What does "air to air" and "engine brake" mean?

[Dèsirée]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

Just for clarification, did a quick check and it appears the Franklin driver was *NOT* the cause of this wreck, (s)he was rear-ended by another big truck causing a chain reaction. 4 semis and this pickup involved. The most I could fault for is not leaving enough room between vehicles, and given that the impact was hard enough to involve 3 big trucks leads me to think even another 50 feet of space would not have been enough.




It is for this reason (among others) I have a Grover fire truck air horn which will be installed. There's something satisfying about being able to yank on a lanyard and get their attention when someone does something stupid on the road - and a weak electric horn just doesn't convey the same message with the same intensity. I want people to *KNOW* something big and heavy is coming. Trains have loud horns because they can't swerve nor stop quickly. The horn isn't there simply to wake folks at night - it's there as a message that something really big and really heavy (and in some cases, really fast) is coming through whether you are in the path or not.

—-///
Ohhhhhhh my God!!! You guys are scaring me!!! Look at that car, there’s no way, anyone survived! Very, very upsetting !

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Dèsirée

—-///
Ohhhhhhh my God!!! You guys are scaring me!!! Look at that car, there’s no way, anyone survived! Very, very upsetting !

That car was obviously the meat in the sandwich.

[Dèsirée]

Originally Posted by o1marc

that car was obviously the meat in the sandwich.

—-//
omg!!!!!!

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by Dèsirée

—-///
Ohhhhhhh my God!!! You guys are scaring me!!! Look at that car, there’s no way, anyone survived! Very, very upsetting !

Unfortunately you are right. The news report indicated the couple in the pickup were fatalities - innocent victims as far as I can tell.


It is not my intent to upset or scare anyone, but to draw attention to the fact that large vehicles need more space to start, stop, turn, and all that, and bad things can happen when that is ignored. And sometimes it's not even your fault, and there's not much you can do about it.


That photo shows the one thing that terrifies me most as a truck driver - someone else doing something stupid and putting me in a position like that. From the Been-There-Done-That files.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Dèsirée

—-///
Ohhhhhhh my God!!! You guys are scaring me!!! Look at that car, there’s no way, anyone survived! Very, very upsetting !

I don't think that was a small car - if l'm not mistaken it's a full sized crew cab pickup truck
I tried blowing the picture up but I still couldn't make out the name on the front fender of the wreck

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I don't think that was a small car - if l'm not mistaken it's a full sized crew cab pickup truck
I tried blowing the picture up but I still couldn't make out the name on the front fender of the wreck

You're right, a 4-door Silverado I believe. Photo and article was from 2016 I think and truck looked to be fairly new - I googled image for "2015 Silverado" and looks to be similar.

[Dèsirée]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

Unfortunately you are right. The news report indicated the couple in the pickup were fatalities - innocent victims as far as I can tell.


It is not my intent to upset or scare anyone, but to draw attention to the fact that large vehicles need more space to start, stop, turn, and all that, and bad things can happen when that is ignored. And sometimes it's not even your fault, and there's not much you can do about it.


That photo shows the one thing that terrifies me most as a truck driver - someone else doing something stupid and putting me in a position like that. From the Been-There-Done-That files.

—-//
Since February, when I started my crash course on all things skoolies, I have found a new and higher level of respect and admiration for CDL drivers to such a point that I often find myself promoting CDL education. I even know of a young female who’s taking her CDL driving test on Tuesday.

Also, I been told, there’s an online site where you can take the actual written test to practice. They say, is the same exact exam as the one at DMV. I’m going to give it a shot, see how far I get.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by Dèsirée

—-//
Since February, when I started my crash course on all things skoolies, I have found a new and higher level of respect and admiration for CDL drivers to such a point that I often find myself promoting CDL education. I even know of a young female who’s taking her CDL driving test on Tuesday.

Also, I been told, there’s an online site where you can take the actual written test to practice. They say, is the same exact exam as the one at DMV. I’m going to give it a shot, see how far I get.

I'm all for continuing education and learning, and I support your efforts to educate yourself, but I've found some of these "practice tests" aren't always the same questions I've seen on the tests. Seems some are written for European tests instead of American...... Not bad if it's free but I'd feel cheated if I'd paid for it.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

It is not my intent to upset or scare anyone, but to draw attention to the fact that large vehicles need more space to start, stop, turn, and all that, and bad things can happen when that is ignored. And sometimes it's not even your fault, and there's not much you can do about it.

