newbie questions about descending grades and gears

This is how I was taught and it works nicely!

 

You've got some great advise!...I'd like to add something else I didn't see mentioned...DON'T LET OTHERS PRESSURE YOU DOWN THE HILL!...Go as fast as YOU are comfortable going...There will people calling you names because they think you're going to slow, if need be, turn off your CB...One day, you'll see one of those loudmouths at the bottom of the hill waiting on a wrecker and possibly an ambulance....

 

Theres no need to swear and belittle my comment. You wrote "stomp" the brake. If you didnt mean to say "stomp" you shouldnt have written it. A written response is taken as its written, not as you meant it but didnt write it but meant to write it cos its "friggen asinine" to take it the way you actually wrote it.

 

Let me go smoke some crack and digest this....

 

OK guys us newbies can read and take what we think will behoove us in our travels. No need to get so upset when answering a question. Some of us need advice at times and appreciate all that is given. Even a newbie would not STOMP the brakes...at least I hope not... So like one of you said just be patient when you find yourself behind us being xtra careful trying to get the feel of the road the way I know each of you has done at one time or another in the beginning of your career. Thanks for the input on this question

 

If you need to downshift going downhill, laying HARD on the brakes is not out of the question...In our MT training we were taught how to downshift going downhill and it required some pretty aggressive breaking, but not stomping...Of course that's a technique after making the initial mistake of not being in the right gear, but holding on and hoping for the best is not a good option...

 

+1 what he said... I just ask them how many trucks they're getting paid to drive.

 

I once had someone say, "why isn't there a passing lane when you need one?"...I responded, "more than likely to protect you from yourself"...

 

There's some good advice here especially from Allow Me. Starting at 25mph is very good until you know the truck and how it will respond. You want full braking power available to you the entire distance down the grade in case of emergencies. To do that you can't be heating the brakes up where the drums expand and you have less stopping distance.

The old saying about going down the grade in the next lower gear than you came up just doesn't work in alot of places. You have to have the grade just as steep as going down and there's plenty that are not. It just puts you in a gear that allows you to travel around 25 to 30 mph so I guess that's the point but if heading into LA on I-15 there's no hill to pull before you hit Cajon so the speed is a better tool to use. If you can pull over before the downgrade and check everything do it. Then just bring the truck up to speed smoothly and stay there. Roll your window down so you can smell anything that is not normal. Keep checking your mirrors for smoke especially when you release the brakes. It's harder at night but you can still see smoke if it's there. Watch your air gauge and if you're using more than normal then some action by you needs to be taken. I don't recommend downshifting unless you really know what you're doing. That can get you into trouble faster than anything else. So look for a place to pull over. If there isn't one then you're starting to get into trouble you may not be able to pull out of. If you have no choice then you'll have to downshift but I can't tell you here on how to do it you'll just need to experiment in a safe place. I've never had to downshift at 25mph so if you stay around there you should be ok. You can bump it up 10mph if you have a good engine brake. Or even more depending on the truck. One item you must always do is if you are losing your brakes take the truck escape ramp if it's there. If you blow by it and the truck gets away from you and kills someone you'll be doing some time.

How you apply the brakes is up to you. I use the method of letting the truck drift about 10mph above my target then apply even pressure to bring the truck back. It's worked for me and I've hauled alot of loads over 100,000lbs with and without a Jake. The whole idea is to go slow enough as to not need alot of braking. I could stop normally if I had to if there were rocks or an accident in the road. Normally for that load anyway. Keep you CB on but just listen. You might have someone that's behind you that can tell you if there's a problem long before you notice. Turn off and other radios and be very alert, use all your senses.

I used to go down into Laughlin NV from Las Vegas with a super tanker when it was two lanes. I'd have drivers all pizzed of at me and they couldn't wait to get around me. More than once I'd see them at the bottom with smoke pouring out and I'd just blow the horn and cruise right by them. The point is DO NOT ever let another driver force you out of your comfort zone. . I still get my blood flowing when I have a heavy truck going down a grade. Also keep your speed where you want it until you know for sure you're out of grade or right at the bottom. Anything can happen on the road and you need to stop. Baker grade in CA is a good example where drivers just let it go because they can see the bottom way off but if they had to stop, forget it. Here's one case where a loaded truck takes longer to stop than an empty. So be aware of that. Just take it slow and you'll get to know the truck and feel better.

 

Good advice, and get to know your truck, when I drove my WCW rig, it may say the trucks had a 35 mph limit going down hill, but I knew my truck would be comfortable at 25, I could come down the hill and barely use my brakes, just play with the jake settings. Also, keep your rpms up, the jakes pull down harder with higher rpms, DON'T GET IN A HURRY.

Gas Hauler, great advice.