Less than a week training headed to the Rockies

I meant 3 days from now.

Seriously, it's not rocket science. The fact you're here asking and seem to know what to be concerned about along with the fact the boss will be there to guide you equals no worry in my books.

 

As easy as tip toeing thru the tulips.

 

Halfway down the mountain, call him and say "did you know this truck can hit 2400rpm when I engine brake?" "It really slows down fast!!!!" Probably won't ever have to do it again.

 

lol

 

Well, I will say this. If you are afraid of a mountain, stop it. It's able to be balanced downgrade just as well as being upgrade.

Using mount eagle rules generally 80000 pound trucks start off at 15 mph at the summit. Usually you have a jake brake on. Set it up to stage three and when you reach a certain speed and gear (About 5th in a 9 speed or 6th in a 10 etc) at around 21 or so your jake should be holding your truck back at close to 1500 rpm.

You will notice that at a 7% grade you can ride the jake all the way down nice and slow.

The problem is no one has been assigned as a trainer specifically for big mountain grades and that might put your life into danger. Your boss is being very stupid putting a raw greenhorn like you on a rocky run without any kind of at least some downgrades yourself with a trainer.

For example, My Spouse, Black Mountain in NC was her graduation course with me as a trainer. I expected her to stop at the top, check the wheels for heat and so on, follow the mountains 30 mph limit, I think it's 6% 5 miles down or is it 6 miles at 5%, I forget. Anyhow there are two ramps on that mountain for escape. She was tested with me in the right seat like a ghost talking nothing. She had the truck's jake on properly and so forth all the way down just under 30.

Ultimately, you are the captian of the ship. If you think you will be too scared to run this mountain that high up, then don't take the load. Your boss has a thousand other old drivers he can call up to take that load. Remember that Your boss following you with the CB radio is not training. Or following him monkey see monkey do is not training.

I hate to be difficult or conflicting here. I was afraid of mountains just like you appear to be. But my instructors turned me into a mountain man happy to be vertical to paraphrase. I love to be on them. The steeper the better.

If you get fired? Well... then it will be up to your home state's unemployment to listen to your story. But remember to emphasize that most raw people new to trucking do not get to run the rockies (Unless they are born and raised on one.... and don't know anything about flat... or ocean..) without at least a few runs with a trainer closely supervising and correcting where necessary flaws in your actions on the downgrade.

And this is still summer going into the fall. The last chance to get your mountain on proper before that winter ice and throwing chains etc comes into play. How exciting.

 

Do be fair, he may want to try a gear down at first, just to be sure. I had a truck, I told the shop the jakes weren't working properly, they said they were, and then the truck got replaced before we really got into it, but I ended up creeping down the descent from Eisenhower at around 27 mph. I think that was 6th gear, but my memory may be wrong since the truck I'm in now is geared differently. Next highest gear it was trying to run away from me.

Listen, there's nothing special to this driving thing. It's not rocket surgery or brain science. You don't even have to get your analogies straight to drive the truck properly. I'm not familiar with the area you are going through, but what are the grades, 6%? That's the max most places, though some places do get steeper. Before you start down the grade, you get it in the right gear and go. Triple6 is right, that most grades you can descend at 45 mph with the rpms up high. The exact numbers will depend on your truck, your transmission, your rear axle ratios, your tire size, etc, but yeah, that speed with the rpms up high should hold you ok. If you find it doesn't hold, hit the brakes, and slow way down. I mean, bring the rpms down to 800 rpms. At this point you haven't been dragging your brakes, you are on top of this at the beginning. So you are smoking your brakes yet. Got your rpms down, you make your down shift. Miss it? That's fine, don't panic. Your rpms are low for a reason. You've got time to get it in there. And guess what? Your brakes are cool enough that even if you screw this up, you get to try it again a few times. And if you still can't get it right, you can pull over and stop.

Here's the thing about training. Your trainer can't do it for you. You need to get it done, trainer next to you or not. And you need to learn to make that downshift going down a hill, whether you learn it now or in two years. You don't get the timing down without doing it. And that first time will still be your first time. Scary, huh?

So don't panic. Keep your head on your shoulders. Don't let your boss press you into going fast down that hill than you think the truck can handle, and don't let traffic behind you press you into going faster. The truck will get there, the other cars will get where they are going.

And if you can't handle that, sure, go with a mega who will hold your hand.

 

I'd run it.

Like said above drop a gear or two and if the Jakes aren't holding your brakes are cool so get on them hard and fast and drop another gear and don't touch them if you don't have to. Don't wait until you're going fast to use your brakes. If your speed is creeping up get on the brakes and drop a gear.

Remember Jakes hold best at higher rpms.

Sounds like your boss is trusting you and trying to get you up to speed fast. That's how you learn. Would you rather work for a mega with charts above the toilet telling you if your pee is yellow you need to drink more water?

Your boss is gonna make a driver out of you and put you ahead of the game. Plus you can say your first trip you ran the Rockies. That's pretty bad ###.

 

I learned the mountains on my own, and I'm still here. Just have it in your mind that you WILL miss a gear, and you WILL be embarrasssed when you have to start up hill from granny.... Big Whoop.

Practice gearing down, and make sure you know how to use jakes.

Have the boss drive the heavier of the two trucks, and stay behind him. If you are lighter, you'll be fine going up or down.