Hill climbing techniques

Any special tips for tankers?

yep.pull that tank with an actual truck and not a mega fleet,less than the posted speed limit non truck. loosely translated- the harder you hit the rise,the better you'll ease up and over it but then all those megas tend to bunch up and attempt passes thereby running wellll below the speed limit and running side by side preventing actual trucks from maintaining. they then park at the mandated truck stops,the ones where they are told to fuel at,and park window to window so they can look over at each other as they enter all that info into their qualcoms and elogs.

 

If the hill is steep I down shift to 7th or even 6th, set the cruise to 35 and just sit back. The engine likes it and it beats shifting your brains out the whole way up. That's what I do going East on Fancy Gap.

 

You use the cruise on steep grades? That sounds dangerous! Yikes!

 

Running heavy up the mountain, run it until it winds down, stick it in ninth then eighth, hit the four-ways, sit back and enjoy the ride at 35 mph.

 

what if you drive a 13 or 15 or 18 speed?

 

Was just thinking about this today.... cause I came over Fancy Gap this mornjng.... for the 3rd time in 3 weeks...also been through WV and the NC mountians on 40. Today I was light....only 75000...lol.
Since im a noob...I wont offer any advice... but I am interested to see what you experienced drivers say....
Not much choice but to downshift going up the mountians... been spending a fair amount of time chugging along at 35 or 40...
Ill have say, I turn down the music, pay attenton and respect those hills, sharp turns and downgrades....
Im sure some of you have passed me!!!

 

Don't miss a gear going up. Had a guy do that today coming 40 into California, stopped dead in the lane then made it worse by climbing from a dead stop.

 

don't forget it depends on your drive train and how your company may have the ecm programmed.. i've ran cummins for the past four years and from what i've noticed they pull alot better then a detroit.. now i'm in my own truck (no longer a company driver) i get to use all of my torque so i can pull most grades without droping a gear loaded at 79k.. but when i do i'll usually lug it down to 1200rpm before i drop a gear.. if my rpm doesn't fall below 1200, then i wont down shift... truck seems to run cooler like that..

coming down a hill, it all depends on what's in front of me, how far i am from the next climb and what the speed limit is..

 

Ya right. Going up hill at 35 with the cruise on is wicked dangerous?