Forgive my utter ignorance on this subject, hence why i am asking about it on here, but why is this done over there, as in the UK/Europe there is no class room attendance or test for brakes on trailers/units?
We only have one or two guages or dials on the dash to indicate if the brake pressure is too low to drive, with warning buzzers and warning stop lights that tell us not to drive until the pressure is safe to drive on.
No testing for the driver, on how to adjust brakes and carry out basic road side repairs, any ideas??
Toby ,you have have to do a multi choice test (mpi.ca…drivers quizzes …airbrake ) first .,then when on test a practicle one.
as most brakes are now self adjusting iirc Manitoba no longer does brake adjustment (S) test.
lol…my unit has self adjusters but not my Btrain so if i get a chance im under the trailers at the quarry pulling the brakes up.
IMO it is done so you can do some repairs on the road to get you home/safe…but in reality you did the exam so if somethings found at a roadside inspection …you are to blame …so a fine is paid. jimmy
I think the reason that the air brake endorsment is still in effect is because of the western states/provinces, brake checks are quite common over that way and just because you get your ticket out east, doesn’t mean you won’t head west at some point, so a one size fits all licence is necessary 
Pardon my ignorance, it all sounds rather complicated to me, why does the USA and Canada not import Scania, Iveco, Volvo, MAN, Renault or Mercedes to the job over there, the long bonneted cabs are out of date, old fashioned and not fit for purpose.
It may be something to do with having their own manufacturers who not only provide trucks to trucking companies, they also provide millions of jobs to the people who live here 
Another small point that may have escaped you, European lorries have brakes too. HTH
Do they have a system to inject anti freezing solution in to the brakes so they do not freeze up in cold weather?
toby1234abc:
Pardon my ignorance, it all sounds rather complicated to me, why does the USA and Canada not import Scania, Iveco, Volvo, MAN, Renault or Mercedes to the job over there, the long bonneted cabs are out of date, old fashioned and not fit for purpose.
ahhh but they did import them!!!
Scania 143 , Iveco turbostars , in the states. yrs ago…saw some turbostars round Seattle,wi the smaller 7.5 tns as well a few yrs back.
Came across Foden 4000 series up on the oil patch,Merc actros units ,and an FH as well.
but in all honestly i would say the old fashioned bonneted trucks are fit for purpose!
in Europe a trucks fkd in say 5yrs then sent to Africa etc … but at the company i work for redi mix trucks built in the early 80s ,have been rebuilt at least once and though old fashioned (very little electronics) 2 stick transmittion still work the winter when the new fleet are parked up(electric this &that ).
The 99 Mack i drive pulls trains at full weight and has had engine etc rebuilt once and to be honest i get more MPG (no emissions very little electronics ) than the newer units.
Yes its a bit noisier than the newer ones but it was paid of 20+yrs ago…and as a couple o folk on here know 
dont get stuck behind me on the climb from the flatland up to my depot.
what im trying to say different horses for different courses. ie i thought i struck lucky getting a Volvo at my first job…after a yr i was given a KW 600 series .,circuit breakers etc old fashioned looking thought i was being punnished BUT after a short while i realised it was a better all round truck with less electrics to go wrong etc …i drove it a yr an a half and apart from normal servicing never let me down once on the dirt rds i ran.
jimmy
I suspect that although various reasons are given why Scania’s can’t be imported here is because they are much more ecconimical to run and would use less oil, this country is an oil based ecconomy and in truth fuel saving vehicles would cost the rich ■■■■■■■■ profits, it’s the same reason if you go to a Ford dealer and ask why they don’t sell the diesel Fiesta they will either tell you no such vehicle exists or that they don’t fit in with emision controls which is total BS, you will get the same answer regarding Scania’s. Truth is the Republican run oil companies don’t really want to sell less oil… in the same context all cars sold here have the drivers hand book changed to recomend changing the oil ever 3 or 5 thousand miles, the Ford Focus had the book changed even though the Zetec engine will go over 10k between changes, My Honda pilot for instance is recomended by the US dealers to change the oil ever 3k, I checked with Honda and they recomend 7 - 10k.
According to most companies here there is no such thing as an ecconomical deisel.
toby1234abc:
Pardon my ignorance, it all sounds rather complicated to me, why does the USA and Canada not import Scania, Iveco, Volvo, MAN, Renault or Mercedes to the job over there, the long bonneted cabs are out of date, old fashioned and not fit for purpose.
the long bonnet cabs are there for a couple of reasons to my knowledge,1 is for the road surface recovery,2nd is for the driver’s comfort ie, a proper bed to sleep on not a park bench plus some wardrobes etc.they are also not out of date and they are more than fit for purpose
it looks like you have not done the air brake course or other defensive driving courses so you will have no idea what road surface recovery means!!.
toby1234abc:
Do they have a system to inject anti freezing solution in to the brakes so they do not freeze up in cold weather?
