U learn something new everyday, better at someone else's expense, here's 1 at mine 4U

I've been driving 2 1/2yrs now and may have driven between 10-15 different trucks...Here is something that scared me more than anything else since I've been driving...

Last week my truck broke down(sensors shut off accelerator response) and went in shop, they put me in another which I liked better and decided to stay in it...2010 Freightliner with 272K on it...I always check out a new truck, in this case, other than a AIR USAGE gauge, its was identical to my last truck, so I assumed, just newer and in nicer condition...

I get dispatched on 2 loads over the short week due to holiday...The first trip was from Elizabethtown, KY to Cleveland, a fairly flat trip(hint hint) with 44K in can, no anomalies detected, everything worked fine...

Thursday I get dispatched to St Petersburg, FL from ELizabethtown, KY...The route, 65S, 24E, 75S.....On 24E there is a 4 mile long 6% grade hill, again, I have 44K in can...I start going down hill with a goal of 35mph being so heavy...It didn't take long to realize this isn't going the way it's gone the many other times down this hill at comparable weight...I'm having to either ride or lay on breaks just to not pick up more speed and my air pressure is dropping...This isn't going well, I can't maintain a decent speed without wearing on the brakes...I can smell the brakes and I have to say, I had some really scary thoughts running thru my head...

I decide I need to stop NOW and cool these brakes or I'm going to lose them and be at 100mph in a 1/2 mile...This was an exercise...I hammered the brakes to slow me down as fast as possible and get into a much lower gear as well...It worked but it took so much air the low air warning light came on and while still moving between 15-20mph, both buttons popped...This caused me discomfort as the thought of not stopping crossed my mind but it eventually came to a stop, a few tires lightly smoking and me not so lightly shaking...

I get out and take a lil walk hoping my butt will release the piece of the seat it bit off as I let the brakes cool and see a sign that says I have 1/2 mile left, I figured I could just start out very slow and I know there's a straight away after the curve I was looking at...

I call my shop and ask them if there is some way for me to test the jake brakes as it wasn't working...I told him I flipped the switched, the light came on and that was it...He asks me to look to the left of the clutch pedal and tell him what I see...

I had never heard of nor seen a jake brake with the pedal on the floor(or steering wheel which I've since seen)...The fact the dash looked identical had me assume it was like the others...I was so pissed there was a working jake brake that I didn't know about I can't even put it into words...They say, live and learn, I felt like I almost didn't live to learn...

Did I assume, yes...How do I know what I don't know though?...I had never seen or knew to look for this before...

Moral of story, not sure there is one but if nothing more, for the new or not so new that haven't heard of this, you have now, learn from my lesson and pray you don't have to learn one like it...This was my scariest trucking experience so far, I hope it holds that crown, any scarier and I'll have to completely replace the seat!...

Be safe...

 

Sounds like some new engineer trying to score points with the boss came up with a new design. He's sitting at home watching James Bond with his new 70" flatscreen he bought with his bonus from his new bright idea. While your smoking brakes going down Monteagle Mtn. looking for the jake brake. Glad you made it down safely. I bet that was one more ride.

 

That is the switch that's shuts the Jakes off when you push the clutch in to stop or shift so the engine does not die.

Once in awhile they will hang up on ya most times if ya lush the clutch down a little with your hand you can trip it a couple of times and it will work just fine.

 

I can feel ya. I can only imagine how it was descending without the jakes. My maiden voyage with a replacement truck and I hit the engine brake switch and it comes on, but doesn't work. Mountains. Heavy load. Similar but not nearly as hairy as your experience.

There was another thread recently about engine brakes. Somebody made the statement "it's not safe" to drive without them. Somebody said "How did we do it all those years without them then?" My belief is, it's not AS safe to be be driving without them.

Good story, thanks for sharing it.

 

After writing that, and thinking about it again, I realize part of the scariness comes from the fact I don't understand the brakes as well as I could/should...I completely understand how they work, just not how much can they take and what's too much on them...I think anytime I use them it's like throwing them in a furnace and try to drive so I use them as little as possible...

I also thought if the buttons popped, the truck and trailer would stop as the wheels would lock up, I didn't think it would roll so far after they popped, I expected to see skidding tires...

 

The foot pedal for the Jake is not a new concept. In 92 I had a Volvo/white don't remember the year of the truck it was when Volvo and white first merged it too had a foot pedal, but it was an exhaust break not a Jake brake .

 

Well, I'm just glad you made it out OK. AND, you don't have a ding on your DAC over it!

Now that being said, I'm a bit confused about this switch on the floor? I haven't seen that either. Of course I've been out of it for so darn long now. . .

Is that switch one that disables the jake for shifting, as someone posted, or is that supposed to be used to activate the jake?

 

I've heard of trucks with a jake pedal. We have yard in Salt lake City and a few of the older trucks had these. I haven't driven one personally... but have talked to a few that did. They told me it takes some getting used to at first- but after a few weeks, they preferred this set-up.

 

It activates it if you have the dash switch turned on...Its going to take some getting used to...I'm going over same hill later today as a matter of fact, have to say, I'm a lil nervous...

 

So you have to flip the switch on the dash and then hit the switch on the floor? I haven't seen any trucks like this either so I probably would have made the same assumption as you