That photo shows the one thing that terrifies me most as a truck driver - someone else doing something stupid and putting me in a position like that. From the Been-There-Done-That files.

Hear, hear! I've lost count of the times I've swung a 40-ton truck onto the shoulder or into the median because someone did something stupid and I had nowhere else to go. Word to the wise, folks, no vehicle is any safer than the driver -- I don't care if you're driving a Volvo 740, a Hummer H2, or a Sherman tank.

Usually the errant driver was Soccer Mom. BSF, you remember Soccer Mom, right? Doing 80 on cruise control, steering with their knees because they have a bran muffin in one hand, coffee in the other, cell phone cupped to their ear with their shoulder, all while cutting off a 40-ton truck that needs 700-800 feet to stop with 20 feet to spare. Meanwhile, I get a glimpse of four little faces glued to the windows of the family minivan, silently pleading, "SAVE US! SAVE US! MOMMY'S DRIVING LIKE AN IDIOT!"

The rest of you can laugh all you want, I have seen this a thousand times. I have quite a bit of dash cam footage from the close calls I've had. And that's just from four years out there. If you can picture it being done in a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, study, living room, and yes, even a bedroom, I've seen it done at 65-90 mph in conventional vehicles. Seven, eight, nine out of ten are playing with their cell phones.

I don't want to scare or upset anyone either, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is why I myself try to educate anyone willing to listen -- in fact, I've kicked around the idea of opening a driving school, pending settlement from a car crash I was in about nine months ago. Someone ran a stop sign, pile-drove my Impala, which spun 270 degrees and backward into a concrete wall less than 60 feet from initial impact... THEN claimed they were traveling 20 mph! Some people just should not be allowed near anything with wheels or an engine.

This is also the reason I often mention that skoolies were, in fact, originally purposed as commercial vehicles, and that taking the seats out of them and making them a motorhome doesn't change that fact. In most cases, you're still driving what amounts to a Class 7 truck with a bus body, which would require a Class B CDL with passenger and school bus endorsements under any other circumstances. The smaller Minotaur and Grumman / P-series chassis technically required a Class C if they sat over 16 passengers. P and S endorsements applied no matter what.

In fact, I don't believe RV's should be exempt from CDL requirements if they are in fact, of a similar tonnage or length, and I believe a Class C should be required for anything over 9,000 lbs or 18 feet in length. They can still do just as much damage, and are more dangerous IMO, simply due to the fact that most, if not all, lack auxiliary braking.

You can't always know what's coming, though. Let me tell you folks a little story from MY "Been There, Done That" files... Absolutely true, and one of a few reasons I had gray hairs at 38-39. I've always done my best to drive my rig safe, legal and by the book, which is the majority of CDL drivers, the Billy BigRiggers you see pushing people down the road are the bad apples, and sooner or later, DOT deals with them. But I digress.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA to Chicago, IL. Since my co-driver and I were rookies with less than 6 months experience, our company did not want us crossing Donner Pass on I-80, especially as it was winter. So a cold, wet drive up I-15 for me to Salt Lake City, then east on I-80 toward Illinois. Well, as anyone who lives around SLC can tell you, Parley's Summit, a mountain pass east of SLC, is not so bad climbing east. But IIRC, the grade down the other side into Wyoming is just about 20 miles downhill.

To make matters worse, in winter, the air on Parley's gets so thin and so cold that the fog literally FREEZES in mid-air, then falls to the pavement to be pounded into the crevices. Yeah, black ice EMBEDDED in the road, where you can't see it.

We are trained not to use engine brakes in slick conditions. Good advice -- IF YOU KNOW CONDITIONS ARE SLICK. I had never seen or heard of the freezing fog in the area I was about to traverse. I found out soon enough when I geared down and turned the engine brake on.

My truck was grossing somewhere around 68,000 - 71,000 lbs - moderately heavy. Don't ever let anyone fool you that heavy trucks have the weight to keep them planted, because that is a myth. They can still slide, and the heavier something is, the less likely it is to stop until it is good-and-damned-ready.

