Driving in the mountains advice for new drivers.

Be in control of your speed before you start down the grade - and apply braking as necessary. Let your Jakes in concert with engine rpm's do most of the work. You can go down a mountain too slow a 1,000 times, and too fast only once. Don't let other drivers influence how you drive.

 

I was trained using 10 psi or less it also called light steady pressure on the brakes. It’s 10 psi or less of brake pressure because the drums dissipate that amount of heat from the brakes without overheating. So you can ride the brakes all day if you wanted to and the brakes won’t overheat. The trucking company in Salt Lake City also had applied brake pressure gauge in all their trucks. That’s not a standard gauge your truck might not have one.

I would slow down and put 10 psi on the brakes and hold that pressure all the way down the hill. That’s was best in snow and ice also but no engine brake also on snow and ice.

Then if I wanted to go faster like on dry roads I also turn on engine brake and run that plus 10psi or less. You are basically go as fast as possible using all the brakes plus the engine brake.

Lots of drivers use the engine brake in snow and ice but it not a good idea because the differentials work against you in snow and ice. They are to let wheels turn at different speeds so you can go around corners and stuff. When you turn on the engine brake the differentials will apply all the power to wheels with the least amount of traction. That will make the tires slow down and slide on snow and ice. Then that will make those tires want to come to front of tractor. So you are basically starting your own jackknife. It won’t happen every time because you hear drivers running engine brake on snow and ice all the time. You just meet to know it’s possible and that why you don’t or should not use engine brake in snow and ice. Your not trying to save the brakes your trying to get downhill without an accident.

If you ever see trucks stuck in parking spot at truck stop. You will see how the differentials apply all the power to one set of tires and the just spin and the other 3 drive tires don’t turn.

 

All us old timers and old timers older then me have all died from not having jakes on the old trucks so there is no one left alive to answer your question. However. Two gears down. Never run in od with a 13 if possible. Pull Johnson bar back and hold 10 psi on trailer brakes. Let them do most of the work and use tractor brakes as reserve. 95% of western trucks back in the day did not have jakes or front steer brakes.

 

Forgot to mention the most important part. Adjust brakes at the brake check parking station. I don’t care if they are self adjusting. They well be out. If self adjusters were so good the dot wouldn’t still be putting so many trucks oos for out of spec slack problems. Properly adjusted brakes should pull a truck down pretty good at 10 psi. All us old timers that drove or still drive non abs know this. Any more then that you risk lock up.

 

Monarch Pass last winter scared the heck out of my running empty going home. Things got hairy, scary and at 12,000 feet - out of airy.

And that’s from a 20 year driver.

 

Drive slow enough & use you brakes properly and you are OK. Slow enough on a 55 mph downgrade may be 20 or 25 or less if the grade is very steep. Light steady pressure to avoid any speed increase. Letting your speed build 5 or 10 mph and then slowing is certain to smoke brakes eventually. If you are light, or grade isn't steep or long then any technique will work well enough. I worked my first few years with no jake and going up/down 6-8% grades. I tried the various techniques on the same routes, back then the internet wasn't available so I listened to old-timer and tried each of their techniques. No matter the technique every driver is 300% certain any other will cause instant death and destruction. I can give you the physics formula that proves why NOT LETTING YOUR SPEED INCREASE puts far less energy into the brakes. Kinetic Energy = 1/2 X (Mass X Velocity) squared. Letting speed increase by 5 mph is equal to slowing from 25 mph to 0, in addition to the speed you were already going. Letting vehicle speed increase 10 mph and then braking is like adding the energy for slowing from 100 mph to 0 to your original speed. Don't let speed increase once set, Start with a slow enough speed.

 

If you have no experience chaining..
I recommend that you take the time and practice somewhere sunny and warm
Learn a system of hanging and the different state requirements. Better to learn now than later when it’s-20 blowing snow like a mofo.

Practice in a truck stop and you may even get another driver or twelve to give you some tips. Don’t wait until you’re in a chain up area to ask for help because everyone is going to be in a hurry to get on down the road.