Another semi involved accident

I agree.

The closest I came to a bad scenario was teaming with my brother. I was in the sleeper berth when he woke me up as we were descending a 6% Grade. The jakes suddenly stopped working. I quickly got into the passenger seat, opened the fuse box inside the glove compartment and started to wiggle out the Jake fuse when suddenly the jakes came back on.

After that we took every fuse out at the next stop, cleaned all the contacts and blew dust out of the sockets. Lesson learned.

It wasn't a panic situation. My brother simply got on the brakes and downshifted a few times to get a gear he could control with only engine compression. However, if a driver has never experienced a situation like that OR ESPECIALLY if they are taught the ####ing IDIOCY of never shifting on a downgrade, then they could be in real trouble.

 

Honestly, if I have to touch the brakes any more than once or twice per mile, I'm already working on a downshift. I haven't made brake smoke on a hill since the 80s, when hardly anyone had jakes, and if you didn't notice a strong tailwind, you could get them warm accidentally, as you'd have little airflow.

 

I went northbound over the Grapevine today, second time this week.

CHP was doing an intensive speed reduction thing. Four trucks pulled over, two on the right shoulder less than a mile into the 35 mph truck speed limit and another two a mile farther in the MEDIAN.

WTF? How is it a professional driver gets nailed for speeding on that hill and has no recourse but the median?

I think those drivers may start rethinking their choices. It's not difficult to maintain proper speed, as long as you choose to do so.

Any guesses how much a 55+ in a 35 zone ticket will cost?

 

Yep I have been out here a while. A few years ago picked up a loaded company trailer in prudhoe. It was a nearly new 53 foot flat rigged to pull doubles. I always pull the trailer brake after I get moving before I leave the yard and it seemed fine. I made it 160 miles and across atigun pass with out touching the brake again, but about halfway downthe shelf a truck popped up meeting me. we always (OR SHOULD) slow down to 20 or so mph when meeting another truck. I applied the brake to drop a couple of gears, and no slow down, no brakes what soever on the trailer. Now I was in no trouble at all, but I was not slowing down beyond what the jake was holding me at, any further attempt would have just cooked the truck brakes. It would have been a different story if I had come off the top a couple of gears too igh, been there and done that.
The road was muddy as it could get, so I told my buddy ahead of me, to stop at a paved pullout about 40 miles on up the road, I needed to check this trailer out.
It appeared someone had probably used the gladhand on the back of the trailer for as step, breaking it, but it didn't look like it till air was applied and just shooting the air straight through instead of applying any brakes.I didn't have the parts to fix it, so cut the air line and folded it over and pinched it off. I told dispatch what I had done, and he got huffy about cutting a line on their brand new trailer, until I told him, next time I would just unhook it, like their drivers do and leave it 300 miles from a service truck, then he told me I had done the right thing.
Even more years ago I got to the bottom of the caprock in NM at 100 mph or better, almost had to kick it in nuetral to keep from blowing the engine, because of a busted service line to the trailer.
So yes, even modern equipment can get you in trouble RIGHT NOW.
Now all that said chances are that guy just royally screwed up, but there is no way any of knows if he did or not.

 

You'll have to excuse the troll setup of my channel (it's actually kinda fun to watch people's heads explode over a picture of a ####ing cartoon horse... really no other reason why I use that as my channel logo), but I made my rant on this topic. ####'s infuriating

 

In California,it could equal jail time. CHP warned people in advance months prior that they were cracking down on the Grapevine,and they’re making good on that threat.

 

good I'm glad to see they should do it all the time..
the reason why you got So Many runaway truck sound escape ramps cuz they come here in the Craigslist Cowboys don't take a test or they get the answers fed to them and they're certified to drive an 80,000 lb commercial motor vehicle sharing the road with your loved ones..
the professional started back before Jake brakes so we knew how to go down a hill I still do it the same way cuz I know that Jake brakes electric and it could fail at any time..
just came down Black Mountain last week 44000 lb had no trouble at all sitting there a 22 mile an hour did not touch the brakes one time the strong engine brake on the Volvo D13 held it back perfectly..
yeah it halfway down the hill was FedEx ground some immigrant driving for some immigrant contractor service provider laughing my butt off as he got nailed by the North Carolina's finest.
and they are watching 40 like Hawks now

 

I'd like to go on the record saying that age does not "the professional" make. Giving 2 ####s each about the job and doing it the right way is what defines "the professional" and sets him/her apart from "the steering wheel holder." I daresay I've encountered a few new era editions of "the professional," just like I've encountered a number of old school editions of "the steering wheel holder." I also make it my goal to be "the professional" at the end of the day, regardless of the markings on my tractor. /rant

 

GOOD.

The sheer IDIOCY of the MAJORITY of drivers coming down these hills is mind boggling. Yesterday was a good example. Lots of trucks all bunched up tailgating each other. WHY?

You are going down a steep grade. Why on EARTH do you want to leave less than a second following distance behind another truck, who's doing the same, who's doing the same, etc.? Then add another dozen trucks beside you all wanting to lick #### out if the ####### of the truck in front.

Gee, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?

How about the lead truck slamming on the brakes and swerving to get over because CHP just stopped TWO trucks on the shoulder? Oh, and let's not do anything smart like making sure there isn't a truck beside you in lane #3...nooooo, that would be way too professional. Then daisy chain that brake slamming and swerving through a dozen trucks in both lanes.

I was hanging back at least 8 seconds in the slow lane. I saw the CHP pulling over those two trucks half a mile ahead, yet somehow the lead truck in the slow lane didn't see that until he was right on top of the CHP and trucks, then over reacted.

The CHP officer just stood there watching the fiasco develop. I made eye contact with him as I approached. We just shook our heads and smiled.

Here's a recommendation. Next time you are about to descend a big hill, stop at the brake check area. Get a big jar of Vaseline and liberally apply it around your neck, base of your skull, and under your chin. It will make it much easier to pull your head out of your ###.

 

that's great good for you if I have a cookie..
steering wheel holder whatever you want to call it the bottom line is to professionals are hard to find anymore but you could tell when there are just by the way they act...and you're right there's plenty of 50 and 45 year olds entering the industry that are a part of the problem and still not a part of the solution.
the part of the solution is to force them to take a real professional drivers test speak English understand English until you do that you are going to have nothing but problems as long as Craigslist around this is what you're going to get.