Other component tips for extending driveline life

Bob Ostrander, Meritor's chief engineer-drivelines, offers these additional tips for getting the most out of drivelines:

• From a cam brake perspective, many on-highway line haul applications could use Meritor's LX500 brake package which provides a grease-free life cycle for at least 3 year/500,000 miles. 
• In refuse and certain other applications, air disc brakes can help fleets reduce maintenance costs with longer lining and rotor life and less time to reline brakes. There are more acquisition costs in the air disc brake, but maintenance is generally easier and lining/rotor life is generally longer than cam brake life.
• "Don't forget the importance of driver training," emphasizes Ostrander, "as drivers can help identify issues before they become catastrophic. The shop doesn't touch the truck every day, but the driver does.   

"The driver's mandatory pre trip inspection - which sometimes doesn't get done - can detect tire problems, low oil levels, oil leaks, air system leaks, lighting issues, etc."