If you lose pressure in a hydraulic brake system, one appropriate response is to shift down into a lower gear. This will help slow the vehicle.

When coupling air brake hoses, you should make sure the proper pairs of gland hands are connected. They are sometimes color-coded to help drivers avoid mistakes. Typically, blue is used for service lines and red is used for emergency lines.

Roads are often especially slippery when it first begins to rain. Rainwater forms a slick film when mixed with oil and grease on the road surface that has not yet washed away.

To reduce the risk of a rollover when driving a combination vehicle, you should keep the weight of the cargo as low to the ground as possible and drive slowly around turns.

If the coolant temperature gauge goes above the highest safe temperature, you should stop driving as soon as possible and try to figure out what is wrong. There could be an issue in your vehicle that could lead to engine failure and possibly a fire.

The securement of cargo must be checked before beginning a trip, within the first 50 miles of a trip, and then again every three hours or 150 miles.

It is important that vehicles are not top-heavy, if at all possible. A top-heavy vehicle is at an increased risk of rollover. Place the heaviest pieces of cargo underneath lighter pieces of cargo.

Special permits are required for over-length, over-width, and/or overweight loads. They may also be subject to certain driving restrictions.

Brake linings should not be loose or soaked with oil or grease. They shouldn't be dangerously thin.

In vehicles equipped with an automatic tractor protection valve, the valve will pop out if air pressure drops to a level between 20 and 45 psi. When the valve pops out, the protection valve will close, stopping the flow of air.

When driving a tractor-trailer combination that is equipped with an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), you should brake in the same manner that you would if the vehicle was not equipped with ABS.

When accelerating, speed up smoothly and gradually so the vehicle does not jerk. Rough acceleration can cause mechanical damage.

Before slowing down, it is a good idea to flash your brake lights by lightly tapping your brake pedal a few times. This will warn drivers behind you of your plans to slow down.

If you are attaching a second trailer to a combination but you have doubts about the trailer's brakes, you should use wheel chocks to secure the trailer in place while coupling.

ABS malfunction lamps indicate that something in the Anti-Lock Braking System is not working properly.

When inspecting your brakes, you should check for cracked drums; shoes or pads covered in oil, grease, or brake fluid; and shoes that are missing, broken, or worn dangerously thin.

When any vehicle goes around a corner, the rear wheels follow a different path than the front wheels. This is called off-tracking. The degree of off-tracking will be greater on long vehicles than on short vehicles.

Focusing on your mirrors for too long can be dangerous because you will have traveled a substantial distance without looking at the road ahead.

If the interior of your cab is too bright when you are driving at night, you may have difficulty seeing things outside. Keep the interior light off and adjust your instrument lights to the lowest possible level that still allows you to easily read the gauges.

Tire load is the maximum weight that a tire can safely carry at a specified pressure. This will be stated on the side of a tire.