Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

80k down a grade with an auto is very manageable in my limited experience. Jake brake on 3 and stab brake to get it into the gear you want. I have done it many times, although not in much winter weather. But, in winter weather, you should be driving much slower, so, not a big chore to get the auto into a lower gear for descent.

 

I keep it in manual through the mountains.

 

It will go into a lower gear easy enough, it just won't stay there for more than a second. Once it shifts back up to 12th then eco-roll kicks in and you are essentially rolling down hill in neutral..

If the conditions allow for it, then the engine brake works fantastic, maybe even too good as the truck will downshift into a lower gear automatically. With a light load or on slippery roads, that "feature" is a recipe for disaster.

I need to talk to some of the experienced Freightliner drivers and see how they handle hills and winter.

 

Ive been very busy with training & loving it so far! Doing our 34hrs reset here in Santa Rosa.

Were heading to Patterson,CA from Kentucky! I'm having a great time!!

 

After reading all your comments about these automatics perhaps it helps explain the debate mentioned below by MacDaddy.

A manual trans, Jake break and a Johnson bar give you all the control you need in any given situation. Personally, I'd much rather go this way. But then I've never been too big on all these new so called "safety" devices taking control away from the driver. That includes the systems that will automatically hit the breaks as well.

I know it's the new wave of the future and perhaps I'm a tad old school but .. I'm trained and paid to drive the truck. More than that, unlike "automated systems", I can reason and adjust to changing conditions. Just saying.

 

That's a nice run. Sounds like a great training trip.

 

I remember training with Johnboy a few years ago, we had three consecutive Ross' dress for less loads from Fort Mill SC to San Diego and back. I had never been to San Diego before. Good times!!

 

Must just be me that didn't like CA. I mean the miles must be nice, but there is nothing about going CA that I liked during training. Well, I should say the parts of CA I saw.

 

The 55 mph statewide speed limit is a pain in the arse, as is the 40 foot bridge law, not to mention the traffic, but the miles were nice. And so was the company.