Reaching Out - Ascent/Descent

Villain wrote:

I asked my trainer what speed to descend. He looked at me like I was an idiot and said "the speed limit of course". Is that right?

You are not an idiot for asking a question like that...many of the passes have two different marked speed limits; 1 for cars and 1 for trucks. They will also have speeds marked for curves as well.

Descending a hill is something you'll develop a better feel for over time. You got some really good advice here...take it at a speed you are comfortable with.

Good luck.

You guys are like the Guru at the top of the mountain! I finally figured out how to activate Descent Mode. Got used to that. Then Jake without using service brake. Then manual shift with no jake. The sweeping curves while descending are intimidating. Especially at night. One thing - I woke up my trainer with 30 minutes left on my shift. He comes out while I'm in a descending curve. Now I know that I'm probably going slower than safely necessary, but I would rather error on the slow side instead of faster and wind up with the driver's door facing up! He grabs the GPS & says "605 miles? that's not gonna cut it" After he puts the GPS back I check it. The actual reading was 661 miles, I tell him & he says "well that's not as bad but you're gonna have to pick it up". How many miles should I have made?

How many miles should I have made?

You should be asking him that question. Your trainer is a jack-a**. Check his mileage when you wake up tomorrow....

661 miles for 11 hours? You are averaging 60 mph...there is nothing wrong with that. Damn good if you ask me. You are an entry level driver. You drove 11 hours without incident and he had at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep making money while you drive.

Nice job.

You did great. New driver, new vehicle too you , and zero assistance from your trainer and no damages. Also be on the lookout at grades some will have speed limits for trucks based on your gross weight. Mt Eagle in TN has 3 different speed limits like that.

You did great with that many miles! For me nowadays, it's a rare day when I drive more than 600, but I never need a reset, though. I drove 612 today, with a lot of wind most of the trip on I-40 heading west. I'm beat, too!