It's conventional wisdom that a truck takes longer to brake when it has a trailer in tow. After all, the more mass the truck has to slow down, the harder the brakes and tires have to work.

But now, General Motors is looking to change that, using existing equipment like its segment-exclusive eBoost braking system to allow truck-and-trailer to brake to a halt as quickly as a truck all by its lonesome. To demonstrate, the Detroit automaker showed off its new trailer braking concept in a video on Tuesday, and although the trailer used in the demo had to be specially prepared for this duty, the required technology is already well established.

To enable such impressive trailer braking, GM had to modify a trailer with improved braking components - namely, superior calipers, rotors, and tires. The automaker also fitted the trailer with its advanced eBoost brake system, which packages the master cylinder, vacuum booster, vacuum pump, and electronic brake control module into a single assembly, and devised a software solution to allow the truck's eBoost to talk with the trailer's eBoost.

The result? The GMC Sierra used in this test experienced a 40-foot reduction in braking distance from 60 to 0 mph with a trailer in-tow, which is equivalent to about a 20-percent improvement, which is huge.

"The industry tends to focus on the big towing claim, but the overall towing experience is just as important," says GM's VP of Global Product Programs, Tim Herrick. "This advanced trailer braking technology is yet another example of GM's leadership and a hint at what's possible in the future."

GM has been quick to note that no trailer currently exists on the market with the equipment required to make this concept a reality, but the company says that this demonstration could serve to inspire the necessary tech partners to bring such a system of control to market.