The ABS Trailquip training board is a gamechanger for Bracken Ridge TAFE.
Image: ABS Trailquip
TAFE Queensland students are gaining a deeper, more practical understanding of heavy vehicle braking systems thanks to a revolutionary new training aid built by ABS Trailquip.
The Heavy Duty Truck Air Brake System Training and Functional Demonstration Board, which took around three months to complete, was commissioned for TAFE’s fast-growing Bracken Ridge campus as part of its expanding heavy vehicle training program.
While ABS Trailquip has produced similar training aids for a number of campuses over the years, Managing Director Michael Green says this latest iteration represents a significant step forward.
“Of the various boards we’ve built, this is certainly the most advanced,” Michael said.
Unlike earlier versions that relied heavily on electronic simulation, the new board has been engineered to deliver a far more hands-on, mechanical learning experience.
“They can physically spin the handle to rotate the ABS pole rings and simulate wheel speed,” Michael explains. “But the rings need to reach a certain speed before the ABS system responds, so students quickly understand that it’s not just about movement – it’s about velocity.”
This approach provides a far more realistic demonstration compared to push-button systems, giving students a genuine appreciation of how wheel speed, braking force and system response interact in real-world conditions.
The board itself is based on a standard North American truck platform, replicating the braking architecture found in vehicles such as Kenworths and Western Star models.
To further enhance its training capability, ABS Trailquip has retrofitted an anti-lock braking system, allowing students to observe ABS operation on a platform that may not typically be factory-equipped with the technology.
Training begins with students introducing workshop air supply into the system, initiating the charging process of the primary and secondary brake circuits.
As pressure builds, the unloader valve activates and the system reaches full capacity, with the air dryer purging excess air to demonstrate normal operating behaviour.
Once fully pressurised, students can release the park brakes via the MV-3 valve and observe the brake chambers actuating the S-cam assemblies, providing a clear visual representation of mechanical brake application and release.
According to Scott Lewis, TAFE Queensland’s Business Manager in Engineering and Automotive Training, the board represents a major step forward in how students learn about air brake systems and related technology.
Scott said the Bracken Ridge campus only began delivering heavy commercial vehicle training in recent years and has been steadily building the resources needed to deliver the full qualification locally.
“We really want to put it on the map for the north side of Brisbane because it has already had an impact on the industry up here – we’re resourcing up to ensure we can deliver the whole qualification, equal to what’s being delivered on other campuses,” he said.
At the centre of the new training capability is the ABS Trailquip training board, which uses genuine components laid out in a clear and accessible format to support both foundational learning and advanced diagnostics.
Scott, a former heavy commercial vehicle repair teacher at Acacia Ridge and a big fan of the board’s first iteration, said the new board allows students to visualise processes that are otherwise difficult to understand.
“When you’re delivering theory training about this stuff, you can tell students what happens with the pressure, but with the board you can say ‘watch this’ and they actually see it – that’s when the penny drops,” he said.
“I’m over the moon with it. It’s perfect, it’s modern and it’s also got the ABS tie-in.”
Scott said he’s now excited to see the follow-up from ABS Trailquip, a trailer module that’s going to have EBS capability.
“That’s a gamechanger for us. Access to later model vehicles with EBS are limited, an EBS training board gives us not only access to this system but is also designed for training.”
Scott said the board will be used across several levels of training. School students undertaking vocational education programs will use it to learn basic system identification and component functions. Apprentices in their first stage of training will use it during inspection and servicing modules to understand what they are looking for when maintaining air brake systems.
At the higher levels of training, the board will support diagnosis and repair units, where apprentices learn to troubleshoot braking systems and understand how different components interact.
Scott added that he’s also going to encourage his teachers to use the training boards as a student assessment tool, something he also did with the first ABS Trailquip training aid.
“In their final assessment, they can come out and look at that board and tell you how systems and components are working as well as identify what the components are – it’s much easier than using a vehicle.
“As an assessment tool for a teacher, it’s invaluable.”
The post Hands-on learning at TAFE for new brake technicians appeared first on Big Rigs.