Mountain/Hill Driving

Then the instrucker is going to be either abusive or overtheatheric. Put victim number one who = scratches the gears getting moving.

My instructor hits. Or at least did. Forget something? Applied profanity. Escalates to punches and different forms of battery. For instance if you were caught mooning over that french coffee you dreamed about earlier that morning for hours, coffees gone and a slap sparked your attention to the two cars rubbing each other trying to get out from under your steer tire. Be quick.

 

slow down before you downshift, gentle use of your brakes, start down the hill slow, as in before you start down slow down. Easier to maintain than it is to slowdown, allows you to keep your brakes from overheating.

 

Howdy farmerjohn64,

Good advice given by all. The only thing you really have to remember is this, "You can go down a mountain to slow a 1,000+ times, you only go down it to fast ONCE.

Dave

 

Don't worry. You will be a great trucker running the mountains with skill and aplomb, you will find that some drivers are not .... adequate. And should not be in the mountains. Generally in those days those drivers are identified and then excluded from loads that took them across mountains. Too much trouble and cost too much money than it's worth to put up with that. Eventually some of these move on and resolve a ongoing problem well enough for a company intent on having a fleet of professionals to run any mountain any time.

Another old saying with that in mind.

"Class Attracts Class" And good drivers who are strong and warriors and know what they are doing and why, are the ones you will run with. And get better for it yourself.

Now if you were sitting in some rotted trailer deep in Chicago filled with misfits who could care less about anything but themselves and what they are going to do that weekend then you are not going to do well. You want to be with first class companies. And given a good record that time will come to you. And when it does, it will be awesome for you and just enjoy it.

Good luck to you.

 

Should have been there today to smell all the burning brakes.

Snowing and the idiots were running it like it was July.

 

I had the same Attitude. Told my trainer back home (Ha...) we have hills bigger than this on the sledding ground.

He looked at me and said sit there, we find you a mountain about a hour from here. I said in this? (Nice little snow system covering everything.) he said sure, we are either truckers or we stay home and make no money scared of a little snow. Over by Front Royal in VA on what I am pretty sure is not a truck legal road (Or was at one time) I had to crane my neck and follow the pavement straight up.

Oh no.... Oh yes you are, get this thing moving up there. And so started my learning.

I thought I had a complex regarding western mountains. A few miles and it's over. I could not be more wrong. HA...

 

Here's the cool thing if you're in a newer truck. Well not even that new. If the truck has traction control it'll cut your Jake off, it's a really cool feature. Be in the gear you want to be in before going down hill, I've been driving since 06 and I'm still not confident to downshift going down a hill. Some of those hills will give a speed limit, try to be 5mph lower than that speed. You'll get more comfortable with time. Uphill isn't so bad, kind of fun really. Yeah everyone is passing you but you get to watch your engine work to it's potential

 

to its potential.

Thats like having a special needs child solve 5 hand written problems on paper ihalf a school day.

People patted me on the head and said you show great potential someday.

So there is no point in seeking artifacts