Quick Question....Going Downhill ...
Topic 17128 | Page 2
What is this "cruise control" people speak of? Lol. Just kidding, I never use it, don't like it.
What is this "cruise control" people speak of? Lol. Just kidding, I never use it, don't like it.
An extra "3mph" is what it is...LOL.
An extra "3mph" is what it is...LOL.
Not on my Tractor........62 is as fast as She goes! I would LOVE an extra 3mph.
Nancy suggested cruise control for hills. Show me a "hill" in Florida!!
Classic cruise control only sets a minimum RPM. Going down hill, your truck can coast faster and faster unless you manually control the speed with brakes, Jakes and/or downshifting. The Freightliner I drive for Swift has a cruise control that will automatically engage the retarder when you go down hill. When I'm maxed at 62 MPH, the Jakes come on when I get to 65-67. But I'm not sure how well this works on the Big passes.
The strength of Jakes varies from truck to truck. A more powerful engine will have more powerful Jakes. Freightliners tend to be on the low side of engine power, so you will likely use more brakes than a Kenworth driver. A Kenworth driver will likely need more brakes on a steep hill than a Peterbilt driver.
I've driven two new Freightliners and one new Kenworth, and spent a very short amount of time testing in a fairly new Peterbilt. I could definitely feel the difference in Jake strength.
My Kenworth, with 40k in the box, can keep me at roughly 67-69 MPH on a straight 5% grade with the Jake on three cylinders. 6%+ straight grades need a bare touch of brakes to stay under 70 unless I'm empty. Any non-straight grade or bad weather, and I'm in a lower gear at speeds far below 70, and not using jakes at all.
Rainy, I do Monteagle every week unfortunately for home time lol. I'm always heavy. My Jakes are very weak I believe. Have to use the breaks several times to get down. I usually do the 1st half at 35mph then the last few turns I'm at 45 or 50 as long as it's clear ahead anyway. I've gone around a few trucks but I never smoke my breaks
Doesn't Monteagle have speed limits according to weight at the top of the inspection station? I think its only southbound though.
As far as VA....I just drove up 81 into PA. I was pretty light which makes a difference but there was only two spots where I downshifted. The rest was cruise control and Jakes.
I will point out I have noticed cruise control and Jake timing is different on different trucks and not sure if the lease/owner ops modified it. My 2015 cascadia and my PSD trainers set on max cruise speed, the Jakes would go on at three mph above the cruise setpoint. When I went TNT the trainer had a 2010 Cascadia and the Jakes didn't engage until TEN mph over the cruise setpoint. I was freaking the first time downhill in that truck. I kept asking why the Jakes weren't working. They seriously wouldn't engage until going 75mph if set at 65 on cruise. So I'm guessing the individual truck makes a difference too
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
An extra "3mph" is what it is...LOL.
Not on my Tractor........62 is as fast as She goes! I would LOVE an extra 3mph.
Not on my Tractor........62 is as fast as She goes! I would LOVE an extra 3mph.
When cruise is off, top end is 60, with it on top end is 63. That's consistent with all of the Cascadia LWs we have.
Farmer Bob wrote:
Freightliners tend to be on the low side of engine power, so you will likely use more brakes than a Kenworth driver.
I disagree, the level of engine torque and power is not inherent to a specific truck manufacturer. You can have the same Cummins or Detroit power plant in a Cascadia as in a KW, as in a Pete, etc. Makes no difference and is more about how each truck is spec'd out by the company purchasing it.
Hey Rainy...where you headed in PA? We're heading up 81 to Pottsville then on to Lewiston Maine... Did you get caught in that rolling traffic jam on 81 earlier??
Farmer Bob wrote:
I disagree, the level of engine torque and power is not inherent to a specific truck manufacturer. You can have the same Cummins or Detroit power plant in a Cascadia as in a KW, as in a Pete, etc. Makes no difference and is more about how each truck is spec'd out by the company purchasing it.
Then I will correct myself, and add that my experience is based on how Stevens Transport trucks are configured.
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Nancy suggested cruise control for hills. Show me a "hill" in Florida!!
Classic cruise control only sets a minimum RPM. Going down hill, your truck can coast faster and faster unless you manually control the speed with brakes, Jakes and/or downshifting. The Freightliner I drive for Swift has a cruise control that will automatically engage the retarder when you go down hill. When I'm maxed at 62 MPH, the Jakes come on when I get to 65-67. But I'm not sure how well this works on the Big passes.