Kenworth engineers trying to get us killed

Turing off the brake lights with the jake take 5 mins with a laptop. Any dealer should be able to change that for you.
Manual mode is there so you can spec what gear you want using the up/down buttons.
Automatic is there if you want the trans do decide everything. You can absolutely push the upshift button in manual mode to get a higher gear.

 

Ideally, the carrier's shop manager should request these changes be done in-house. Most dealers won't make programming changes to trucks belonging to a mid or large size fleet where a fleet wide program policy may be in place. The master firmware policy needs to be changed otherwise the next update will reset it back to "on"

I would pitch a fit to the terminal shop manager.

 

Why the hell would anyone want a "auto-start"???
What a bunch of wimpy ### drivers! I guess heated seats are next?

 

How are brake lights stupid and dangerous? Anything that can be done to help the less intelligent following behind us. The better.

I worry about someone hitting me when I"m slowing down with jakes only.

 

No one likes the auto/start. But sadly. It's here to stay. Fuel economy and emission purposes.

 

It's stupid. No one has ever complained about almost hitting someone slowing down using engine breaking unless it's a motorcycle. If you are about to rear end someone because you don't react in time to their Jake slowing them down then you were following too close. Besides most of the time I'm using my Jakes to maintain a speed.

Do you realize how dumb and unproffessional it looks to constantly see a truck flashing it's brake lights on and off? You're constantly on and off the throttle with the Jake in some situations. BLINK BLINK BLINK. It's dumb.

Edit: here's how it can be dangerous. I'm barely slowing down with my Jakes and my brake lights are on. Then I stomp on my real brakes to slow it down more. To the person behind me there won't be any visual change if my Jake has been on for the past minute. That can be potentially dangerous.

 

Thinking and Knowing are two different problems.

Ive pushed back against the advancing wall of nanny tech in cars by keeping a older one on purpose.

No wonder no one gets any sleep, those engines set at high idle are z generators.

As far as the horn, a snip or something takes care of the honk. Otherwise a computer setting within the system which is probably a firing offense by the company.

I remember long ago reading and absorbing the factory manual for the original qualcomm so certain strings of numbers and digits actually meant something. One in particular on one of the macros when it starts a certain way, you know you are being tracked in real time by a customer demanding where is my truck at?

They sure took away many joys, there was a time you could drive and type at the same time with that thing in your lap. Long before anyone else had a chance to do anything with driving and cell phones.

 

The behavior of the brake lights tell me how a driver is doing and sometimes what. If they flash too much or inappropriately as you described my next exam goes to eyeballing the wheels for the early signs of haze and smoke from heated brakes.

 

Brake lights cause some people behind to over-react. My mom is one of those who brakes HARD when she sees brake lights ahead and can't identify the reason. A vehicle coasting down a hill should not be a reason to cause concerns for others following.

Secondly, frequent brake lights with no resultant slowing causes those behind to eventually disregard them and assume a defective switch or driver and this could lead to problems if a serious need to brake hard occurs later.