TAMPA, Fla. – Consolidated Metco’s TruTurn Brake Drum has won the 2004 Technical Achievement Award from the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA).

Truck News editor James Menzies and technical correspondent John G. Smith were members of the selection committee. TWNA director Tom Berg presented the award to Al Anderson, field sales manager for Consolidated Metco (ConMet), during ceremonies held Feb. 17, at the winter meeting of the American Trucking Associations’ Technology and Maintenance Council meeting here.

The TruTurn drum’s fully-machined finishing process, both inside and out, creates better dimensional consistency and a uniform wall thickness which translates into improved performance characteristics for the end user.

The TruTurn process gives the drum strength because there’s no need for weld-on weights or balance cuts which can weaken a standard drum.

The result is a drum with less potential for cracking, lower per-stop temperatures, a more uniform distribution of temperature and braking forces; all of which deliver a longer life-cycle. The drum’s uniform wall thickness also contributes to more consistent thermal expansion and, therefore, minimizes brake vibration for better braking performance.