This roughly 70,000-lb truck changed lanes by itself in 100 feet at 40 mph, straight for the median. BSF - you'll appreciate this one, I think, I was three months out of CDL school, but trained by a 25-year veteran. Turning off the engine brake got me control back for the moment, but I still had to slow the truck somehow, because you can't ride the brakes or even pump them for 20-some-odd miles.

By rights, what I did should not have worked, but it did. I jammed the brakes hard for just an instant, getting off the pedal just before locking them up, what we call 'stab' braking. A few times of that, I managed to get two more gears down, and at 20 mph, the truck did not skid under engine braking. Call it skill all you want -- I got LUCKY -- and I'm still looking for the horseshoe that was up my rear that day.

Just a little tidbit to entice everyone to take the time to educate themselves on the true origins of the type of vehicle they are driving -- it could save your life, or someone else's, someday.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, after having the living hell scared out of me for something I had little to no way of seeing coming, the driver manager for myself and my co-driver accused me of speeding nine times in that shift. I asked him for proof, as I had spent well over an hour descending a mountain pass on ICE, and my average speed was only 43 mph, compared to a normal average of around 58-62.

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I don't think that was a small car - if l'm not mistaken it's a full sized crew cab pickup truck
I tried blowing the picture up but I still couldn't make out the name on the front fender of the wreck

You are not mistaken -- It's a Chevrolet Silverado quad-cab, though initial reports indicated it was a Suburban. Not much difference, really. This really is the worst of the worst that I've seen. Just imagine, though, if the rig that rear-ended the one sitting on top of it had hit the Silverado first.

Sorry if I've hijacked or derailed the thread, but since I got my CDL, safety is something I get a bit passionate about, and it is pretty relevant to the thread in some way.

[Dèsirée]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

Hear, hear! I've lost count of the times I've swung a 40-ton truck onto the shoulder or into the median because someone did something stupid and I had nowhere else to go. Word to the wise, folks, no vehicle is any safer than the driver -- I don't care if you're driving a Hummer H2 or a Sherman tank.

Usually the errant driver was Soccer Mom. BSF, you remember Soccer Mom, right? Doing 80 on cruise control, steering with their knees because they have a bran muffin in one hand, coffee in the other, cell phone cupped to their ear with their shoulder, all while cutting off a 40-ton truck that needs 700-800 feet to stop with 20 feet to spare. Meanwhile, I get a glimpse of four little faces glued to the windows of the family minivan, silently pleading, "SAVE US! SAVE US! MOMMY'S DRIVING LIKE AN IDIOT!"

The rest of you can laugh all you want, I have seen this a thousand times. I have quite a bit of dash cam footage from the close calls I've had. And that's just from four years out there. If you can picture it being done in a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, study, living room, and yes, even a bedroom, I've seen it done at 65-90 mph in conventional vehicles. Seven, eight, nine out of ten are playing with their cell phones.

I don't want to scare or upset anyone either, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is why I myself try to educate anyone willing to listen -- in fact, I've kicked around the idea of opening a driving school, pending settlement from a car crash I was in about nine months ago. Someone ran a stop sign, pile-drove my Impala, which spun 270 degrees and backward into a concrete wall less than 60 feet from initial impact... THEN claimed they were traveling 20 mph! Some people just should not be allowed near anything with wheels or an engine.

This is also the reason I often mention that skoolies were, in fact, originally purposed as commercial vehicles, and that taking the seats out of them and making them a motorhome doesn't change that fact. You're still driving what amounts to a Class 7 truck with a bus body, which would require a Class B CDL with passenger and school bus endorsements under any other circumstances.

In fact, I don't believe RV's should be exempt from CDL requirements if they are in fact, of a similar tonnage or length, and I believe a Class C should be required for anything over 9,000 lbs or 18 feet in length. They can still do just as much damage, and are more dangerous IMO, simply due to the fact that most, if not all, lack auxiliary braking.