The system we use at Flying Eagle; is the driver pouring alcohol into the red air line and then holding it above head-height before connecting it to the trailer.
All that stuff in the air brake test is relevant if you have a problem with the brakes. Going through the test procedures will pin point the problem.
toby1234abc:
Do they have a system to inject anti freezing solution in to the brakes so they do not freeze up in cold weather?
nope,not really needed these day’s as in europe they have a piece of equipment called an air dryer,most of the trouble with frozen brake’s is caused with the linning’s frozen to the brake drum’s,this can be avoided by leaving the brake’s to dry off for a few minutes before spiking the red air line in the cab.
dont know about air brake exam etc but most of the old hands on here would at sometime have to adjusted the brakes on a trailor as ye boss or yourself was not going to call a garage out in france or greece or turkey etc etc to do it for ye 
vastly exp:
toby1234abc:
Do they have a system to inject anti freezing solution in to the brakes so they do not freeze up in cold weather?nope,not really needed these day’s as in europe they have a piece of equipment called an air dryer,most of the trouble with frozen brake’s is caused with the linning’s frozen to the brake drum’s,this can be avoided by leaving the brake’s to dry off for a few minutes before spiking the red air line in the cab.
In the cold I always sat with the brakes off for a bit when I stopped and had no problems.
Only time I had frozen brakes was picking up a trailer that had been dropped
Pouring alcohol into the red air line is a well known trick as you say but actually ruins the air lines very slowly, it makes them become brittle and eventually shatter like glass when you are making a tight turn one day 
… seen it happen so many times and had it happen to me on at least two occasions.
The best thing you can do is completely drain your air tanks at the end of every day in cold weather to get rid of any moisture and prevent freezing.
Im currently going through the process of getting my CDL and i have to say, i take my hat off to the lads who come out here and have a go cos compared to this, driving in the uk is a doddle. Ive passed all the written tests and am now concentrating on getting through the hour long circle check, in cab inspection and airbrake test then the hour long drive, all of which im tackling in a few days time. Pulling a 45ft tautliner is a challenge in itself over in the UK but try taking a 90 degree corner in an outfit thats 75 foot long and it pales into insignificance in comparison. Then add on the fact that you could be doing all this in zero visibilty conditions and for me personally, dragging 2 53 foot trailers in it, it is the experience of a lifetime and i wouldnt change it a bit. It is a lot to take in but its all part of the learning curve that moving to Canada brings. For me the whole brakes thing does seem a bit prehistoric but thats the way things are done over here so you just have to get on with it.
The mountain driving sounds like a real challenge too, when on a vacation in Canada, i used cheap hostels to stay in, there was an English lad who was studying for his test, and was doing his home work.
I took the Via rail train from Montreal to Vancouver, it takes about 3 days, to save money i slept on the floor of the panoramic viewing carriage.
The train was late leaving, in the dead of the night, the drivers put their foot down to make up for lost time, the speeds were very high.
I saw about a 2 mile long line of de-railed grain wagons, it was a mess, twisted metal, and the cargo all over the place.
Just wait until Rob takes you along Victoria Ave then tells you to turn right onto Winnipeg St 
russjp:
Im currently going through the process of getting my CDL and i have to say, i take my hat off to the lads who come out here and have a go cos compared to this, driving in the uk is a doddle. Ive passed all the written tests and am now concentrating on getting through the hour long circle check, in cab inspection and airbrake test then the hour long drive, all of which im tackling in a few days time. Pulling a 45ft tautliner is a challenge in itself over in the UK but try taking a 90 degree corner in an outfit thats 75 foot long and it pales into insignificance in comparison. Then add on the fact that you could be doing all this in zero visibilty conditions and for me personally, dragging 2 53 foot trailers in it, it is the experience of a lifetime and i wouldnt change it a bit. It is a lot to take in but its all part of the learning curve that moving to Canada brings. For me the whole brakes thing does seem a bit prehistoric but thats the way things are done over here so you just have to get on with it.
The walkaround and ‘Brake’ stuff to ‘test standard’ was the most ‘mindblowing’ memory test for me, chocks away etc, and remembering the ‘set procedure’ was the hardest thing… (I even had a cunning plan to ‘tape a written procedure’ under the tractor or trailer when i did my under vehicle checks), but after making my ‘home rig’ with my coffee table, some cups and a chair, it didn’t take long to memorise it.
Do you have to ‘crawl about’ underneath your truck on test in Regina?
My trainer was used tae thick jocks etc so he told my a hint…Look at your hand .up one finger (air up) down the other side (air down) etc for the air practicle .test… got to say it worked for me. 
jimmy.
flat to the mat:
Just wait until Rob takes you along Victoria Ave then tells you to turn right onto Winnipeg St
Already been there mate even though Winnipeg st is a bit of a no no cos of the bridge lol