The only thing i like about autos is if im about to hit an off ramp i can put jake on high and it downshifts 2 gears to 2200 , slows u down really well. The first time i drove this truck i wasnt used to it and halfway down the off ramp was #### near come to a dead stop without touching breaks , but if im going downhill i like to put it in manual mode but i think its just a trust issue between me and computers, i need to have control
Mountain grades
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Bigowl, Dec 11, 2009.
Page 13 of 15
-
-
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
-
Cool. Mine just keeps speeding up and shifting as it rolls downhill and gets faster. It’s not very smart. And the auto engine brake/cruise combo is worthless except on very small hills.
Lepton1 Thanks this. -
-
GasHauler, TripleSix, Gearjammin' Penguin and 1 other person Thank this.
-
SO if your a super trucker that has been driving for less 3 or 4 years and this don't apply to you, We dont want to hear how this is not for you.GasHauler Thanks this. -
If you find you may have began too fast and/or in too high a gear (you're having difficulty keeping speed in check without lots of brake application pressure), YOU MUST recognize you're in trouble early and you must find a way to get slowed and into a lower gear ASAP. I don't care how you do it, just do it. If you get hung up and just CAN NOT find a gear, then try and get stopped if you can. The earlier you can discover you may be in trouble, the better your chances of survival. If in doubt early on, assume the worst, find another lower gear or stop if you must, wait a while then resume very slowly. Check brake adjustment (that slack adjusters are working and you have sufficient lining) ASAP if you were really hard on brakes going downLast edited: Jan 13, 2019
-
All trucks I have driven will stop for you one time on a downgrade, just keep that as a option over anything else at all.
The driver is the captain of his or her ship. Cultural issues among other truckers on the same hill should not even be a issue. Not all of drivers are going to be mountain gods so to speak. Every downgrade is a case by case basis even if you have run the same hill a thousand times. Even more reason not to get slack and lazy.Lepton1 Thanks this. -
What I tell new drivers has served me well for more than 3 million miles. And all the trucks I have driven with the loads I have carried on them, most when loaded would not stop on a dime down hill.
I was taught to slow down before you start down the hill, slow down before you try to down shift. Pay attention as to where you are and whats coming up in front of you. If your maxxed out down The grapevine, Cajon, Tehachapi here in SoCal (These are not the worst hill you'll go down) and you go over the top at 60+ in top gear your going to be in trouble.
You can go too slow down a hill lots of times, But to fast only once probably. Slow down, gear down, and argue about it at the bottom.GasHauler, LTLmountainDRVR, Lepton1 and 1 other person Thank this. -
Not sure if it was hit on yet but it needs to be stressed imo, jake brakes can and do fail, its happened to me and it can happen to you. Learning to descend grades without one is a most important skill to have.
GasHauler, Lepton1 and scottied67 Thank this. -
This is another really good reason to have practiced downshifting on a downgrade. You need to drop more than just one gear in order to find a gear without Jakes that can control the descent.
Another typical example is coming down a steep grade, approaching a town, and see the "No Engine Brakes" sign with a cop waiting just after the sign. Cancel the Jake and get busy downshifting.
In either scenario a driver is screwed if they haven't practiced to the point that downshifting is no big deal.
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
Page 13 of 15