he does what Rick says he was gonna do and wait a minute Rick is rite at Daves back pointing and swearing at the guy from behind Dave. As said its all down to editing but come on get someone who knows what they are doing and not some Know F,A uni twit. My wife hates sitting watching it with me cos it annoys me the innacuracies throughout…Same as STOBART’s Creamy mess