braking on big mountains...

I just came down black mountain the other day,and the speed limit is 35 for trucks.I stayed in 8'th gear and held the speed for the six miles or so and really didn't use my brakes at all,just the jakes.I have noticed a lot of drivers just cant seem to gear down for those long grades,and I see them often pulled off somewhere with brakes just a smokin,as I cruise on by......

 

The truck I had that ride in, had no Jake. It really is scary how quickly you can go from 'got brakes' to 'oh ####'. It kinda sneaks up on you if you're not paying attention.

 

Brakes? What brakes?

Why would anyone want to miss an opportunity to save so much fuel and make up for lost time?

Kick that baby into Georgia Overdrive and let 'er rip!!!

Terminal velocity is only about 120 mph (with wind resistance and drag) so you should be good to go so long as everyone stays out of your way.

Happy Trucking!!!

CAUTION: Truckers with less than one million miles of mountain driving should never use Georgia Overdrive.

 

Speed limit is the same going up a hill as it is down the hill. The state police are glad to tell you that.

 

On the contrary, it is not.

The speed limit going up Grapevine is 55; the speed limit going down is 35 (as best as I remember).

It is recommended a loaded truck (or vehicle of any kind) should not go faster down a hill (any hill) than it can drive up it under its own power.

But, we're talking Georgia Overdrive so it doesn't matter what the law says. (it's illegal to use Georgia Overdrive, in and of itself).

 

I was referring to the fact that a guy I was riding with in a Cadillac tried to tell the state policeman that the hill made him go faster.

 

well said D16!

I started my trucking 19 years ago in northern Ca driving 11 western states and and can tell you that there is a gear in every truck when used in conjuction with your jake you can go down any mountain without touching your service brakes or very little. unfortunatly many "billy big rigger" drivers have made it a race track to show off how cool they are at how fast they can run down........ runaway ramps were made for mechanical failures, not out of control show offs. JAKES DONT WORK IF YOU ARE IN THE WRONG GEAR. Most of the new drivers could not fathom going over these grades without jakes...........15 years ago most of us did! and the few that had them went slow to keep from rear ending us. today, one is made out to be inexperianced if they decend down a grade of 8% under 35mph. what about the accident around the corner Billy? you are traveling at 50mph and your brakes are pretty hot......but you look cool..............can you stop ? Me and the D16 can. we dont look cool, but we did not have to swerve off the side of the mountain to avoid a collision. and if you did live, now your truck is wrecked........lost your job.........you got points on your mvr.........now you look like an idiot! and by the way, we safely get to the bottom and pass you 5 miles up the road anyways. And Billy, before you slam me on here cause you know it all.........I got 19 years driving, last accident was 18 yrs ago and I still drive my " large car" slow down mountain passes. to all the new drivers......runaway ramps were made for mechanical failures.........and people like Billy! 90% of my trucking has been west of the rockies and have never came close to going in one. you decide. Drive safe!

 

it doesn't matter to me if I have a mile of traffic behind me I will putz down a big down grade as slow as I feel nessisary, after 20 years haven't lost one yet

 

Guess I never thought that going down a steep grade, fast, was something "cool". I couldn't really care less if every truck on the road is passing me 20/30/whatever mph faster than me. I had my experiences at the beginning of my driving career on steep grades, no jakes and having so much smoke pluming out of my brakes, not to mention no braking capacity at that point at all - well, slower is better as far as I'm concerned. Then again, I never received any actual "training" on how to take on big hills - I just got on them and experimented until I figured out what worked for me.
But I'm gonna tell you, that first big mountain I took was an experience of panic and terror. No matter that I survived it and the truck survived it too (and everyone else around me for that matter), if you're a new driver, you better have SOME plan of attack to get down that first grade you take comfortably without have to crap your pants.
My advice is like others: take it SLOW. I don't care if you have engine brakes, airplane brakes, reverse thrusters, take it slow. I have taken a 10% grade with the jake on Caterpillar engine and never touched the brakes.
I never heard this story about taking the hill down 2 gears lower than when you came up. Honestly, I've never heard that until I read it on this thread. I check my brakes - like another said, check em'. Yours and others lives depend on it. I know most drivers do NOT check their brakes, it's a risk you are willing to take, so beit. Then I get moving down the hill and figure it out. I never judged the downside of a hill by the upside of it.

 

I hope that the drivers that do not have that many years driving get the point that is getting said here by the drivers with alot of wheel time. DON'T let other trucks influence how you should go down or push you down a grade. If you're not sure then go slow or slower. Forget the crap about going down the grade in the same gear you came up in. Not all grades are the same going up as going down. Cajon CA is a good example. What gear would you use if you're heading west? If you have an engine brake then you select the gear where you'll be off the brakes. Your speed might be 35 or 25 it doesn't matter. If you have no idea what speed to come down then use what the states have posted on similar grades at first then minus 10mph and go from there. No two trucks are alike and it's better to go slow, real slow, until you know exactly what you should do. Just remember that you might need all your braking power all of a sudden. And always make sure your brakes are adjusted right.

At night crack you windows down just a bit and use all your senses going down ( feel, sound, and smell). You might be able to smell the brakes before they smoke if there's a problem. Don't mess with any radios and turn them low. Sometimes you can apply the brakes just enough to have the brakes lights come on to check for smoke. I may be a little cautious here because I've been down grades with heavy loads (over 100,000lbs) and no engine brake. I believe it's better to be safe than DEAD.