md1987:
Could you lose your job over this crap? Or lose wages?
Would you really want to work at a place where some bloody machine, that in many cases hasn’t been programmed correctly ie to take into account the higher revs required for adequate exhaust braking, has any input on your salary or continued employment.
Scanny450:
Culina also want you to use max exhaust brake to slow down a vehicle and have less brake pad wear, thats not constructive to being smooth and neither does having the revs jump to the redline to slow the wagon down become constructive to having mechanical sympathy, also they want you to use cruise control at every opportunity to minimise throttle usage!!!I just drive in a couteous, smooth safe but progressivve manner and invite any manager to come out woth me and proove i am anything but the above.
The system should be programmed correctly to take into account the higher revs required for efficient exhaust braking.
It shouldn’t be going up into the red at all, most engines the (usually blue) sector of the rev counter comes into play when the exhauster is being used, in most cases the blue sector finshes about 200rpm below the start of the red line, happy to be corrected on this as obviously i don’t drive all makes these days, if does get too near the red flip it up a gear.
Not criticising you, but your police training will be based around brakes to slow, this was never how lorry drivers were taught though from what i read its how too many driver schools have adopted, i’ve had a robust discussion with a DCPC trainer who reckoned he was a hgv instructor about this.
All full size lorries have some form of retarding system built in, it might be a humble exhaust brake or an all singing/dancing retarder, they design and fit these because they are meant to be used, and i would respectfully argue that a pro lorry driver should only be using the brakes to bring the vehicle to a final halt, correct use of gears and whatever retarding system is fitted can lead to even the heaviest lorries to decreasing brake wear by up to 4 fold, plus by slowing gradully for a longer period means you’ve come off the trottle much earlier than someone solely braking…though unless some clown has switched it off (and they do 
), on most vehicles the exhauster will come on when the brake is depressed to assist normal braking.
The other aspect of this is using the auxilliary retarding system fully helps keep the service brakes cool for if they might be really needed, this especially important in hilly country with heavily loaded vehicles.
As i said not criticising, if i was unfortunate enough to work somewhere like that (i wouldn’t want to and they wouldn’t want me so we’re all happy) then i’d be at the bottom of all scores excepting maybe fuel consumption and vehicle wear generally, not as any of that would be of the slightest interest to either party, its all about keeping the system maker/seller in luxury and those doing the monitoring in cushy non jobs.