 An inseparable combination on mine property, truck and driver. No matter what type of material is being mined and hauled, or the size or type of truck, it's the movement of material to the crusher, storage area, preparation plant, mill, railroad siding, or the reclaim area by the drivers and their machines that gets the job done. Drivers of highway trucks that travel on mine property must be aware that the mining environment is quite different than driving on paved local roads or interstate highways. Not only are the roadway surfaces different on mining sites, but the rules of the road and kinds of hazards drivers may encounter can also vary greatly from highway driving. This video is designed to help you, the driver, to better understand truck braking systems, to highlight important principles of mine haul road design and maintenance, and to show the safe procedures to follow in the event of a runaway truck. Please note, as with all training material of a generic nature, but with a specific purpose, the procedures presented in this video should be thoroughly discussed with your instructor, and emphasis given to your truck haulage equipment and local mining conditions. I'm Mike Lawless, District Manager with the Mine Safety and Health Administration. John Radomsky, Assistant Manager, Mine Safety and Health Administration. The videotape that you are about to see will emphasize to you the need to maintain a good, safe braking system on the trucks that you are operating. It will also emphasize to you the need to be constantly aware of the grades that you are operating on, as well as it will emphasize the type of action that you should take in the event of a runaway. I think I agree. The haulage trucks and the over-the-road trucks in use today have been designed with very good braking systems. However, the steep grades we sometimes see them traveled on, and the poor road conditions, make it extremely important that these brakes be properly maintained and functional. John, it may also surprise some of our audience to learn that the chances of survival, a runaway type accident, are much better if the operator of the truck stays with the vehicle rather than jumping from it. Mike, I agree. Our experience shows that drivers who regularly wear their seatbelts have a much better chance of surviving a runaway or any other serious type accident. Of course, truck maintenance and knowing what to do and when to do it are all extremely important, but it is never a substitute for common sense and good judgment. Mike, you're 100% right. Being in control of your truck at all times is the key to having a safe trip. Brakes are one of the most important safety devices on your truck. Before beginning operation, you as the driver must ensure that they are in good operating condition. So that you may better understand how truck braking systems operate, let's take a few moments and go over some key points. Most of today's highway trucks are equipped with air brake systems. Many of these trucks have spring-applied, air-released brakes known as fail-safe systems. These systems require air pressure to keep the brakes released. Therefore, a loss of air pressure will cause the brakes to automatically apply. Highway trucks generally have one of two main types of brakes. Shoe and drum, usually air-applied, where the air pressure forces the shoes outward against the surface of the rotating drum. And caliper disc, usually air-over-hydraulic systems where hydraulic pressure forces the brake pads against the rotating disc. Are you familiar with the braking systems designed to slow or stop your truck? Let's look at a typical highway truck brake system. The service brake or the foot brake is the primary brake for stopping your truck. The parking brake is used when parked and also serves as an emergency brake which releases air pressure to set the fail-safe spring brakes. Tractor trailers have a tractor emergency valve that is used to isolate the tractor brakes from the trailer brakes in case of a leak or loss of air pressure in the trailer's air system. This valve may set automatically or it can be set manually. The trailer brake on the tractor trailer which applies the service brakes on the trailer. Highway trucks are also equipped with engine brakes. This system is used primarily to slow the truck and maintain speed on grades. It protects the primary service brake system from excess heat and extends the brake line. It cannot be emphasized enough that during your pre-operation inspection you should check your brakes carefully. Another important element required for safe truck haulage operations is safe haul roads. When haulage roads are developed in the initial mine planning, consideration should be given to roadway widths, slope of grades, length of grades, curves, berms, ramps, drainage, equipment size and type, traffic patterns and site distances. And then we work this way and we work that way. How you doing Mitch? I'm the company rep for your truck and I just wanted to come by and see how the truck is running and making sure I don't have any major problems. The truck manufacturer is an important source for road design information and should be consulted by the mine operator to determine maximum recommended grades of haul roads and truck braking distances at various speeds and loads. With gravel and other materials it's a maximum of 80,000 pounds. Although extra caution should be exercised when driving on any slopes or steep grades, roadways should not be built so steep as to require the constant use of service brakes to maintain a safe speed. If long grades require constant application of service brakes, overheating may cause the brakes to fade and possibly damage the braking system. Therefore, engine brakes along with trailer brakes are usually preferred as the first means of speed control. While driving over hilly terrain, be especially alert at crests in the haul road where your line of sight may be limited. Again, roads should be designed to minimize blind areas, but if such areas do exist, reduce your speed to where you can safely stop in the event you meet another vehicle. Besides the grades of haul roads, roadway width is another design consideration. One-way traffic is best because it reduces the risk of collisions. The least desirable condition is two-way traffic on a one-lane road with pull-offs for passing. It is especially hazardous where visibility is limited. As you can see, this requires frequent stopping and the risk of collision is increased. It also increases wear and tear on trucks and hauling cycles are usually slow. To determine adequate room for passing, roadway widths are based on the width of the largest trucks using the road. Since berm width is not considered as part of the roadway width, extra footage or width should be provided, in addition to the following recommendations. Single-lane roads should be twice as wide as the truck, thus providing a clearance of one-half the truck's width on either side. Multi-lane roadways should provide the same clearance from the edges of the road, plus one-half the truck's width between traffic lanes. For example, a two-lane roadway should be at least three and one-half times as wide as the truck. Additional roadway width is needed on curves to provide necessary clearance, particularly where there is two-way traffic. Also, all roads should be sloped to provide proper drainage. The