How to take highway curves?

Every single load is different.
As they said, high center of gravity.. heavy, and double stacked.. requires more respect than 22 pallets single stacked on the floor that are only knee high.

But, 12 pallets, knee high, ran down the center deserves a whole lotta respect, too.
If you go diving into a corner like a road course racer then those 12 may end up shifted to the side of the trailer and you all wop-sided looking for a reload option.. or worse.. completely flipped on your advertisements wondering "what happened?".

I've seen it, and so has most out here.

Every load is different.

 

@MSGahir .. that's loaded well.
You definitely need to strap it high and low, or use some good load locks.

I may have wanted them to put the top row on the floor to "step down" the load, if the weight distribution would allow for it.
You may be going to California and need to be concerned about bridge law.. it all plays in.

That's stacked high.
Ease through those hard turns and curves. If you're on the East coast, there will be plenty.

Take your time. The jerk behind you pitching a fit on the c.b. Will get over it.
Do what YOU are confident is safe.

 

In many places you will see a yellow sign at curves that has a lower speed than whatever the actual speed limit. For example you might see a sign that says 60 mph at a curve even though the speed limit is still 70. These signs are the suggested speed limit for the curve. However, as others have said, if it feels too fast it probably is. Just go what speed feels comfortable to you and don't worry about what others are doing. You can't help it if you are a safer driver than them.

 

If it feels like your leaning your going to fast. You should be pulling the trailer instead of the trailer pushing you around the turn.

You can get away with that in the summer but when the road is snow cover or ice you could lose control. That why it better to go slower. Plus different loads can shift in the trailer(tip over) you would have restack the load. The load could also tip over in trailer that could them cause the trailer tip over because your already pushing it to the limit.

 

It sounds to me like your common sense is working in your favor. You have good instincts. Follow them.
You don't really gain any time by taking curves real fast. You make your time by keeping the left door closed and staying out of truck stops.
If you snap-roll your truck and trailer 'cause you took a curve too fast you'll be sorry forever...if you live. At the very least you'll be charged with the kind of preventable accident that will keep any decent outfit from hiring you.
Keep being cautious. You'll have a better career that way.

 

This is pretty long...sorry.

Let’s talk about race cars.

The big thing racers are trying to do is manage the contact patch where the tire meets the road. You only ever get 100% traction. If you exceed that things go wrong. Lateral acceleration is a killer and when managed correctly isn’t an issue until it becomes one. So racers work at being smooth and making small adjustments. It’s not like the movies where you grab a big ol hand of steering wheel etc.

In a perfect world when you’re enter a curve you want to get all braking done while the vehicle is as straight and smoothest way possible. You ease on to the brakes and then ease off of them. Manage that contact patch.

As you turn in towards the apex you want to be on the outside of the lane and if it’s safe ease slightly to the inside of your towards the apex. Even going 6” from outside to inside well help relax the lateral acceleration. Be Smooth. As you approach the apex you want to make sure you’re smoothly applying a small amount of throttle. Image you’re supporting your kid climbing a ladder. You’re just there with slight pressure. You can also image you’re just keeping the chain tight on a motorcycle. Just enough throttle to not accelerate but not to little to let the chain go slack. That amount of throttle keeps your trailer doing what you want, not what it wants which is reacting to the laws of physics.

When you reach the apex you want to start feeding throttle into it slowly while letting the steering wheel unwind. That throttle and steering wheel movement should smoothly move you back towards the outside of your lane as your truck responds to the slow increase in speed.

Almost every turn has a slightly different ideal line, and that ideal line doesn’t really change. What does change is weather, traffic, your vehicle weight, wind, time of day. So your approach speed, braking markers etc. has to change.

The more often you go through a corner the better you get at doing it quickly. If your load changes your initial braking point changes.

So...
1. Get your breaking done early so the truck is settled as you begin steering inputs.
2. Try to use the ideal line in your lane. Be safe and legal in doing so.
3. Reach the apex and smoothly add throttle.
4. Let the steering wheel unwind.
5. Prepare for you next turn and repeat.

And remember. This a truck not a race car. Your goal is to get you and your vehicle to its destination safely. They don’t offer a free Rolex and a kiss from the trophy girl at the guard shack when you arrive at the receiver, they’re just going to have your park and burn your HOS.

 

How much are you, the driver, being pushed against the sides of the seat? If you are not being pushed to the side you are not in danger of rolling, unless you QUICKLY and SHARPLY yank the steering wheel. If you yank the steering wheel you can roll a truck at 10 mph. If you are SMOOTH you can keep it upright almost anywhere.

 

You and me both. When I asked my instructor about it he asked why I would want to push it? You don't roll over going slow around a curve. That's what he said.

 

Wait...you mean to tell me there are curves on the interstate? News to me...