Out of Control Semi Slams Into Several Others Saturday on I-5 South of Ashland

These signs have been at the top of Ashland and Cabbage since I can remember. each hill has at least 2 of 'em along with many other signs like the "7 miles 6% grade" warning signs. Needless to say the hills can't sneak up on you.

Also, you should be in your desending gear befor you start down the grade so that you don't have to try to be on 3 peddles at the same time.

 

I don't have the simpathy that you do for stupid drivers, I try to give guidence when I can. the other thing that the artical does not tell you is that there is about 3 fee of snow at the top of this hill and a large pull off aria to check your breaks. No, he could have done more then he did, HE lost contol of HIS truck. Next time this happens would you like to be one of the other drivers who gets involved just for being there?

 

God bless you man, I don't know many left like you any more.

Reminds me of something Mr Spock said once.

 

There are two runaway truck escapes on that grade. He probably should have used one of them. Plus I agree that you need to learn to downshift on a downgrade. Coming through the top of ashland pass, Northbound, youre proably doing 45 and cruising. When you start down the other side its not immediately steep enough to be in the gear you need. So I go a ways keep my rpms and speed down and downshift a couple of times before I'm set in the gear I'll use the rest of the way down. If you can't slow down enough to downshift that early on the downgrade YOU ARE ALREADY IN TROUBLE!

If you think a 6 mile, 6% grade is bad you should try 2-3 miles at 7-10% on winding, muddy, snow covered dirt roads. Log trucks do it all the time. And don't go getting me wrong. I don't think they are better drivers than we are. But it does give you another example.

 

On a truck that new, if it had been an air line issue, the spring brakes would have locked when he lost air pressure. The post's about going too fast is more likely the reason. But after you start down the hill is not the time to downshift and try to slow. I personally start at the top 1 gear down from the one that pulled me up the hill and let Jake hold me back. If it gets too slow, then at least I can throttle it or touch the clutch pedal to trip the pedal sensor which kicks off the Jake for a little bit(not far enough to touch the clutch surface or disengage the clutch). People complain about me going slow, but I learned my lesson years ago when I use to push it right up to the point that I would have to brake and Jake, until my Jake died part way down the hill and just about ruined a set of brakes getting it stopped. (For those non-truckers, a Jake brake is a compression brake. It releases the compressed cylinder pressure before it can force the piston back down and return some energy to the drivetrain. sort of like the feeling you get when you let off the gas and coast in your car/truck, but only a lot stronger. Bob-tail'ing, my Jake will almost skid the rear tires)

 

Well, I read your post, but you don't say what happened or what hill you were on. I'll figure if you were going to Flagstaff, the biggest hill is just before you get to Camp Verde - seen LOTS of smoking brakes going down that mountain. I wouldn't want to kill anyone, either, even if it is their stupidity that put me in that position.
I remember about 20 years ago, on a mountain grade not too far outside of Phoenix, a truck driver that had been out of trucking for sometime- and had just started back up again - was on a 10% grade the first day back at work. There was road construction on that grade and there was a flagman. He was going too fast at the top of the hill and the flagman was frantically waving at the driver to slow down. He didn't, lost control of the truck, and ran CLEAN over a station wagon with a family of 5 in it.

I mean, his truck literally plowed that car under. The driver - made it out alive - but man, it's a sobering thought. There were kids in that car - how could you live the rest of your life with THAT thought going through your head? I agree, I would rather do whatever I could to NOT run into/over a car than have a death or a handful of deaths on my conscience for the rest of my life.

 

Gotta have been that hill I was talking about, then - it's several miles long. I don't know exactly how long, but even when you get to the "bottom", it's still on a grade, albeit much less of one, that goes on for a couple more miles before leveling off.

I remember the days of full loads and no jake brakes - you had to start out on hills in like 3rd or 4th gear - AT MOST. Even then, if you weren't careful, you could still easily have a white-out going on behind you.