How to take highway curves?

You’re doing good! It feels like you’re taking the transition too fast because you are! (for your skill level at this present time!!!) You’re smart to slow down because at your current skill level it may be too fast. That’s what you should be driving to, your current skill level! NOT, what the other trucks on the road are doing. They don’t matter!

Don’t worry, you’ll be more comfortable in no time- but in the meantime, keep doing what you’re doing. Trust your instincts. You appear to have pretty good instincts and they’re what’s gonna keep you safe thru the learning curve, and in the end provide you with a long, safe, prosperous career in this industry. Good job, driver.

 

You can take the curves if you are loaded just so.

Example. Keep in mind in a van trailer or reefer your center of gravity is about a foot above the floor. If they loaded me down with 3 foot high pallets of big salt front to back, I know I will take curves fast and not worry. If they loaded me with mulch to the ceiling, then I have a problem.

You will go through a million curves. But you WILL GO THROUGH TOO #### FAST ONCE. And that's it, it might be the one that kills you.

There is one here in the Ozarks at the AR-OK Line off marked roads to and from the chicken processors signed for 5 mph. You see nothing but sky and you had better be at 3 before you get to it on dry. And number two those little portable cement 6 foot walls? They might just follow you over the edge should you be caught unawares on your cell phone. The rubber of those before you who went over will tell you that too.

You can generally take em a little hard going upgrade. But never downhill. Off the pavement you go (Or the entire mountain)

The leans you are getting is usually all that plush airride under everything. It's a little unnerving. What you want to keep a eyeball at is let's say you are in a left hand curve. You will see your trailer nose hard down on the right front corner over your first drives and lean out of line in that upper front corner. That is your last warning before that tractor breaks loose into a tractor jackknife. Which is one of three possible outcomes of excessive speed when your traction goes bye bye.

There will always be a certain percantage taking curves faster than you. Do NOT try to be like them. Just roll along just as you are just the way you like it and soon enough you will live to tell stories to your grand children.

My days of taking curves fast versus the today's governors are two completely different worlds. For example at bottom of Milesburg westbound I had to slow from around 135-140 off the ridge before it to 121 or just a little less and then get back on it to hit the 10 mile upgrade on 80 at 130. This would have been in a cabover. You did not have too much plush and being right on the steer you can pretty easily tell how she's holding the road back there. (Not very well...) If it's 122 or more she will slide right off. And it's not a good place to be dying today.

Every curve you take as it is. Every time. Not the same time always. Just like it is now or later or yesterday is going to come up with three different speeds depending on weather, load in trailer etc.

Again, you will take a million curves all day long. But the one you do too #### fast might just kill you and whoever else is in the way too.

If you are ever in doubt about making a curve say in West Lancaster PA... always stick the inside wheels into the shoulder. There is not much there at all. But usually has a bigger slope down than the crown you are on. That extra lean down will hold her around. Maybe.

 

Funny, I was loaded with pallets on my flatbed yesterday, delivered this morning. Anyhow I was stacked as high as I've ever been. Nobody could tell me how high. Nontheless I only ran two straps up front and one one each stack after. I ran wobbly the whole way. I retorqued my straps along the way but I only did what the load allowed me to do. And that's exactly what everyone seems to be saying. The real world of going too quick will for sure put everyone at risk. I normally run all kinds of steel,with no speed restrictions on my truck, so yeah follow your gut and go slower. You'll find your groove and you'll hopefully mesh that with being responsible and courteous.

 

If it feels too fast, then it is 100% too fast.

I was taught that if you feel g forces in the cab (side pull on your body) you are driving too fast for a curve. Because your whole load is getting that same pull. It may be bad advice but ive stayed upright so far.

Going slow never hurt anything but the patience of the super trucker behind you. Thats why we have passing lanes. Anybody stuck behind you will forget about it within 30 seconds of going around

You do you driver. Drive how you feel safe, because everybody is counting on that.


Stay safe out there

 

hammer down

 

I was BS'ing with one of the safety guys one time while he was smoking and thats what he told me. Going around a curve if you feel it in your tush your load is feeling it. Too fast for you might be too slow for someone else. Who cares? You might be in Indianapolis and you might be taking a 500 mile trip, but it's not the Indy 500. Slow the hell down. I've taken many curves too slow. But I hope to never take one going too fast.

 

We had a driver doing 25mph in a 55mph curve roll a truck. Guess what company he works for now?

None will hire him.

I don’t give a #### if there’s a 30 car pileup behind me because I slowed to a crawl. Those people don’t provide for my family. I do. I’m looking out for me first. And yea, when I first started driving I literally grabbed the arm rest because I thought every curve I was going to roll the truck no matter how slow I’d go. You’ll get used to it. But remember that sensation, because it’s what keeps you alive long enough to have the experience to determine how much to slow down later. I’ll drop down to 3mph if necessary to keep that truck and trailer upright. The rest of the world can go to hell.

 

We have unloaded light fluffy bales of roofing foam after removing securement off the deck. (Flatbed.) a sharp J in the region of around 25 to 32 or so all of it will come clean off the deck. Its that easy.

If my coffee wants out of the holder on a bad curve, I'll show it steady. I would hate myself for getting into a turn too hot.

I almost rolled the milk tanker a few times when it's nice and straight. The reason is that the cargo is heavier than the rig and if you abuse it with the steering wheel over you go onto your roof. No curve needed.

Steel and such is the one thing where I need more of a sure footed tractor and trailer than anything. I don't care if I have to take a 35 mph flyover at 8 because of that 52000 pound Mr Tippy on my deck. The people will just have to wait. There is like 8 lanes of more people below if I should fall over and kill them.

Another way to ease the curves would be on what I called the WVa Turnpike a way of crossing the smokies. There are sections where at night if you don't watch it it's too fast. So what you do is come in from the far right lane across to the median on the left and come back out of that curve into the right lane to try and make a straight line and reduce the pressure on the cargo and rig. You are not even speeding at this point. 55 is plenty. But at night and no one is around you can establish your own lines.

There are however sections in that mountain range where you have to stay below a certain speed and stay in one lane or other. Do it. I remember one time I-70 had a emergency rule that all trucks into left lane in PA west for a while because a mining company dug just a little too much close to the surface to get at that coal. So there was a bunch of fast repairs done on the interstate and below ground for a month or so.

Believe it or not, that CB mike is my cue for curves. As long it comes back this way coming around all is well. If it stayed far over at a angle pointing out one side or the other, it's way too fast.

 

should be around 5 mph lower than the posted speed as a general rule ... don't worry about the other drivers passing you in a curve ... which is a dumb move anyways ..... or passing in a construction zone ...... especially don't worry about the old white volvos they are the Russians and just like are immigration laws they think the laws of physics don't apply to them .... ramps curves ect . that's not where you can make up time ... or icy roads ..... pretty soon you will begin to realize that about 40% of the drivers out here don't know what they are doing