A wear insert is provided for receiving trunnions on the ends of pieces used in affixing brake shoes to a brake shoe assembly. A vehicle brake shoe assembly has brake shoes which may be urged outwardly against a brake drum when a S-cam is rotated. The brake shoe has an arcuate brake table on which friction liners are installed. A brake web, comprising a pair of brake web elements, extends inwardly from the brake table toward the center of radius of the arcuate brake table. Each of these spaced apart web elements has a first and a second end, and each of the ends is provided with a trunnion receiving slot. The trunnion receiving slots at one end receive the trunnions of an anchor pin, and the trunnion receiving slots at the other end receive the trunnions of a cam follower. The wear insert is removably seated in at least one of the trunnion slots to be interposed between the slot and the trunnion. When a hardened spring steel is used for the wear insert, the insert will reduce the wear upon the slot, thereby extending the life of the brake shoe. The preferred wear insert is a U-shaped sleeve with radial lips at the ends to prevent axial movement of the sleeve in the trunnion receiving slot.