Flatbedders can’t back up

I hate jacking my tires around on my trailer, so yeah, it looks like I can't back. I pick easy spots to park, because I pay for my tires, and I don't care if SuperTrucker is filming me so he can share it with his buddies.

Beyond that, I just don't GAF. I'm no truck driver. I don't care about getting better at backing. I don't fit the "professional driver" picture, and really have no desire to.

Yeah, I know it shows

 

That feature is also known to contribute to the computer issues some of the automatic transmissions have, at least in the t680.

 

Ask me how I know

 

I know in the Volvos you can disable the Hill Start Assist while backing. It's just a flip of the switch on the dash, and you can also utilize creep mode while backing too, but i don't necessarily need to do that in mine. It backs at an appropriate speed. I just disable the hill assist.

 

Well I drove a Cascadia with the DT 12 that had hill assist. It would hold it for you when stopped at a red light on a hill or something. That was kind of nice, except I never trusted it enough to take my foot off the brake so it would sit and pop off every few seconds.

This Western Star has a 12 speed auto, but it says Hold on the dash as soon as you put it in gear. Then it won’t release until you press hard enough on the accelerator even on totally flat ground. Sucks for hooking and unhooking from trailers. I probably could disable it somehow, but I just drove it a day or two. Now I’m back in mine. It sucked tho.

 

My 49X has HSA as well. When sitting on a hill I can push a little harder on the brakes and it will hold them for 3 seconds. It plays a tone for 1 second just before it lets go. I also have a switch on the dash that completely disables HSA until I choose to turn it back on.

You can press the accelerator all you want and nothing will happen with HSA holding the brakes. You are supposed to use HSA to move your foot to the accelerator and then as soon as it lets go is when you start pushing the accelerator down. Hammering on the pedal while it's holding the brakes is what's causing it to jump when it finally releases.

It's also not meant to hold the brakes forever while stopped on a hill. It's only meant to keep the truck from rolling back while you move your foot between the pedals.

I am able to slowly back under a loaded mechanical RGN and lift it up my ramps with no jumping or slamming into it. Just back up to the trailer and slowly give it throttle until it starts going.

 

I have always liked the fact that your axles don't slide on a spread because that means that your setup is always the same. Once you have that down it almost parks itself.

 

Backing up one of those stupid steep ramps into a warehouse you can't see into is also great fun