Run away truck ramps.
 

Yesterday I had a Columbus-Norfolk run, and had to cross Sand Stone Mountain on I64 in West Virginia. I have crossed it several time when I was OTR and it's no problem with a Jake Brake. But last night I came across Sand Stone and was probably 75k gross, we don't have Jake Brakes on all of our trucks and it was a hand full. It was dark but I could see the smoke rolling from the brake lights and could really smell the brakes.

Now on Sand Stone speed limit is 45mph with some pretty good curves and there is no way you could make the curves rolling out of control. So that made me think. If you lost your brakes, would you try to get around the curves to get to the truck ramp? but risking gaining all the speed to lose it on a curve or do you try to get in the ditch before you get out of control?

Has anyone here had to use the truck ramps or lost your brakes on a hill?

I glazed my brakes on a California Mt. back road and doing only 25-30mph. My heart just about came out my mouth, by the time I made it to the bottom.
I kept rolling for my brakes to cool, but I wanted to stop and get out of the truck soooo bad. I didn't want my brakes to lock...so I fought off my urge to vomit...and quit shaking. I finally got out of the truck, and felt like I had a sharp piece of glass in my gut.

I smoked my brakes another time...and it happened so quickly, it surprised me, and was another frightening experience I don't want to see again.

I learned after that to take the Brake Adjustment areas more seriously. I now get out and adjust my brakes with heavy loads...and I have a strong jake brake.

What is that old saying?? I can't quote it, but I think it goes something like...you can go down a steep grade fast many times, but you can only go down it too fast once.

Anyway...I have always been cautious, and even at that have had some close calls. You sometimes just have to be even more cautious than you think is enough. If I suspect I might have a tough pass...I go slow...and allow myself more speed when I'm sure it's fine.

If I had a 75k load with no jake...hehehe....Ben...my flashers would be faster than my truck. :lol:

Oh as far as out of control...I can't say. I'd react to the circumstances.

The saying is:

You can go down a hill too slow a thousand times, but you will only go down it too fast once.

I "think" it is: You can go down a hill too slow a thousand times, but you can only go down it too fast once.

Yep, feeling your brakes start to fade does leave a sick feeling in your stomach.

One of my running buddys joked to me one night; " Damn Ridge, if you get any slower, your gona have to put out your triangles". :lol:

:)

You can say that again. When I started driving 2 1/2 years ago I started with a Volvo with a ( strong ) 3 stage jake. When I came to the company I am with now, we have no jakes, but we do have some runs that take us thru some steep North Ga. Mountains. Sure was nice to have an experenced driver to run with the first time to talk me thru it. There ain't nothing like gaining the skill to do it the RIGHT way.

Also what if your j-brake fails while you're on a grade....it only runs on a 14 amp fuse. Jake or no jake, you had better be in the right gear to go down a grade.

Was talking to a driver the other day who said he ran 80-90 down eagle mountain. I do believe it cus I see them do that. I thoguht what an f-in idiot. He had no respect for a mountain. My trainer drilled it into me tough. The first time we went down a grade, he was driving. I didn't see the sign, and he looked at me and asked me what percent it was. I told him I didn't know. His chlling reply, with cold eyes, was "YOU'RE DEAD!" So after that, I always respected mountains greatly. Amazes me those that don't care or think they are a super trucker.

Those IDIOTS that run Eagle at 80-90 need to have their CDL's PERMENTLY REVOKED. That is one BAD BITCH you do not screw with. I lost track of how many times I saw trucks coming down it at the right speeds all of a sudden say clear the road runaway need the ramp. I know one day I counted 2 trucks in the ramp at the same time. I would hate to see some of those SUPER TRUCKING BBR's try that on Cajon, Grapevine, Ike, Vail, Parlay, and Cabbage they would be dead. Let alone Fourth of July or Lookout up on 90 the new kids need to pull their heads out of their ASSES before they kill someone. You hit your brakes at 90mph coming down a mountian they are junk and smoked before tehy can do anything.

:)

Agreed on that with the traffic but still Eagle is nothing to laugh at. It is still 4-5 miles long 7% going east and with those curves you screw up you are in trouble. Drivers now think my brakes and jakes can get me out of trouble if I act stupid all the time. Well what if you lose a u-joint scratch the jakes since you have no engine brakes or if you lose your ECM there possibly goes both then you are in a world of hurt. Do not laugh I have seen it happen to drivers with over 3 million miles were an equipment failure put them in a runaway ramp.

