My State Forbids CDL Training Programs To Teach Use Of Jake Brake

The other day in class, we were discussing mountain driving/downhill grades. Ya know.. low gear, brake at your max speed til 5 mph below, etc, rinse and repeat.

Well I asked the instructor why the goal wouldn't be to use your service brakes as little as possible, by utilizing a low gear, and low/high jakes.

His response was "The state prohibits us from teaching anything about engine brakes, so therefore we will not be covering them, or their use." I was stunned.

Is this the "normal" for CDL training schools around the country?

Believe it or not,every truck isnt equipped with a jake..its an option. My school taught nothing about engine braking.

I've been to two schools and they didn't teach us about them... Never really thought to ask but I'm sure cuz like said above not all trucks have them...

Lol.. I've never seen a truck without one. I was really surprised that the state actually prohibits them from covering them.

For many years, trucks didn't have them. Today, most don't have a true Jake Brake, it's an engine retarder and not nearly as powerful. Honestly, if you're taught to drive properly and let the truck do the work, you really don't need it.

They do sound purty when singing through big diameter pipes though.

It wasn't covered in IN, so I didn't fully understand it when I actually got to use one. I didn't realize that rpm's need to be around 1250 to prevent potential damage, so in my first week I went through TN hitting 1600 but luckily I read the manual and was a little more perceptive afterwards haha

One truck I was in didn't have them. They discussed the Engine Brake at my school. They also discussed what happens when going down hill, in too high a gear.

Dave

What we were actually discussing was downhill grades, runaway ramps, and that the correct answers on the exams regarding runaway ramps is that they "are designed to minimize damage to a rig." Hahaha. Funny since they'll completely trash a truck.

Our class is a trip. We have sooo many people in our class I'd never want to ride with in a truck it ain't even funny. The few of us who are serious are already plotting how we're going to finesse avoiding being in a truck with the rest of the students. Only me and another guy just a bit older than me have driven one before.. he used to drive OTR and hasn't driven in about same time period as me and is required to take the course in order to get a job driving, despite that he drove for 10 years or so. We may not have much to worry about if they can't pass the tests to get their permit (Yes, its THAT bad).

We have sooo many people in our class I'd never want to ride with in a truck it ain't even funny. The few of us who are serious are already plotting how we're going to finesse avoiding being in a truck with the rest of the students

It's rather appalling how many people fail to take their training seriously. That's one of the reasons why Company-Sponsored Training Programs send so many people home. They don't listen, they don't learn much, they have terrible attitudes, and they don't take any of it seriously. They seem to think driving a truck is just about the same as driving a big car and it's nothing to get too worked up about.

Fortunately a lot of people begin to come around after embarrassing themselves in the beginning trying to shift or back up. It sinks in quickly how difficult it is.