Tanker · Safe Driving Rules
What does CDL manual guidance say about brake pedal pressure as a tank vehicle comes to a stop?
Explanation
Guidance is to hold the brake pressure constant and to stay on the pedal through the end of the stop rather than lifting off early. The reason is a timing mismatch between the vehicle and its load: the wheels can be all but stopped while the liquid is still running, so a driver who releases at the moment the vehicle feels stopped leaves nothing holding it, and the wave moves it forward. 49 CFR 383.119(b) makes proper braking procedures for the vehicle when it is empty, full, and partially full a required knowledge area for this endorsement, but it prescribes no technique, so the practice is attributed to the manual. The wrong options are all ordinary habits that backfire here, since pumping the pedal or easing off near the end of the stop is exactly what lets the liquid move the vehicle, and the parking brake plays no part in a normal stop in any vehicle.
Source: 49 CFR 383.119(b)
Related Safe Driving Rules questions
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