Metallic Brake Pads
Metallic brake pads are perhaps the most common brake pads found on cars today. The brake pad on the left is new; the pad on the right is used.
Most vehicles on the road today have metallic brake pads. In case you're wondering, these brake pads aren't just slabs of metal. They're typically made of iron, copper, steel and graphite all mixed and together and bonded to form the pad material.
The reason that these pads are so common is simple -- metallic brake pads are cost-effective and durable. They provide good performance and are good at transferring the heat generated by friction with the brake rotors. The downside of metallic brake pads is that they're heavy, which can have a (small) negative impact on the car's fuel economy. Also, because of the extra weight, metallic brake pads aren't the best choice for high-performance driving. Being made of metal makes the pads very hard. That's what makes them durable. But because there isn't as much "give" in metallic brake pads, they can cause more wear on the brake rotors than other types of brake pads. The metallic brake pads themselves hold up well, but they often negatively impact the durability of other brake parts. Finally, metallic brake pads work best when they're warm. When a vehicle with metallic brake pads first gets going on a very cold day, stops may take slightly longer than usual until the brake pads heat up.
Because trucks are so big and heavy, their brake pads are especially important. It takes a lot of power to stop a fully loaded truck moving along at highway speeds. Heck, it even takes a lot of power to stop an empty truck that's barely moving at all. That means that the strength of the pad and its ability to stop heavy loads repeatedly is very important. Organic brake pads, because they are soft and wear more quickly than other types of brake pads, are not recommended for trucks. So what type of brake part do you suppose is appropriate for a large truck?
Metallic and ceramic truck brake pads are good choices. Ceramic brake pads offer a lot of stopping power, even for heavy loads, but remember, they're very expensive. Metallic brake pads are less expensive; however, they wear the rotors much faster than the ceramic pads. The type of truck and what it's used for should determine the brake parts that are installed on it.