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

I went down the same hill and smoked my brakes also,10pds of brake won't do it,but I got lucky and had the brake all the way down to get stopped,and I gotta tellya,when I got out if the truck I was shacking,I had 78000 and a no passing sign ahead,a skateboard pulled in just in front of me,same thing smoked brakes,he was not happy either,seeya.

 

I've driven the mountian in question for the better part of 20 yrs,I live in Grants Pass(mp55) I don't know how many drivers I see come down that hill at way over speed. There is a sign at the summit going north with the suggested speed for your gross weight, but they still come down at 20-30 mph too fast, that sign is there for a reason. there are two escape ramps on the northbound side, using them will get you a ticket and most likely fired by your company. This driver came down too fast!!!!!!

 

And like an older driver told me once... 'Son, you can go down a hill a million times too slow, you only go down it too fast once'.

 

Maybe thats exactly what happened here he tried to down shift to a lower gear, and could'nt get in back in any gear, or maybe his jake fuse blew out, and was never taught how to go down with out it. Another reason you should select a low speed gear before you start down and stick with it, watch for signs of smoke,or brake fade then pull over and stop as soon as you do.

I was taught to always stop and check your brakes before you even get to the top of a grade.

Then a good way to select the gear to descend the grade in is to use the 10 point rule which means if you have no jake brake 10 minus the % of the grade = the gear to be in, and if your not very heavly loaded you can go up 1 gear, and apply 7-10 lbs of air pressure all the way down the grade.You are using the trucks brakes, engine governer, and the transmission. This is old school before there were jake brakes, and it Works every time for me, and you wont need to be using other vehicles for a soft landing spot.

Or if you do have a jake brake use the lowest gear in high range, and keep rpm below 2100 if they try to go over.

 

Yea if you down down these grades going north, or south you can throw that swag about use 1 gear lower than you climbed the grade to go down the grade out the window.there is no climbing just desending, Well except the Camp Verde grade you do climb that one whick is the second one going south from Flag to Phx.

 

Lowest gear in high range puts me at about 25mph I think. I don't see any trucks anywhere going down the hill that slow so that formula doesn't ring true to me.

 

The one I was replying to didn't mention a particular grade. I know that run from flag to phoenix though. It's a pretty good set of hills but nothing requiring dropping down to 25. I'd be afraid to run that slow on a grade that didn't require it. You'd get steamrolled by someone doing 45.

 

You ones that smoke your brakes and stop at the bottom is a no no! This ain't a wood fire where wind feeds it. It's hot shoes and metal. It's best to keep driving and let the wind help cool them down as you stay off them. You stop and the hot metal radiates to the wheels and eventially the tires. The tire's get hot enough then your rig is going up in flames. Then when your nerves calm down, then they are going to act up worse, lol.