Couldn’t you just put the truck in neutral and use the regular brakes?
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Trucks are very heavy, and pull very heavy things. You know how your car is kind of heavy? A truck with its load might weigh as much as 50 of your car. That means it’s a lot more work for the brakes to stop a truck. That work makes the brakes heat up, and if they get too hot then they stop working.
Engine braking or “jake braking” uses some of the power from the engine to slow down the truck, so that the brakes don’t have as much work to do. That way the brakes don’t heat up nearly as much, and they won’t wear out as quickly. Engine braking also keeps a truck from accelerating too fast when going downhill, which is important because keeping your foot on the brake pedal instead will make the brakes heat up too much and fail. That’s why you see truck “runaway ramps” in the mountains.
Yes, you can just use the foot brake to stop a truck, but if you always do that instead of engine braking then your brakes will need servicing and replacement much more often. That means you can’t drive your truck as much, and you only make money when you’re driving.
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