made a mistake

When a new driver gets sent out with a half arsed trainer....usually the trainer is only interested in that second log book....who else is going to offer advice when questions are asked? Isn't that the biggest reason this Forum is one of the top truckers forums on the WEB....we with experience (no matter how much or how little) are willing to take some time and give some instruction, some critique to whatever the scenario is asked about.

I for one am durned happy to offer my time and my experience to anyone starting out....if they ask I shall try to answer, if they don't understand the way I put it in words, maybe another driver will basically say the same thing, with different words, and the newbie gets his/her questions answered. Once the knowledge is passed, then the driver has something to think about, to put into practice, and keep himself/herself--and the other motorists safe and alive.

I grew up around truckers....mostly bull haulers (talk about stubborn)....but I was smart enough to not be afraid of asking the "dumb question"....maybe dumb to another driver, but it was a question that I didn't know the answer to...so I asked! Yeah I took some ribbing....but I am here with 3 million miles...ready to help, ready to teach. You may not agree with my way of doing things, but with everything, there is always more than one way to accomplish the task.

Some of you know me, or of me....it's what I do is teach and help others.....SO SHOULD YOU! Here is my example:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ers-advice/158771-chaining-are-you-ready.html

Rant over!!!!!

 

WELL SAID!!

 

When the brake shoes are in contact with the drums, they are a heatsink. Drums are steel and expand as they get hotter. Shoes are a composite material that doesn't expand as fast as the drum. As long as the shoe is in contact with the drum, temps are the same. Lift off the pedal, drum looses the heatsink and expands. Re-apply the brake and now the drum is larger in diameter than it was,,,and the brakes are now out of adjustment, so ya have to presss harder to slow down....let off and press again? It just perpetuates to the point yer a runaway.
That "scrubbing" on-off the brakes is B/S! We used to go down the same hills without a "jake" ya'll go down now with one, and we learned quick how to go down a hill without smokin' our brakes. It ain't by "scrubbing" on-n-off the pedal!
On a 5-6% grade that's 12-18 miles long, ya better be in a gear that engine compression/jake will hold a safe speed w/o using the brakes at all! The "jake" only lets ya go faster (maybe 1-2 gears) than ya would without a jake.
All that math about what gear to be in is B/S!
What determines what gear to be in is weight, grade, speed, & equipment ie; (How powerfull the jake is, final gear ratio, etc.)
Quit reading those stupid signs put up by someone that doesn't drive a truck, and drive your truck!
Start out slow and speed up from there to a point where the "jake" will hold it with an occasional lite application of the brakes.
Once you see smoke,,,yer already in trouble and NO they won't cool! STOP NOW while ya still have some brake left cause it's only gonna get worse from there. JMHexperiencedO

 

Yeah, you don't want to use the brakes at all, if possible. If you have to use them even 30-40% of the time on top of the engine brake, then you're in too high of a gear. Save your brakes and use the transmission as much as possible.

 

Exactly right!

 

Well said Tony!

Yer dead wrong and need to learn from these guys. Yer a 1 year-wonder and yer telling guys with several years experience going down BIG hills how stuff works?............Think you invented something?....think yer the 1st that ever had this happen where you called for momma or God to help ya?"........HELLO!...............Pay attention!
Everyone here is trying to help YOU. We didn't ask,,,you did!

Your words..."I was not going too fast for the hill, I was going too fast for the load".