The most scariest situation ever!!

First of all, you only have as much air pressure to apply the brakes as what's in the air tanks. It doesn't matter if you use the foot valve or the hand valve...or even both....you aren't going to put more air to the brakes than what you have available in the tanks.

However, what you ARE accomplishing by using the hand valve is occupying one of your hands with an unnecessary task....which makes it unavailable for steering, shifting, and anything else you might need that hand for.

One last point to consider, a tire skids when it loses traction...and a tire that has lost traction isn't doing much to slow you down. If you over-apply the trailer brakes by using the hand valve in addition to the foot valve, you are increasing the likelihood that you are going to lock up the trailer wheels thereby increasing your stopping distance. Not only that, but if the wheels on the trailer are locked up and skidding while the tractor is trying it's best to stop, you'd better keep an eye on that trailer because it might try coming around on you.

There are reasons why a lot of companies started spec'ing trucks without a hand valve for the brakes....and you're a shining example of one of them.

 

Wow I never heard of that but I only to Texas and east of Texas. That's neat.

 

Open range is the term that if you hit livestock it is your fault. Lot's of Indian Reservations are also this way, I from what I have heard their goats must be gold plated!

 

You suddenly wake up- and realize you're holding a steering wheel, sitting in the driver's seat and looking head-on at another tractor!

You stand on the brakes- as hard as you can......

Holding your breath and waiting for the impact, you slowly realize you've been sleeping over the steering wheel again and were actually parked in a rest area behind a towaway truck. You're facing a dealer's new tractor that's on the way to a dealership!

Then you promise yourself NEVER to nap over the steering wheel again- with the seatbelt still latched and the engine running....

 

some more information on open range laws.
http://www.mwl-law.com/CM/Resources/articles22734.asp

 

I was in Texas last year during not only the Super Bowl but their BIG snow storm, I should say ice and snow..

Driving with an empty dry van, and coming up to a road crew trying to something with the snow, mind you Texas isn't the Mid West, they have little knowledge on how to deal with snow, anyway the crew had a rolling "Lane closed" arrow truck in front of him was a GRATER !!! All he was doing was making the highway a ICE RINK....
Truck ahead of me and I scooted over to the passing lane, I look in my passenger mirror and all I see his a Freighliner haling ### down that slow lane... All I thought was
"He's going to kill them"
He hit his brakes and his trailer started swinging, then he was nearly sideways, then my thought was
"Oh Sh**, I'm empty, he's going to come through that trailer and hit me" !!!
I grabbed the CB and started yelling at him to
"Take the ditch, take the ditch"
He got just enough control to swing himself into the median right on by me and the truck in front of me.....
I managed to see where he was from as we went by his truck as it was in about a foot of slushy snow, in the middle of the median... The trucking company was out of Arizona...Obvious to me that was his VERY first snow and ice ...

My hand shook for at least an hour after that ....

 

Almost identical....cept...on I-80 WY, only doing 20...crest the hill and a sheet of ice like a Zamboni just went through....rigs are stopped at the bottom and I'm picking up speed. No choice but to take the shoulder...if not enough room, then I go in the ditch. Just made it...not sure if I was shaking more or if the trucks on my left side had to change their shorts.

 

October 11 2002 I-43 pile-up near Sheboygen, Wi.... scariest thing I've ever seen. Involved 40 cars. 10 people perished in the wreck. Fog so thick, I couldn't see the back of my trailer at one point.

I can't seem to find any pictures. If I find any, I'll post them.

I've had my share of close calls.... but this one got my attention.

Found a link... Check this out.

http://www.topslab.wisc.edu/resources/NHVC_presentations/John_Jones.pdf

 

Coming into Big Spring, TX earlier this winter. I had parked in Sweetwater when it started snowing as I was loaded light. In the morning I got on the interstate after I heard reports that the road was just wet at that point. It was and I resumed my trek to El Paso. There were a few icy spots in the hammer lane but no real problems. As I neared the Big Spring TA I noticed trucks slowing way down, the CB chatter said it was total black ice. I started to brake when a Swift truck in front of me did and it was true, the road was completely covered in black ice. I barely came to a stop before bumping Swift. The 2 trucks behind me came to a stop but the third skidded, sheared the right side of his trailer on the edge of the trailer in front of him and wound up in the median. I crawled my way back to the TA and waited for the sun to come out and melt the ice.

 

Why were you running 70 in a 55 zone. It would have been all on you.
Slow it down. You should be able to stop quicker