I70 in Colorado

There is one truckstop between gypsum and grand junction. No name old but good parking.

 

As others have said, have chains with you and gear down for grades. Keep it geared down until the signs say otherwise. Your engine brake is only as good as the gear you're in. If you're heavy, drop down 3 gears instead of two. It's not a race downhill or uphill. Also, the scale house in Dumont sometimes has a hard time reading DOT numbers...

 

As the others said, go down slow!!!
This guy burnt his truck downhill eastbound on I-70 west of Green River UT.
Not much left, just a warning!

 

Beautiful spot to do it, though. I hope the driver got out okay.

 

I70 in Colorado is a monster. You need to absolutely pay attention to everything posted up and down.

If you have not been say above 12000 feet in your life time, be on gaurd against hyponxia or other forms of oxygen loss. You can easily get sick up there and it has nothing to do with being a man, machoism or whatever it is that drives people. Esienhower tunnel is 12650 feet, Vail should be around 9700 and there is one more before Denver at 8500. Denver is 6000.

If you get to and come out of Esienhower tunnel westbound, be prepared for anything. And if memory serves there is a pretty decent downgrade westbound from there. Another place called steamboat springs comes to mind.

In winter during chain season I70 can and is closed at any time. Be prepared for that. If you do not have chains, get them for your truck. I think one for the trailer for the outer wheel on the right, two sets of single for your forward drive and one set for your outer rear drive tires. And a extra two or three never hurts. Learn how to use them before you have to use them.

If you have not been on mountains before you will find that I70 is a formidable course. There are other passes in Colorado approaching say 14000 for lookout pass which is a two lane road. There is a point at which one direction your right hand steer will hang over empty space of about 3000 feet straight down. As long you watch the trailer's path and keep it on your side of the road you should be ok. But I won't recommend it.

IF the weather is bad, that is not a place to be ignorant of the weather situation, that is where most people get into trouble. The other is going too fast on the mountain grade either going up or going down. Especially going down. Set your rig up to where you are on the jake and it's balanced to where you don't use your brakes at all all the way down. Even if it's 15 mph, and everyone is zipping by giving you trash talk on the radio. Don't pay attention to them.

Enjoy your visit to Colorado. If the weather is good, still be alert and pay attention. Always. Memorize and read everything. It might not be there the next time you try to come through in two feet of snow. If you get sick, always seek help even if you think it's nothing. Mountain sickness can attack anyone at any age.

If you are a smoker then it's a given you will have problems that high up. Quit it. You need all the air you can get.

 

Saw the black smoke about 20 minutes before I arrived at the scene. Was sitting there about half an hour before they reopened the road.
Truck was parked on the shoulder and I heard nothing about any injuries of the driver. Don't think he enjoyed the scenery
Speed limit for trucks is 50 downhill at the 6 mile grade, but that's too fast for 80000 pounds. Went down on Thursday with 76000 gross with 45 mph without touching the brake.
For Eisenhower and Vail Pass 45 is too fast, can't hold the truck with the Jake at that speed, I go down there much slower.
Always depends on your truck and engine brake, my advice, keep the truck at a speed that you don't have to touch your brake on these long grades, in an emergency your brakes are cool and you can still get your truck to a standstill.
I'm going I-70 a lot and have seen many drivers smoking their brakes, a few minutes longer downhill saves your life and others lives.

Eisenhower is the highest point on I-70 with 11158 ft, Vail Pass is a bit more than 10000 ft.
If you haul Hazmat you have to detour the tunnel via Loveland Pass, nearly 12000 ft, unless Loveland Pass is closed. Then you have to wait for an escort to go thru the tunnel.

 

There's the Eagle Travel Stop off of exit 47 near Palisade.

 

anything placarded. The tunnels are almost a mile long. They don't play.

You have to go over Loveland (which is scary even in a car) but it closes a lot (it's straight down on one side, they get a lot of avalanches, etc) and so they'll hold traffic and then let the hazmat thru every 30 minutes or so. Sucks, you finally get up to the top, crawling in 6th or so and then you have to stop. on a grade. at the top (11,000 feet). it's tough to get going again.

https://www.codot.gov/travel/eisenhower-tunnel/description.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_Tunnel