27/06/2026
TRUCK LESSON 4: THE RETARDER IS YOUR BEST FRIEND๐
Up coming truck drivers, a truck has 2 foot pedals. Accelerator to go and the brake to stop but the thing that will save your brakes, and maybe your life, is the retarder
I drive a Volvo FH, so this is for that one. Your retarder is on a stalk behind your steering wheel. It has 3 stages 1, 2, and 3. 0 means it's off, and A means automatic
Here's how it works for real. If you put it on A, you don't do anything fancy. Just press your brake pedal lightly like you normally would. The truck will feel it and bring in the retarder by itself to slow you down. You'll feel the truck pulling back without the brakes screaming
If you want to drive it manually, pull the stalk down. Stage 1 is light, stage 2 is stronger, stage 3 is heavy. Use what the road and load needs
Now listen to me carefully. The biggest mistake new drivers make is riding the brake pedal down long hills. Do that and your brake linings get hot. When they get too hot you get brake fade. That means you press the pedal and nothing happens. That's how trucks run away
So what do we do instead?, We use the retarder first. Before the hill, before the corner, before the traffic. Slow down early. Think ahead and give yourself time and distance. The retarder is there to control speed. The brake pedal is there to stop you when you must.
Not every truck is the same. Some have 4 stages,some have 5, some have engine brakes, some have different switches. So ask. Find out what your truck has before you move๐
Learn this one lesson and your brakes will last longer, and you'll get home to your family.
That's the whole point of this job. Stay safe bobhutiโ๏ธ
TIPS BY NKOSINATHI MKWANAZIโฅ๏ธ
Mkwanazi
