How can a lorry driver avoid brake fade?
- A Make sure that the air tanks are drained before journeys
- B Check that the air pressure is correct
- C Make sure that the parking brake is applied before stopping
- D Select an appropriate gear before downhill gradients
Why this is the answer
Using the brakes to control a lorry's speed as it's driven down a hill will cause them to get hot. If they overheat, they can become less effective - a condition known as brake fade. By selecting a low gear, the engine's resistance will slow the lorry. This reduces the demands on the brakes, making them less likely to overheat.
Why the other answers don't fit
- A
- Make sure that the air tanks are drained before journeys — Draining the tanks keeps water out of the system. It has nothing to do with heat in the brakes.
- B
- Check that the air pressure is correct — Correct pressure is needed for the brakes to work at all, and it does not stop them overheating.
- C
- Make sure that the parking brake is applied before stopping — The parking brake is applied once you have stopped, which is after the fade would have happened.
Where this comes from
- Driving Goods Vehicles — section 3
Rule numbers link to The Highway Code on gov.uk.
Where this question comes from
The question, its options and the explanation are reproduced word for word from the DVSA revision question bank under licence. The licence requires them to appear unaltered, so we cannot reword them and neither can anyone else — that is why you will meet the same wording on other sites. Everything else on this page is written by Theory Hub: the explanation of why each wrong answer is wrong, the topic guide and the revision notes.
Asked in: Lorry & Bus (LGV/PCV)
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