driving down mountains in truck has no engine brake,how to handle that

I'm just going to leave this here for you.

How to Safely Descend a Mountain Grade With an Automated Manual Transmission

 

Just because someone is taught something doesn't mean it's correct. And if you question why, and they can't give a good answer, I have found it's sometimes best to ignore them.

 

Based o

On the grand scale, especially in the USA, it's time for old school to freaking retire and take their bad habits with them.

As it stands now, we still have too many 70-80 year old politicians, CEO's, truck drivers, etc running our country and industry, Retirement at 65 or sooner should be the standard as it was until recently. Go fish, travel, do something and let the next generation have a chance already as was the norm until very recently. Especially politics. When you old coots stay in until 80 that means the guy under you is 60+ is the new norm, manage your money better and retire, make some room for everybody else, selfish ####s.

 

You know what's funny about your post? Those '''old coots" you speak of, might be still working for a totally different reason than you think. It might be because they WANT to continue doing something they enjoy.

Let's also not forget that many of the luxuries we enjoy today (air conditioning, air ride, and yes, even the elogs) are a result of these "old coots" you're not happy with.

 

Term limits. Mandatory retirement age. Bad advice from old timers regarding brakes and mountains who have never driven a modern truck. I support the former, not the latter. So sue me, or no, sue the admins of this site for not stepping in and telling grandpa to #### for making a racist comment at thanksgiving dinner. Actually, racist comments are far less dangerous.

 

You replied to my link to the Schneider test (which you said didn't happen) with a rant about old people, which has left me confused.

Could you elaborate/clarify for me please?

 

Confusion is not necessary. Schneider does not recommend light braking vs. snub braking. Some old timers are so confused they think stab braking still applies in a world where 90% of the trucks out there have ABS. Some even argue that manual shifting is safer and superior to automatic transmissions. New drivers of all ages come to this forum for advice. The old timers often spout drivel that was maybe relevant 20 years ago, VERY often. As a safety conscience person, and approaching geezer status myself I call BS on #### like braking because it's really important and lives can be saved or lost on internet advice. Like I said, if you haven't leaned one new thing in 20 years, and make an effort despite evidence and common sense to persuade new drivers of the way you were taught 50 years ago, #### off already. This ain't retail or bartending, it's life or death.

 

Runaway Truck Crashes - Forensics

I still think the best speed to descend a grade is the speed at which all metrics combined, will be just below the speed that would require brake application. i.e. virtually all speed is controlled by weight/gravity and engine brakes (or reduced speed to compensate for no engine brakes) Thus, keeping brakes cool and available for effective braking if a situation develops.

If you're going down [a long, steep grade] at a speed that requires intermittent brake application, you're probably going to find yourself in trouble if you need to perform an relatively quick emergency stop on the grade.

 

Please go and read the link from my post above.

In wet weather when the engine brake is not practical, with an AMT transmission, Schneider does recommend light steady pressure instead of snub braking.

I don't agree, but I respect the opinion of the guys who did the testing. They are solid guys, most of whom are current or former drivers.

 

I am 60 years old and retired. I have more SAFE logged miles then i really care to speak about. WHY? Because in this business the past is just that, the past. Now I chose to not take offense because in a lot of ways I also agree with you. However you are making two VERY bad mistakes with that comment that is going to anger some people needlessly. The first is you are assuming you are right about everything! I can assure you right now that is in serious error. The next mistake you made was calling all us old schoolers basically idiots because all we have are bad habits. I don't know how old you are or how many logged miles you have. I also don't give a tinkers dang either. Know this though! My experiences in the trucking industry are made of listening to who at the time was old schoolers and the fricking school of hard knocks.

Now I am going to ask you very nicely to amend that comment some and take some of the venom and hyperbole out of it. Because if you don't and keep on disrespecting us old schoolers one day you are going to find people have stopped listening to you. I know after tonight I might!