Benefits of Front Brakes on Heavy Trucks

This paper addresses the issue of front wheel braking on heavy trucks and reviews testing that has been performed over the years dating back to 1948 to evaluate the effect of front brakes on braking performance. It also describes in detail a test and demonstration program on front wheel brakes that was conducted in September 1986. The paper indicates that front wheel brakes have a strong effect on braking performance and that vehicles without front wheel brakes take longer distances to stop and are more likely to lose control in emergency situations. The paper also indicates that the use of front brake pressure limiting valves with typical, current design front brakes degrades vehicle braking performance.