New speed policy...

Yep my Volvo is exactly like that and when you are heavy (like today) it doesn't take much downhill to be sitting at 70 in a hurry.

 

Yes. I am governed at 68. Generally, I'm cruising along at about 62. A few reasons for this: it's a lot less stressful to me because I don't feel like I'm in a big ol hurry all the time, it's right about where I don't have to pass a lot of people and I'm not getting passed all the time, it's where the "sweet spot" is for fuel economy for this truck, it gives me somewhere to go when I'm hauling heavy like this load (44,500K) and I get a downslope, it usually gets me up a hill just fine, it's less wearing on my equipment, if I do need to pass someone, I have somewhere to go and most (95%) of Swift's loads are set up so I don't have to keep it to the floor. I know a lot of Swift L/Os do 68 because they can. That's their choice. When they blow past me, I just shake my head and wave. On rare loads, I find it necessary to bump it up a little. Regardless of the time I might have saved, I'm usually wiped out at the end of these days.

Regarding the jake, mine kicks in whenever I lift my foot off the accelerator and I have it engaged. If it doesn't hold me going down the hill, I'll slow it down and drop a gear. Most of the time, I've already dropped to the correct gear by the time I crest the hill. Usually, 8th is what I need. Occasionally, like when I'm hauling a heavy load and the hill is like Cabbage or Sherman or the Siskiyous, I'll need to drop two gears to have the jake hold. I put my flashers on and let everyone else have the left lane. The Swift company Volvo I drove had a jake very like this one. It was, after all, a Cummins.

My experience with jakes is they are strongest between 1,300 and 1,500 rpm. Above and below that and they begin to lose effectiveness.

The truck I drove with a pathetic jake was that Cascadia I had over at Prime. It was governed at 72mph, but, again, rarely saw that speed. I was always getting passed by Swift L/Os in that truck. I knew the jake on it was weak, so I'd just drop a gear or two before going down. The loads were always heavy.

 

The reason I asked was with the company trucks 62 is the top. No throttle to give a burst if a steer blows. 68 you would have nothing.

Us company guys should run 60-61.

Nothing more butt puckering than having a steer blow! Did that on a OshKosh block truck. I didn't know I could stab the throttle to get more control. I took a 20 question written test to be a truck driver

 

Which brings me to another reason I stay where I do. I ran an ungoverned 1999 i9900 International. While going south on I-15 in Utah at 75mph, I blew my left steer. Needless to say, I squealed like a little girl and changed my britches when I got it hauled over. It wasn't any fun. Don't wanna do that again.

 

Are you saying you set your cruise at 61 or 62 and going down a hill the engine retarder doesn't kick in til 66?

Not wanting to start any arguments, just want to offer what I do so that the many new people can read the discussion and learn and hopefully survive to tell their own stories one day.

OK first off, it's a Jay Oh Bee. If I see the vehicle is gaining speed, I have choices. Usually just tap the clutch one time and kick it out of cruise control to engage the jakes sooner. Feather the throttle to maintain the speed I want if the jakes hold it back slower than I want. Slow down and downshift if still gaining too much speed for the jake to handle. Boom, simple.

If it's too much work, sometimes in the rolling hills/bunny slopes like that I will set the cruise at 57 miles per hour and the jake will hold it back at 62- just 5 miles an hour faster is when they usually kick in.

The truck I'm in now I swear the jakes don't work at all when the cruise control is on.

It's work and it sucks to be working in a climate controlled environment with the ambient music of your choosing, the tractor being the exoskeleton of your body, charged with controlling a beastly trailer that even moderately loaded weighs more than the tractor itself-- always trying to get in front of the tractor if it can...

 

While I also have relaxed quite a bit in recent years(and still drive an ungoverned truck)--I thnakfully haven't blown a steer tire since I had hair!-LOL
But I am betting blowin one @60 would probably evoke much of the same feelings as @75--last one I did was @about 45--and when it was all said and done--I had a burning desire to take a few days off!! LOL
Be Safe

 

Blown one once, at 60, and the right one. That is fun when right away it pulls you to the right, and you see breakdown lane and then small embankment, down hill. Finally stop, and on the rim.

 

I ruined two drive tires getting stopped.

 

You say your jake does not kick in untill 3 over your set speed correct?
Then turn off your cruise and I bet if you have the jakes on they will kick in.
You can tell when your picking up speed and you can either tap the brake or turn off your cruise for the jakes to kick in early and thus you avoid your overspeed.
See that's not to hard.
Your just being lazy and not wanting to drive your truck like we did before you had cruise. control

 

lol so u don't use your jakes? cause that would be a lazy thing to do...u know back in the day...dang ..I bet u don't even use your AC...real men sweat...just like back in the day..and gee...get me a truck without power steering and power brakes...cause i am a real man from back in the day.....funny ####