A question for those of you familiar with Grapevine

Good luck, like Condo said lucky he didn't give you a reckless ticket which is written when the officer doesn't know your speed.

That was a place I would hold 5 under instead of 5 over when I drove. Sad to see one little no accident mistake like yours could hurt a driver's future while 4 wheelers tail gate, speed, and cut trucks off to get to the ramps a few seconds faster.

 

I feel your pain. The bears up there know we generally try to run in packs when we are bending certain rules. They know our assumption is if you are in the middle of the pack somewhere, they will not nab you, but will get the guy either leading or batting cleanup. Perhaps he grabbed you to make a point that you can't hide in the middle of a pack of guys all doing the same thing. He'd be the smart&%# to ask you whether you'd follow those guys off a cliff.

The letter of the law in Cali and in Oregon is you have to slow down before you actually get to the sign so that when you break the plane of that sign post, you are already doing the speed posted on it. Similarly, you are not allowed to speed up when you see a sign with a higher number on it until after you are past it.

I'm not going to come down on you for the decision you made. I'm sure you were perfectly safe in doing 45 empty because you don't have to touch your brakes at all on the way down. And I'm not being sarcastic. However, Cali is desperate for bucks right now and we are rolling ATMs. The bears don't know which of us is empty and which of us is running at gross just by looking at us (unless you're a flatbed or drop-deck) and don't care anyway.

Good choice hiring that liar...I mean lawyer. With any luck, you will have that ticket reduced. When I ran ambulances, anyone who got a 15-over in their own vehicle, off duty, was let go immediately...even before the ticket went to court. With the number of tickets issued on that hill, I'm sure the judge really has heard it all.

 

CHP's video evidence on h2m!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuyLTDAC7fE&feature=related

 

"This is the Rubber Duck and I'm about to put the hammer down"

 

A few years ago, I heard a SoCal court commissioner say, "Yes, the traffic fines are pretty high, but the state needs the money"

 

The whole object of requiring an empty truck to go 45 (or 35) is to raise money for the state.

 

I don't know of any states that have empty and loaded speed limits?

 

The speed limit on that hill has ALWAYS been exactly the way it is now...Even when California was awash in money.
They have always enforced the speed limit on that hill more than any other hill in the state!
Back in the sixties and seventies and I'm sure way before that but I'm only able to recall the sixties and seventies personally there were a lot of horrible truck crashes on that hill...Loaded and empty.

They set the speed limit as a reaction to accidents that happened there!
It's a bit unrealistic to have to go 35 MPH on the hill but that's what the speed limit is and we're only talking about a 5 mile downgrade here so...How tough is it to just obey the ###### thing and get on with your day?

I mean really...There's 5 minutes out of your life that you'll never get back!

 

While I agree the limits are too low....they were set at that limit for a reason....
Most steering wheel holders have no clue how gravity and kinetic energy work in concert with mass......

Like I have said before...either on the Grapevine, Siskiyou, Cabbage, I-70 just before the 470.....All have posted limits for trucks.....

The ones who deem themselves exempt (a lot of NAFTA rigs) either have better jakes or thicker brakes......

 

So did he check your log book for that day and see 7 days back , what kind of avg for speed you was doing, that could also get you into lots trouble, for if he sees you 7 days back speeding thru nev -kansa ect , hes knows your speed is true then , so i just slap happy the oficer , pay the ticket, your saftey gonna give you a black mark were were the sunshine dont shine too as well as your dac anyway, accept it , earn as a growing lesson and move on and next time ,make your own pack go 10 below the speed limit , then if hes pull you over then you have a legal beif, ., i always use my avg when i'm doing my log book, if my speedo doing 50 my avg is 45 for that day ,i been pretty safe and never had a speeding ticket yet,Everett.