You can't always know what's coming, though. Let me tell you folks a little story from MY "Been There, Done That" files... Absolutely true, and one of a few reasons I had gray hairs at 38-39. I've always done my best to drive my rig safe, legal and by the book, which is the majority of CDL drivers, the Billy BigRiggers you see pushing people down the road are the bad apples, and sooner or later, DOT deals with them. But I digress.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA to Chicago, IL. Since my co-driver and I were rookies with less than 6 months experience, our company did not want us crossing Donner Pass on I-80, especially as it was winter. So a cold, wet drive up I-15 for me to Salt Lake City, then east on I-80 toward Illinois. Well, as anyone who lives around SLC can tell you, Parley's Summit, a mountain pass east of SLC, is not so bad climbing east. But IIRC, the grade down the other side into Wyoming is just about 20 miles downhill.

To make matters worse, in winter, the air on Parley's gets so thin and so cold that the fog literally FREEZES in mid-air, then falls to the pavement to be pounded into the crevices. Yeah, black ice EMBEDDED in the road, where you can't see it.

We are trained not to use engine brakes in slick conditions. Good advice -- IF YOU KNOW CONDITIONS ARE SLICK. I had never seen or heard of the freezing fog in the area I was about to traverse. I found out soon enough when I geared down and turned the engine brake on.

My truck was grossing somewhere around 68,000 - 71,000 lbs - moderately heavy. Don't ever let anyone fool you that heavy trucks have the weight to keep them planted, because that is a myth. They can still slide, and the heavier something is, the less likely it is to stop until it is good-and-damned-ready.

This roughly 70,000-lb truck changed lanes by itself in 100 feet at 40 mph, straight for the median. BSF - you'll appreciate this one, I think, I was three months out of CDL school, but trained by a 25-year veteran. Turning off the engine brake got me control back for the moment, but I still had to slow the truck somehow, because you can't ride the brakes or even pump them for 20-some-odd miles.

By rights, what I did should not have worked, but it did. I jammed the brakes hard for just an instant, getting off the pedal just before locking them up, what we call 'stab' braking. A few times of that, I managed to get two more gears down, and at 20 mph, the truck did not skid under engine braking. Call it skill all you want -- I got LUCKY -- and I'm still looking for the horseshoe that was up my rear that day.

Just a little tidbit to entice everyone to take the time to educate themselves on the exact type of vehicle they are driving -- it could save your life, or someone else's, someday.



You are not mistaken -- It's a Chevrolet Silverado quad-cab, though initial reports indicated it was a Suburban. Not much difference, really. This really is the worst of the worst that I've seen. Just imagine, though, if the rig that rear-ended the one sitting on top of it had hit the Silverado first.

Sorry if I've hijacked or derailed the thread, but since I got my CDL, safety is something I get a bit passionate about, and it is pretty relevant to the thread in some way.

—-///
It’s a good thing I’m reading this post early morning. If it was a nighttime I would have had nightmares.

You should open a school or maybe something online. Maybe a public service channel on YouTube.

Do you remember the public service announcement from 25-30 years ago, “Your brain on Drugs,” and it showed, eggs frying on a frying pan. Well, you should use the same concept and put together a series of spots, not only for soccer moms but for everyone, including all kids!

I would bet you, the impact in this age of social media, would be so astronomical, it would even affect new car sales. And when that starts going south... watch out, so does everything else.

I was shaken up when I saw the picture last night, now, I have the images of your story embedded in my brain!

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by Dèsirée

—-///
It’s a good thing I’m reading this post early morning. If it was a nighttime I would have had nightmares.

You should open a school or maybe something online. Maybe a public service channel on YouTube.

I was shaken up when I saw the picture last night, now, I have the images of your story embedded in my brain!

Truckin' ain't for sissies... And Grumman/Workhorse/P-chassis and E/G-chassis aside, skoolies are a big rig's not-so-distant cousin. The sooner everyone realizes the gravity of that, the better off they'll be. It's a big, heavy, vehicle, it can hurt (or kill) you, and others, if you're not careful. Don't let it take away from the fun, but respect it -- if you don't, it will bite you.

As to this little bit...

Originally Posted by Dèsirée

Do you remember the public service announcement from 25-30 years ago, “Your brain on Drugs,” and it showed, eggs frying on a frying pan. Well, you should use the same concept and put together a series of spots, not only for soccer moms but for everyone, including all kids!

I would bet you, the impact in this age of social media, would be so astronomical, it would even affect new car sales. And when that starts going south... watch out, so does everything else.

