Going down the grades HEAVY

I haven't posted too many messages but have been reading for some time now. I'm retired and have been driving since 1978. I like to get some dialogue going on how drivers go down steep grades with a heavy truck. I drove a gasoline super tanker out of Las Vegas for 10 years before I retired. We had a couple of grades we'd go down and some of them got your attention real quick.

Remember Hover Dam when they let trucks pass? Or how about the Laughlin grade on the Nevada side? Of course I could only be 80,000lbs. going over the dam into AZ but the Laughlin grade I'd gross about 105,000lbs sometimes.

This is the way I'd use the brakes. Going down Laughlin was 6° or more so with an engine brake I'd go down no faster than 35mph. I would let the truck drift to 35 then apply steady pressure (like if you were going to stop at a red light) to bring to speed to 25mph then let it drift again back up to 35mph. I've even hauled heavy construction equipment cross country and used this system for years. I've never had any smoke or problems from the brakes except one time when a seal went out and 90wt got on the brake shoes.

And with the smaller truck at 80,000lbs going down Laughlin I'd still stick to 35mph but hardly had to use the brakes because the engine brake worked just fine. Before they finished the construction on that grade, they'd have a flag man out there stopping traffic for the dirt haulers so you'd need all your brakes to stop.

I'd just like to see what other drivers do when going down the long and steep grades when their loaded up. I've had some trucks come up behind me on that grade and get pissed because I was only going 35mph but everyone of them would be at the bottom pulled over with smoke pouring off their brakes. I'd just toot the horn and cruise on by.

 

That engine brake is the best when they're working right. However, some trucks don't have them especially if the truck was spec'd in the east where's there's hardly any mountains. Plus the engine brake won't hold you to the speed if you're loaded up to 105,000lbs.

I have to agree with Runamuk. Those "Hotshot" drivers would change if a few items popped up besides brake cost. Like having a big rock in the one lane road and finding the need to stop but they can't. Or their brakes catch fire and burn their job down. That happened to 2 drivers coming south out of Goldfield NV and they were loaded with explosives. Luckly they got away and it was late at night so there was no traffic when the trailer blew sky high.

 

The best thing you can do is throw out that saying "you go down in the same gear you came up". You'll want to pick the right gear for the right speed. On the Grapevine there's a speed limit of 35mph so find out what gear is best for 35mph. However, if you've never gone down a 6% grade I suggest going 10mph slower than the posted truck speed limit until you know more about the hills.

Brickman made an excellent point. If you go down too slow then you go down too slow.
Just have alot of respect for grades and always keep in mind something could happen that would require all of your brakes.