1. Every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, house trailer and pole trailer, and any combination of those vehicles operating upon a highway must be equipped with brakes in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.

2. Every such vehicle and combination of vehicles, except:

(a) Special mobile equipment towed by a motor vehicle at a speed of 20 miles per hour or less;

(b) Trailers, semitrailers and house trailers having a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or less, except as provided in subsection 6; and

(c) Pole dollies when used in the transportation of poles at a speed of 20 miles per hour or less by a public utility or agency engaged in the business of supplying electricity or telephone service, when the transportation is between storage yards or between a storage yard and a job location where the poles are to be used,

must be equipped with service brakes complying with the performance requirements of NRS 484D.255 and adequate to control the movement of and to stop and hold that vehicle under all conditions of loading, and on any grade incident to its operation.

3. Every such vehicle and combination of vehicles, except motorcycles or mopeds, must be equipped with parking brakes adequate to hold the vehicle or combination of vehicles on any grade on which it is operated, under all conditions of loading, on a surface free from snow, ice or loose material. The parking brakes must be capable of being applied in conformance with the foregoing requirements by the driver’s muscular effort or by spring action or by equivalent means. Their operation may be assisted by the service brakes or other source of power, provided that failure of the service brake actuation system or other power-assisting mechanism will not prevent the parking brakes from being applied in conformance with the foregoing requirements. The parking brakes must be so designed that when once applied they remain applied with the required effectiveness despite exhaustion of any source of energy or leakage of any kind. The same brake drums, brake shoes and lining assemblies, brake-shoe anchors and mechanical brake-shoe actuation mechanism normally associated with the wheel brake assemblies may be used for both the service brakes and the parking brakes. If the means of applying the parking brakes and the service brakes are connected in any way, they must be so constructed that failure of any one part will not leave the vehicle without operative brakes.

4. Every vehicle must be equipped with brakes acting on all wheels except:

(a) Trailers, semitrailers, house trailers or pole trailers, manufactured or assembled before July 1, 1975, having a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or less.

(b) Any vehicle being towed in driveaway or towaway operations, provided the combination of vehicles is capable of complying with the performance requirements of NRS 484D.255.

(c) Trucks and truck-tractors having three or more axles, which need not have brakes on the front wheels, except that when those vehicles are equipped with at least two steerable axles, the wheels of one steerable axle need not have brakes. However, those trucks and truck-tractors must be capable of complying with the performance requirements of NRS 484D.255.

(d) Special mobile equipment.

(e) Any vehicle with three wheels in contact with the ground, two of which are equipped with brakes if the vehicle is capable of complying with the performance requirements of NRS 484D.255.

5. Every trailer, semitrailer, house trailer and pole trailer equipped with air- or vacuum-actuated brakes and every trailer, semitrailer, house trailer and pole trailer with a gross weight in excess of 3,000 pounds, manufactured or assembled after July 1, 1969, must be equipped with brakes acting on all wheels and of such character as to be applied automatically and promptly, and remain applied for at least 15 minutes, upon breakaway from the towing vehicle.

6. Every trailer, semitrailer, house trailer or pole trailer of 3,000 pounds or more gross weight or equaling more than 40 percent of the towing vehicle, manufactured or assembled before July 1, 1975, must be equipped with brakes on at least two wheels.

7. Except as otherwise provided by law, every motor vehicle used to tow a trailer, semitrailer, house trailer or pole trailer equipped with brakes must be equipped with means for providing that, in case of breakaway of the towed vehicle, the towing vehicle will be capable of being stopped by the use of its service brakes.

8. Air brake systems installed on trailers must be so designed that the supply reservoir used to provide air for the brakes is safeguarded against backflow of air from the reservoir through the supply line.

9. Every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, house trailer or pole trailer, manufactured or assembled after July 1, 1975, and operating upon a highway must be equipped with service brakes on all wheels of every vehicle, except:

(a) A trailer, semitrailer, house trailer or pole trailer of less than 1,500 pounds gross weight need not be equipped with brakes; and

(b) Three-axle trucks, trucks and truck-tractors need only be equipped with brakes on all wheels of the two rear axles.

[Part 6 1/2:166:1925; added 1939, 316; A 1953, 152] — (NRS A 1965, 167; 1969, 1216; 1971, 1472; 1975, 130, 1078; 1979, 854) — (Substituted in revision for NRS 484.593)