Advice for driving down steep grades....

And another helpful hint, DON'T PANIC, relax and come down at your pace. When I was running in the mountains, 72-78,000 lbs. If it said 25 mph for my weight, I get it down to 20, keep the rpms up and try to come down the hill with only the jake and not have to use the brakes if at all possible so I have them cool and fresh if needed. When you're pulling a $300,000 set of generators, you can't afford to wreck them.

 

Was gonna post this but you beat me to it.

Haha, after hauling fedex ground and this lightweight furniture (light enough fully loaded that scales think i'm empty), I forget what it's like to pull heavy loads until I get a heavy backhaul. Feels like my first time all over again, but I always remember the rule of "gear up is the gear down, maybe even one lower".

 

fixed it for ya.

 

My best advice as a new driver myself is this: don't worry about that truck on your a%$ at the top of the hill, he'll go around; just take it easy. Assuming your Jake is good and strong, my feeling is you should never have to touch your brakes (unless something unforeseen happens, which is why you want them fresh) on any grade with any load. If you choose the correct gear at the top --and like it was said, slow down before you go down-- it's a much more relaxing experience. I can't tell you how many times in my short career I've had my doors blown off by a smoking, stinky-brake kamikaze trucker. While on that same hill, near 80,000lbs gross, I didn't once touch my brakes. One of these days that Super Trucker is gonna be wrecked or in the Runaway ramp...

I realize some trucks have very weak Jakes, or none at all (my Cummins ISX is a monster!), so you may need to slow down even more. But as you go you'll get a feel for your truck and how it takes grades. The trick is not having a wreck early on; that's why you don't need to worry about the other drivers riding your a%$, they can go around. Don't let anyone push you in to making a tragic mistake.

Like somebody else said, when I'm loaded heavy and will be descending slowly, I hit my flashers at the top, slow down and get in the correct gear, then relax all the way down enjoying the scenery! Too slow is better than too fast...

 

Actually, the type of braking described above is called snub braking, not stab braking. Stab braking is when you hit the brakes hard enough to lock up the wheels then immediately release them. Then hit them hard again. It is only used in emergency situations where you have to stop quickly. You don't want to just stomp on the brakes and hold them because the prolonged skidding will cause you to lose control. Snub braking is not hard enough to lock up the wheels.

 

Tell us more about life with a APU,

 

Thanks for correcting my terminology usage. Sure feels like I'm stabbing it though.

And thanks for that fix TruckerMike.