Dramatic footage of double fatality Donners truck crash

I have posted several YouTube videos of drivers doing such stuff as speeding/tailgating, operating unsafe equipment, unsafe lane-changes and if the comments I get from some of the "drivers" are an indication of the state of the "Industry".....we're in deep-dodo.

 

Yes, if you have RealPlayer 8 (9 or 10) you can D/L it. You can convert it from FLV to AVI/MPEG/WMV usnig a FREE program called "Freez Flv to AVI MPEG WMV Converter "

 

Video shot in Grand Rapids on the US 131 "S-Curves" speedlimit for trucks is 45mph. The driver was cited for speeding and failure to maintain control, as well as hauling an improperly loaded trailer.

 

Thanks for the video! Yes, people can use this to learn and SAVE lives! I found the new video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS00hb3zsVU

 

I agree I was trained to use the 10 point rule.10 minus the % of the grade= the gear to desend in with light steady pressure all the way down. that is without a jake brake. you are going 20 mph on a 6% grade but if you noticed your brakes were smoking you going slow enough to pull over and stop to let them cool down.16 months and never smoked brakes, or driven with a jake brake fully loaded.

 

Scary stuff. After watching that I may have taken on my last student.

 

I think your formula would work with a 13 or 15 spd gearbox, but not so well with a 10 spd. With a 10 spd truck going down, for example, a 7% grade using the "10 point rule" would have the driver descending in 3rd gear, which would translate into 10-12 mph, a bit too slow on a major highway for all except pilot car-escorted heavy haulers (who would never use a 10 spd anyway). When I run a 10 spd, I rarely need to drop below 6th gear (apx 20-25mph) on a grade at 80K gross. And I snub-brake (scrubbing about 400rpm off the tach- 5mph in my case, and repeating as necessary) down the grade, and never overheat the brakes.

 

Formulas are stupid, IMO, since each tractor has different rears. You play safe and get to know your truck. If in a new truck, play oversafe again. Simple.
I thought I was a great mountain driver, keeping up with many, being passed by some...until I took a back road through West Virginia once by mistake. I got surprised several times until I decided I didn't know so much and slowed down for good. You can get real dizzy up there and lose perspective.