Steepest grade you ever pulled or went down.....

If I'm not mistaken..rt 322 off I-80 in Pa..Was headed toward Harrisburg.. Hauling 45,000lbs of grass seed from Oregon..I was driving a Volvo with a Cummins Super 10..

 

For all you guys who think you've driven your truck on a hill, just think of the gas haulers delivering 6 loads a night into downtown San fransisco.

Or the guys hauling fuel down into open pit copper mines mixing it up with off road equipment several times the size of your own truck. The dirt road down into the pit is a 22% grade and They keep it wet all the time with those house sized water trucks so its slicker than snot on a rock and steep enough to scare you, all at the sametime.

Or hows about hauling fuel to a remote mountain top covered with telescopes. 10,000 foot high mountain with a switchback dirt road all the way to the top.
You had to leave your pup trailer at the bottom of the mountain, before driving to the top. Pump the load off, drive back down to the bottom pump the fuel off your pup trailer onto the truck and head back up the mountain again. That'll grow hair on your chest.

 

12%

Was a little tiny, 2 lane, narrow road in Maryland/Pennsylvania somewhere. Was going from Joppa to Lancaster, and it said 12% at the top.

I was glad I was empty and at the time my truck has a jake, and not a party favor.

 

I think I would have ended up with a new trainer. Every truck I've been in, empty, no trailer, is over 10k. And a hill like that? No way.

Glad to hear you're okay though, aside from being shaky and a big scared.

 

I agree! The trainer is suppose to teach you right, by the book.
Raining and empty too. Trust your instincts next time. You are behind the wheel. You are responsible and the law won't accept the trainer told me to. Don't rely on any GPS. Use it as an guide but let your instincts/brains override it when in doubt. It's only as good as the one that programmed it. I been on Rand McNally highlighted truck routes that have restricted bridges and other bad stuff.

 

You mean Joppatowne?? That's above Baltimore near Bel Air.
I think you were on Hwy 161 near Darlington. Did you go across the Conowingo Dam? There's a bunch of steep hills in that area near the Suquehanna River.

 

NC 107 I think the route was, from Sylvia, NC to Cashiers... boy what a treat. I had to deliver hay to a horse camp east of Cashiers. 27 miles of blind curves narrow oh and a 10% grade for 4.5 miles with a 15 mph U curve at the bottom! Good thing I climbed loaded and went back down empty! LOL! Wasnt as bad 2nd time around.

 

14%...going up/down this country back road going to Spruce Pine, NC (west of Ashville). Didn't even come off the low side of the box. And yes...thank you Lord for Jake Brakes!

 

I will cheat here, being a dirt bike rider, i have ridden down things that you struggle to crawl up!

who knows the %, they dont exactly grade forrest trails

 

Did 15% last week. Went up and then back down it all day. Start off at the bottom doing 45 mph and hit the top doing 19 mph pulling 78,000 lbs. I thought that it was going to be steeper than what it was.