I wouldn't take that bet, honestly. Too many people who think "It will never happen to me -- I'm too good at texting while driving" or any one of the slew of other dumb things people do. That is, until something very bad happens, and then they're trying to figure out who they can sue for their stupidity.

I learned to drive cars before air-bags, ABS, collision mitigation or any of the other 'safety' features of today. Hell, I was teaching myself to drive my old man's 1986 S-10 (4-speed manual, no power brakes or power steering) before I was 15, and I learned to bring that truck to a stop so smoothly you couldn't tell when it actually stopped. Hell, the first real winter, I went out to an open parking lot and stomped the e-brake to intentionally lose the car until I learned how to keep it under control and bring it back in line.

Today, people can't be bothered with essential skills like parallel parking and think their car is supposed to drive itself. The more safety features the manufacturers add, the more they use the technologies as an excuse to drive recklessly. I've actually seen some idiot in his new Subaru tell his friend, "Hey, watch this!" and just wantonly approach a line of stopped traffic, seemingly with no intention of stopping.

Scared the hell out of his friend, who sat there like this as the idiot sat there laughing when the forward collision mitigation kicked in and stopped the car with inches to spare...



Sadly, most people today are a special kind of stupid that only responds to a baseball bat. We should just take the warning labels off of everything and let Darwinism start doing its job again. Being stupid is supposed to hurt, that's how you learn not to do it again.

In summary, I can parallel-park a 70-foot articulating vehicle, and most people can't keep a Mini Cooper in one lane, or put it in one space. And these people KNOW they're bad drivers, they just don't care. They don't even try to improve.

[Booyah45828]

Your exhaust brake disengages below 30 because the engine isn't turning enough rpm for it to be beneficial. Try downshifting and see if it turns back on. It could also kick off because the torque converter clutch unlocked if it's got an automatic transmission. Some brakes will quit at low speed because they don't want you to lock up the wheels and lose traction, but that speed is closer to 10 mph, not 30.

Also, anytime you let off the throttle and the engine is above idle speed, the injectors are no longer injecting fuel. So, coasting down a mountain at 2000 rpm with your foot off the pedal, you're no longer injecting fuel into the engine.

That statement is true for all diesel and some gasoline engines. Once it starts to get near idle though(within a few hundred rpm) they will restart injecting fuel so that when you do get back to idle the engine doesn't lurch back to life and startle you.

[Dèsirée]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

Attachment 34811

Truckin' ain't for sissies... And Grumman/Workhorse/P-chassis and E/G-chassis aside, skoolies are a big rig's not-so-distant cousin. The sooner everyone realizes the gravity of that, the better off they'll be. It's a big, heavy, vehicle, it can hurt (or kill) you, and others, if you're not careful. Don't let it take away from the fun, but respect it -- if you don't, it will bite you.

As to this little bit...

I wouldn't take that bet, honestly. Too many people who think "It will never happen to me -- I'm too good at texting while driving" or any one of the slew of other dumb things people do. That is, until something very bad happens, and then they're trying to figure out who they can sue for their stupidity.

I learned to drive cars before air-bags, ABS, collision mitigation or any of the other 'safety' features of today. Hell, I was teaching myself to drive my old man's 1986 S-10 (4-speed manual, no power brakes or power steering) before I was 15, and I learned to bring that truck to a stop so smoothly you couldn't tell when it actually stopped. Hell, the first real winter, I went out to an open parking lot and stomped the e-brake to intentionally lose the car until I learned how to keep it under control and bring it back in line.

Today, people can't be bothered with essential skills like parallel parking and think their car is supposed to drive itself. The more safety features the manufacturers add, the more they use the technologies as an excuse to drive recklessly. I've actually seen some idiot in his new Subaru tell his friend, "Hey, watch this!" and just wantonly approach a line of stopped traffic, seemingly with no intention of stopping.

Scared the hell out of his friend, who sat there like this as the idiot sat there laughing when the forward collision mitigation kicked in and stopped the car with inches to spare...

Attachment 34812

Sadly, most people today are a special kind of stupid that only responds to a baseball bat. We should just take the warning labels off of everything and let Darwinism start doing its job again. Being stupid is supposed to hurt, that's how you learn not to do it again.