very nature of mining causes the location of mine roads to be continually changed. Therefore, haul roads require frequent attention. Adverse weather conditions are also a major factor in the maintenance of haul roads. Until the surface mud can be removed by road graders, rain or snow can turn an otherwise gentle grade into a mud-slinging hail. Of course, on dry days, there isn't enough moisture in the ground to keep the dust down, so water trucks make their rounds from pumping stations to the haul roads throughout the mine. Berms or guardrails are required on the outer banks of elevated roadways, where there's a drop-off steep enough to cause a vehicle to overturn. The minimum height of berms must be at least axle-high to the largest vehicle using the roadway. This mid-axle criteria should also be applied to guardrails or other roadway barriers. Higher berms should be used where conditions warrant, such as where a vehicle might contact a berm at a higher speed or at a more head-on angle. Examples would be its steeper grades and its sharp curves. Safety berms should be constructed to provide resistance to a truck going over the edge, but you should not rely on berms to stop your truck. You should use berms as visual indicators. Use them as a guide to let you know that you are within the safe zone of the haul road. Berms serve to alert you that you are near the edge and assist in redirecting your truck back onto the road. Remember, a truck striking a berm at a right angle is more likely to travel over or through it than if the wheels stayed parallel to the berm. Berm restraint is provided from a combination of the tire penetrating the berm and then riding up the berm material. The face of berms should be cut at an abrupt angle to raise the wheel after it hits the berm and to minimize any ramping effect that could permit the truck to ride over the berm. The berm works by giving you the opportunity to keep your truck from leaving the roadway. If berms are repeatedly cut along the inside, the stability of the berm will suffer. The base of the berm must be kept wide enough to maintain the height of the berm. Berms require continuous attention to maintain both adequate width and height. Roadways should be wide enough to provide for adequate traffic lane widths plus the berm. In cases where the roadway is not wide enough, berms are sometimes extended over the outer slope. This type of berm is not as strong as one that is built on a solid base. Berms may have small openings to provide for drainage, which is important for proper maintenance. Boulders are sometimes used as a type of berm, especially at mines where they are a natural product of the operation or where large rock formations are present in the overburden. If you drive on haul roads where berms are made of large boulders, be aware that an impact with them could possibly cause injury. Smaller boulders used to minimize impact will slide a considerable distance and therefore should not be placed close to the edge. For these reasons, boulders are not the best means of providing vehicle restraint. Guard rails are sometimes used in locations where the installation is permanent, such as out of mine entrance. Guard rails may also be found where the road is not wide enough to install berms. Guard rails must be substantially constructed and suitable for the type and size of equipment being used. Center or straddle berms are used in addition to edge of road berms or guard rails to provide a greater degree of safety. Center berms cannot be wider than the distance between the wheels of the trucks. They can also serve as an excellent means of traffic control to prevent head-on collisions. Escape or runaway lanes are sometimes used on steep grades and are the best restraint system in terms of minimizing injury and equipment damage. A loose base material which a truck can sink into and a steep upward grade are effective ways to stop runaway trucks. A runaway truck is potentially one of the most dangerous hazards that you may face as a driver. But there is much you can do to prevent runaways. And if you do experience one, there are ways to protect yourself. A key precaution is to buckle up and stay buckled up whenever you're driving. Seat belts can keep you in position to control your truck. Seat belts keep you out of the windshield in collisions. They protect you from being ejected from the cab or thrown about inside the cab during a rollover. And they can keep you alive. Your truck shouldn't be overloaded at any time and especially if you're operating on steep grades. This is something that could contribute to a runaway. If the load or grade exceeds the vehicle's design specifications, your truck's braking ability and your margin of safety are reduced. Always obey posted traffic control signs along the Hollidge Roadway. They are there to remind you to follow safe operating procedures. As you operate your truck, drive defensively and think ahead. Picture the road ahead and mentally review your options in the event of an emergency. Keep in mind the location of other traffic, escape lanes, banks, berms and turnouts. Plan ahead and you'll be better prepared to react quickly. Before you start down a grade, slow down. Select the proper gear and be sure your engine brake is on. Don't depend on your engine and service brakes to slow your truck down after you've already started down the grade. If your brakes were to malfunction, you could easily lose control of your truck. Generally speaking, a loaded truck should travel down grade in the same gear required to travel up grade when loaded. This rule of thumb will vary somewhat depending on conditions and equipment. If you start to lose control of your truck, don't panic. Fully apply your engine brake. If your service brakes have failed, use your emergency brake. Pull near the bank. Stop and turn your wheels into the bank. Set your parking brake and summon help. If your braking systems fail to stop your truck, don't jump out. Look for any center berms, escape ramps or other options to slow you down. Use these berms or ramps as soon as possible. Your chances of survival are much better if you stay buckled up and stay with the truck. Well, when you come on to the mine property at the entrance of each of our jobs, we have our highway signs that tell them the speeds that we like from the maintain and yield to the loaded trucks and right-hand traffic. Well, just to take it slow, I guess, and learn what you need to be doing and pay attention to what you're doing. If, for any reason whatsoever, they should take their mind off of what they're doing, not only on this whole road here, but also on the main roads, anytime they take their minds off what they're doing, then they're susceptible now for accidents. As a general rule, if we're up here and we're waiting on a call, we'll get out and look our truck over, you know, every load. Get used to your truck. If you get used to your truck, just take your time. Don't get no hurries all I can tell. Of course, slow down is the main thing. Yeah, I think that you need to wear a seatbelt at all times. Keep up with your truck until you know a lot of things are going to happen to it. I would suggest for you to take it easy until you learn completely the road and the grades and where your sight on spots is at, until you've really got used to it and even after you got used to it to be cautious.