Jacobs Vehicle Systems recently announced the 40th anniversary of the shipment of its first engine brake kit.

Brake fade almost cost the founder of the Cummins Engine Company, Clessie L. Cummins his life. After losing his brakes driving down California's Cajon Pass, he nearly collided with a train that was crossing his path. Cummins (yes, the same Cummins as the engine company) began thinking of ways to use the power of his diesel engine to help slow down safely. By 1957, the Jacobs Engine Brake was patented and being tested. Since then, users of North American heavy-duty diesel engines and many Asian and European diesel engines have used Jake Brake retarders.
In 1983, Jacobs celebrated the production of its 500,000th brake. In 1993, the company produced 1,000,000 brake kits, and in 1999, it shipped its 2 millionth brake kit.
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