In summary, I can parallel-park a 70-foot articulating vehicle, and most people can't keep a Mini Cooper in one lane, or put it in one space. And these people KNOW they're bad drivers, they just don't care. They don't even try to improve.

—-///
I also think you have the know how to invent or create a laser light warning system that would beam out of the front of trucks starting at engine height and dissipate when it hits ground level.

Once configured the space(or angle of coverage) lit in red between the highest point of the beaming laser lights to the lowest, would be the “Do not enter, do not cross” safety angle.

Once drivers pass that moving red angle, their own cars can even signal them to cross. So, the laser system can systematically react to driver’s own activation of the system, or to a universal safety zone system activation.

Pretty much everything exists right now. The usage of the different patents would probably be the main thing.

Then, once you have a prototype, you can go on Shark Tank and voilá, I’m pretty sure, Mark Cuban, would be the one to go in on all this!

In my mind, seems so simple. I can’t believe it hasn’t been tested out.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by Dèsirée

—-///
I also think you have the know how to invent or create a laser light warning system that would beam out of the front of trucks starting at engine height and dissipate when it hits ground level.

Once drivers pass that moving red angle, their own cars can even signal them to cross. So, the laser system can systematically react to driver’s own activation of the system, or to a universal safety zone system activation.

I prefer a Gallagher-style Sledge-O-Matic mounted on the nose. Or better yet, bumper-mounted heat-seeking missiles. These people obviously want to die, let's shove them over the edge and grant their wish.

I'm only half-joking with that. I certainly don't want to see anyone get hurt or die, but some people are truly too stupid to be left unsupervised. I hate to sound holier-than-thou or condescending, truly I do, but the little bit of patience for stupidity and the little bit of filter I had left when I started driving these things went out the window within six months.

Though, to be fair, such a system has been invented, only it punishes the truck driver for the ignorance of others. Wabco developed a system called OnGuard, and while it appears sound in theory, it is a real POS.

Basically, the truck is fitted with a radar box on the front bumper to scan the 500-600 feet ahead of it. It is spidered into the truck's brake control system to brake when it senses anything in the 'danger zone'. Remember when I said it appeared sound in theory?

It hallucinates, locking up all five axles with 90+ psi because it thinks it sees something going under overpasses. I had a truck nearly turn itself over for this exact reason once. Changing lanes to pass another rig going under an overpass when the 'safety' system decided to wig out mid-change. One thing you DON"T do in a 40-ton vehicle nearly 14 feet tall and 70 feet long is slam on the brakes during any kind of lateral change. But apparently the designers think their computer can defy the laws of physics.

When the idiots it was designed to protect dart across our nose within 50 feet to make their exit at the last second, the damned thing hesitates, then locks up all five axles with that 90+ psi application pressure, when the moron that created the situation is already halfway up the ramp and gone. Well, HELLO, OnGuard! So very nice of you to join us!

But this is what happens when idiots float through college in between weekend binge highs and get hired at $100k a year to design BS like this. In summary, it would be far easier for people to just learn how to drive safely and not put others in danger because they weren't paying attention.

[Dèsirée]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

I prefer a Gallagher-style Sledge-O-Matic mounted on the nose. Or better yet, bumper-mounted heat-seeking missiles. These people obviously want to die, let's shove them over the edge and grant their wish.

I'm only half-joking with that. I certainly don't want to see anyone get hurt or die, but some people are truly too stupid to be left unsupervised. I hate to sound holier-than-thou or condescending, truly I do, but the little bit of patience for stupidity and the little bit of filter I had left when I started driving these things went out the window within six months.

Though, to be fair, such a system has been invented, only it punishes the truck driver for the ignorance of others. Wabco developed a system called OnGuard, and while it appears sound in theory, it is a real POS.

Basically, the truck is fitted with a radar box on the front bumper to scan the 500-600 feet ahead of it. It is spidered into the truck's brake control system to brake when it senses anything in the 'danger zone'. Remember when I said it appeared sound in theory?