AMEN! ....and not to mention wet or icy road conditions, fog, Elk, Sasquatch, mudslides, falling rocks, ............

but I think I'd rather manage my Mountain tour with Mother Nature, over the even more unpredictable 4-wheeler. At least I can respect Mother...she isn't a G#@ D$#% moron. :lol:

they had a thing on TV about them. they are designed to stop the truck ASAP but this one as you can see has a little too much gravel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tmVZJAsfnA :roll:

The back roads from Gainesville Ga to Cleveland Tn got me good.. There were few good hills on my route, I had got use to them and after a while got on the cell phone.. One thing leads to another I'm going 55 mph around 45 mph sharp down hill curves.. Jake was useless in 10 gear, I was fully loaded I smoked the brakes pretty good trying to get a hold of my speed.

Luckily I made it to the bottom without rolling it, I pulled off and watched the smoke rolling and the trailer brakes were useless.. I waited 30 minutes and was on my way.

It might be good to point out...if you do smoke or even worse glaze your brakes...the tendency is at the bottom to get out of the truck right away.

Maybe that's smart if you have further steep terrain to handle, but if not...this is a good way to freeze(lockup) your brakes. If you can keep rolling a ways to let them cool down first...that would be better.

Especially with the newer semi and full metallic linings that they are running it is possible to weld the shoes to the drums and that is not a pretty thing to explain to your company while the road service guy is replacing your baked on brake shoes and drums.

I tried to keep it between 25mph to 40mph. I have crossed it several times but I was either very light or in a truck with a 3 stage Jake Break. We mostly have 8 speeds, some new ones are ten speeds (they have the jake, 1 stage). My truck also may have been heavier than what the bills said, it just didn't want to slow down. I would get down to 30mph, let off the brake and right back to 45-50mph. That was the first time I thought I might need a sand pit.

I tried to keep it between 25mph to 40mph. I have crossed it several times but I was either very light or in a truck with a 3 stage Jake Break. We mostly have 8 speeds, some new ones are ten speeds (they have the jake, 1 stage). My truck also may have been heavier than what the bills said, it just didn't want to slow down. I would get down to 30mph, let off the brake and right back to 45-50mph. That was the first time I thought I might need a sand pit.

:shock: it was scary enough the first time!! :lol:

...I know ...double post... :oops: :? I hate when that happens. :P

Anyway...yeah...she sounds heavy...whipping up that much speed so quick.
I bet your toenails came through the bottom of your boots!

Good point too. Every truck is different in some ways. Takes a while to learn what they are like or how they will respond.

Ben, that is one dangerous hill. When coming East, you do not climb up it, your already on top of the mountain when you leave out of Beckley. They do have a mandatory brake check right before you start down it but still, that 7% downgrade is deceiving as are the corners, they are nearly flat. If you do not choose the right gear when pulling out of the brake check, your already screwed on Sand Stone. The 7% starts as soon as you pull out and it's a straight shot for a good 3/4 mile.

I have followed a few trucks down that didn't get to the first curve before they were smoking like a freight train. If you can make it past the first couple of curves, you can hit the runaway truck ramp on the right on that next long straightaway. If you miss that, your not going to make the one at the bottom of the hill, it's a hard right hander that cannot be taken while your doing Mach 1. Forget trying to put'er in a ditch on Sand Stone, ain't no ditch there. The median is grass when a concrete V-ditch all the way down and that ain't enough to slow you down, much less stop you. Forget heading for the shoulders, you got a solid wall of mountain on the one side and a sheer drop on the other.

Thanks for adding if you can roll with it, do it!

you lose a u joint and your screwed anyway cause it would be like being in neutral

You piss off fewer people going down a hill like a chicken than wiping out and blocking up the Interstate four four hours while they tow your burnt corpse out of the way.

I think that's how it goes.

I had a scary one too, and I used to be an ultra-light stick hauler. I was going down Fancy Gap, and there was construction at the bottom on the NC side. Some other truck got too far left into the mud at the very bottom and wiped out, and it was BRAKE CHECK city.

I was going down slow enough, and had gobs of following distance in a comparatively light truck with comparatively strong brakes, and I still just about had to change my shorts after that one. You just can't see that far ahead on that mountain, no matter how good your following distance is.

Ridge Runner may know this hill. Coming into Franklin, NC on US 441 from I 40.

I had 40K+ of Steel Coils in a Dry Van going to Hartwell Ga. 2 times this had happen to me.

Coming down the last big Hill before ewntering the City of Franklin, NC I basicly lost the brakes coming down it both times. I was driving an 95 Frieghtliner, No Jakes. 1st time I attempted to keep it below 45 MPH. Second time 35MPH. So I did try to learn from previous Trip of what went wrong. But both times I ended up going much faster. Not so bad for curves so that not a big problem, I just took controll of my side of the road. so the 2 curves, I could use both lanes to straighten the curves out. All 4 lanes in that area. By the time I got to the Bottom, I would have NO BRAKES. Luckly there a small hill before you get to all the redlights, which I used to slow me back down which then I would turn on my 4ways, and proced at 30 mph in a 55Mph zone and played the lights to hit them all green till I got my brakes back. Using the air to cool the brakes as I am rolling.. By the time I make it to the turning point of 441 I would have my brakes back.

