If a brake shoe or pad is dragging it can reach very high temperatures that can even start a fire, this is what happened in Chili, NY this morning on a tractor trailer. The truck was carrying 40,000 lbs. of chicken at the time. This has to be a record for the world’s largest batch flaming chicken or the world’s worst Trans-Am joke.

The driver was not injured in the blaze and the truck was a complete loss. Crash investigators determined the rear brakes on the truck were the source of the fire. It is still unclear if it was a problem with the air brakes or the shoes in the drum. This incident makes the case that  brakes should be periodically inspected.

Source:  I-490 back open after truck carrying chicken catches fire–Democrate and Chronical