Going up and down a mountain questions

If you ever use a runaway truck ramp, just get out and call a cab to the bus terminal. Unless it was a mechanical issue (not you overusing the brakes) you will probably lose your job. I know you would if you were driving my truck. If someone put you in a truck without you knowing how to descend a hill without touching the brake pedal, they should not own trucks.

 

I have never lost my brakes. I have experienced brake fade. Usually excessive use, similar to descending down a steep mountain. Rule of thumb, what ever gear you climbed up the grade is the gear you use down the other side. You feel the brakes fading or see the pressure on the applied brake pressure gauge is consistently increasing, pull over and let them cool, then continue down. Gear pop, can't get it back in, just stop. Don't waste valuable time, trying to get you truck back in gear while the truck continues to pick up speed.

 

Definitely a loss of job, and probably your career as well.

Having to use a truck ramp also comes with massive fines. You'll get a citation for failure to maintain control and they charge to come dig what's left of your truck out. Those two things usually add up to the tune of several thousand dollars.

If it ends up being a mechanical failure that was beyond your control, and could not have been spotted on a standard pre-trip inspection, you might get the citation dropped. But I'm not even sure what kind of mechanical failure could cause complete brake loss on modern trucks. Nowadays, catastrophic air loss leads to the brakes locking down... Maybe the guys who are more mechanically inclined might know how that could happen, I definitely don't.

But either way Guntoter is right. You shouldn't have to use your brakes much at all if you're driving properly. I drive an automatic truck, and still can use jakes and manual shifting to keep things under control. I've been up and down Cabbage Mountain numerous times and barely tapped the brakes a few times to keep the speed down, all while staying below 30 mph.

That being said, I've never seen a truck have to use one of those ramps myself, but I'm sure the guys that have been out here for 20+ years have some real stories to tell.

 

I agree with the first sentence, but not the second one. If your truck is loaded heavy, depending on the grade, the engine brake will not be suffecient to keep the trucks speed constant, and braking will be necessary.
I think the answer is that the driver needs to be properly trained in braking down a hill, so they don't stab the brake or use excessive pressure.
Also, in this day and age, some trucks still don't have engine brakes. Plus, there is always the possibility the engine brake could fail, in which case braking will be necessary. With proper braking, provided the brakes are working properly, you can control a truck down a steep grade. We did it all the time in the 70's and 80's before companies bought trucks with engine brakes. They used to be an owner operator thing. Company trucks didn't have them.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO9MxaVembY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

What we need here is a Brake App. temp. gage.

 

Absolutely and completely without merit. Yawn inducingly boring.

 

Why? So you can turn on the Brakes A/c to cool them down??

 

Lol. Your turn then.