Transits-Yes
Trucks -yes
Ensuring the car is in the appropriate gear for the resumption of chosen speed BIG yes.
Saving petrol- yes- but only while keeping the car in gear with throttle off
Back off and lose speed before or to minimise braking-yes
Brakes are for slowing engines, for going -why would you use a modern well tuned engine as an involuntary air compressor- in an attempt to save the devices developed for that purpose for what other function or are they just unnecessarily powerful devices?
Jedimaster- I'm afraid you have inherited or been taught neolithic driving habits. Of course if your dual circuit brakes fail you will have to use the handbrake, gears, or the softest part of the scenery to reduce your problems and minimise a crash- of course in snow or any low friction or loose surface pressure on the brake can cause skidding and ABS does not
help- all it does do is to enable ordinary mortals to steer on tarmac when, without it, locked wheels would "lead you to straight to the scene of the accident". The reason some are switchable is to allow the wheels to lock so snow/gravel can be ploughed to reduce speed.
If your indicators fail we all should know that hand signals are available - do you use them all the time just in case? In Thick fog it can
help- at walking pace - to stick your head out of the window to inch along inside the white line- so do you advocate doing that all the time?
If there was an efficiency or safety case for using the engine as a compressor to turn your forward speed into heat-which is how "engine braking" works wouldn't some manufacturer have adopted it? In hybrids the wheel motors can act as generators when slowing and save some energy- what actual benefit does any one attribute to not using the brakes? If you drive smoothly and anticipate well 36k from brake pads is easily achievable and demonstrates the driver is not tearing up to things and hammering on the brakes.
I would be startled if any driving manual or published guidance in the last 25 years would support this whiskery old technique. My dad, who first drove in the 1930s had long grown out of this before he died nearly 20 years ago- mind you he was an engineer.
Sorry about the rant but voodoo style myths like this are in need of rectification. Next you will be advising knocking the car out of gear and coasting- last available as a feature on the "auntie" rovers of the 50s and the Saab 96.