Braking performance visibility essential for safe trucks, says Volvo

Carl Johan Almqvist is the Traffic and Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks. Like many other segments in the automotive industry, the heavy duty vehicle sector has widely adopted disc brakes in favour of drum brakes. Drum brakes rotate with the wheel and axle until the pedal is depressed, at which point pressure produced by hydraulic fluid pushes a pair of brake shoes apart. Friction material fitted to the shoes then makes contact with the inside of the drum, taking energy out of the vehicle.