Them pain in the butt ltl drivers are always smoking there brakes on the grades.

Been there, done that. Still got the stain in my shorts to prove it! :lol:
My wife don't call me " skidmark" for nothing. :P

Were not doing it on purpose..... We don't have jakes.

You never really can appreciate a Jake Brake till you going down steep grade without one.

I have even had the brakes smoking on 30 West of I65 going into Illinois and the ground is flat there. When you get that much weight moving between lights your brakes don't get much time to cool down.

iTS Called being in the right gear.

I wish it were as simple as that. If you have a big C-15 yeah a lower gear will help, a little Detroit doesn't hold you back much.

I've only smoked my brakes once but I saw them start to smoke a little so I was ready for it. It was in Superior, AZ off the US60 (I forget the route # but it was goin south out of Superior down towards Hayden, AZ). there's like 2-3 10% (I $#it you not) hills. Well I had 45k of copper starter plates in the box for Asarco Mines, had the truck in 3rd gear with full jakes and stabbin the brakes as needed. Made if down the first 2 but the third got me. I made it to the bottom, pulled off and chocked the wheels, put the truck in low and turned it off to allow the brakes to cool and still be released.

Wasn't as bad as I had imagined tho I was laughing at the speed limit 55/65mph signs as I crawled by them at like 10-12mph.

-Chris

Yeah the only feeling that's worse than noticing a smoke bomb coming up fast behind you is your own smoky rig going lickity split down the hill. http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...ket/scared.gif

Well--there is a worse feeling...going off the hill...let's not talk about that! :shock:

I used to roll down Sandstone every night without a jake and with doubles. Sometimes I was even overgross. Yup, better know what you are doing. That hill is a monster.

I will tell you one thing. i have gone down mt eagle 3 times loaded. i have a 11.1 det & no jake. after udjusting my brakes, i started down the hill. a sign read trucks use lower gear. ive always made it to the bottom, but what confuses me is i start in a low gear but my brakes cannot hold it there & the engines rev's to 1800-2100 rps & i have to up shift to keep from over reving. then after in the higher gear, brake will only hold at that speed for a min or less & the rpm's start to go way over unless i grab another gear & so on. but i have made it all 3 times & my brakes were smelling & hot but not smoking. dont know if i performed everything as i should have, but i made it.

The whole point of using a lower gear is to stay there and not upshift. :roll: If your upshifting while going down a steep grade, might as well not even went to a lower gear when you started down.

I have no jake and yes my lil ol Cummins gets to screamin pretty mean but I just let her eat. If she pops, she pops, I'm just ready for it if it does ever happen to get all I can out of brakes to stop her right then and there.

how can you stay in a certain gear if the truck weight is pushing you down the hill & your reving like crazy & the brakes wont keep you from gaing speed ? wont that blow the motor ? if it revs too much it would be hard to get shifter out of gear. of course ive never let my truck rev over 2100 rpm's ever. so your saying 24-3000 rps wont hurt my engine in a low gear ??? it sure sounds like it would. yes i'm not informed on this particulair issue on what is the best thing to do. however driving over 8 years & have a perfect driving record. no ticket's, rollovers, or fender benders. not even a ticket. ever.

:)

I do the same thing, I start out very slow. Let the brakes do some work, let the motor do some work. Shift a gear, let the brakes do some work, let the motor do some work. It usually does the trick but sometimes I get some good smoke rolling. But if I hold the brakes with steady brake pressure I have them smoking way to soon, I do use the brake stab but not with a great amount of pressure.

But going down steep grades with doubles is a whole different beast, The brake lag causes you to hold the brakes longer than you would with a 53'. When you apply the brake you can almost count to 3 before you actually feel the brakes catch to the rear causing more pressure on the lead trailers axle (and thats the axle where the brakes are always smoking). Then you have the problem or the rear trailer's brakes locking and smoking the tires(less weight on the rear trailer), and more serious problem will happen when you going down a grade on a 35mph curve, brakes are glazing and smoking and your rear axle is locking up. You are actually relieved when you reach the bottom in one piece.

I guess from what ben says. he does the same. but yeah maybe were both wrong. maybe ive should of been taught this already. driving 8 years. but i dont know everything i should know when i should know it. i'm glad this forum exist to get info. but i have seen plenty of well experienced know it all drivers tear some sh-t up. :lol:

:)

each truck is different though. We have small engines so lower gears don't help, brakes usually not adjusted so they heat up faster and equipment age has alot to do with it (or equipment is older so you have to take it easy on it)