I learned to drive in a 54 3100 and can truthfully say that the stopping distance of a stock 54 3100 pickup can be a lot longer than you want it to be especially if you have made a couple of hard stops in a row. Currently my 48 has drum brakes all around and when I had it on the road daily I lived by the rule of give myself adequate stopping distances behind the car in front of me and always know where my excape route was going to be if there was a situation ahead that I wasn't going to be able to stop in time to avoid. I think it's called defensive driving and if you drive one of these trucks with stock brakes you learn to become more defensive in your driving or you buy new grills for the truck.
In any rig I am driving I always know what kind of vehicle is ahead of me and have a good idea of how quick it can stop. That allows me go give something like a 5 series BMW just that much more room ahead of me.