It hallucinates, locking up all five axles with 90+ psi because it thinks it sees something going under overpasses. I had a truck nearly turn itself over for this exact reason once. Changing lanes to pass another rig going under an overpass when the 'safety' system decided to wig out mid-change. One thing you DON"T do in a 40-ton vehicle nearly 14 feet tall and 70 feet long is slam on the brakes during any kind of lateral change. But apparently the designers think their computer can defy the laws of physics.

When the idiots it was designed to protect dart across our nose within 50 feet to make their exit at the last second, the damned thing hesitates, then locks up all five axles with that 90+ psi application pressure, when the moron that created the situation is already halfway up the ramp and gone. Well, HELLO, OnGuard! So very nice of you to join us!

But this is what happens when idiots float through college in between weekend binge highs and get hired at $100k a year to design BS like this. In summary, it would be far easier for people to just learn how to drive safely and not put others in danger because they weren't paying attention.

—-//
The system you’re noting is more complexed and requires more manipulation by the bigger subject, than the one it came to mind, which is geared for the masses of smaller subjects which can be controlled easier than the big elephant on the highway.

Just picture a back up sensor on cars. They all have it. Convert that into a light sensor in front of the trucks with a variance in angle projection according to speed.

Now, couple that with a sensory receiver which they have now on cars -keep beeping as you’re trying to switch lanes if cars are near by- combine the two, making a projector and a receiver. The only changing factor is the speed and then visibility adjustment for rain, fog, snow.

So rather than the safety device being reinforced by the big elephant in the room, is actually being forced by the masses of little ants on the floor.. which btw, are also sensory communicators! Lol

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by Dèsirée

—-//
The system you’re noting is more complexed and requires more manipulation by the bigger subject, than the one it came to mind, which is geared for the masses of smaller subjects which can be controlled easier than the big elephant on the highway.

Just picture a back up sensor on cars. They all have it. Convert that into a light sensor in front of the trucks with a variance in angle projection according to speed.

Now, couple that with a sensory receiver which they have now on cars -keep beeping as you’re trying to switch lanes if cars are near by- combine the two, making a projector and a receiver. The only changing factor is the speed and then visibility adjustment for rain, fog, snow.


So rather than the safety device being reinforced by the big elephant in the room, is actually being forced by the masses of little ants on the floor.. which btw, are also sensory communicators! Lol

All this and more on OTTO, the self-driving Volvos, which quite frankly, terrify me. Every computer in history has said 1+1=3 at some point. I have one word for you - TESLA. And people want a 40-ton truck controlled by this?

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

All this and more on OTTO, the self-driving Volvos, which quite frankly, terrify me. Every computer in history has said 1+1=3 at some point. I have one word for you - TESLA. And people want a 40-ton truck controlled by this?

Truckers are far from innocent drivers - yes, there are some amazingly skillful, polite, safety conscious, truckers, lots of more or less skillful drivers, but remember that half the truckers on the road are below average truck drivers, and there are some that bring that average WAY down - like the two over width logging trucks, perhaps in a hurry to finish their shift, that shaved a blind corner traveling well over the speed limit - i had to dodge to the right far enough the the wheels of my 1 ton crewcab were on the downside slope of the ditch to miss them - the first one went by and as I pulled back out of ( almost ) the ditch and as my wife was almost finished her scream, the 2nd one came around the same blind corner on the wrong side of the road and I was back to the downward sloping side of the shoulder - or the oar truck that I could see creeping down the side of a steep mountain road one night - granted I was traveling over the speed limit, but I was on the main highway and the oar truck was on a gravel side road that serviced a mine - we both arrived at the intersection at about the same time - I expected him to stop at the stop sign of course - he was still traveling slow - but as I closely approached the intersection, he pulled out right in front of me - I touched my brakes and immediately knew I wasn't going to stop in time - the only option I had to try and avoid a wreck was to stand on the gas peddle and get past him before he fully took over the lane - so I went flying past the oar truck, all of my wheels on the shoulder of the road - that truck didn't miss the rear of my truck by more than fractions of an inch - I bet he had a wake up call when my 1 ton SUDDENLY appeared inches in front of his truck - or the busy summer Sunday afternoon, a tourist filled highway, one vehicle on the bumper of the vehicle in front, car, after car, after motorhome - a 20 wheel semi trailer truck passing into oncoming traffic and forcing drivers to slam on their brakes as he bullied his way back into line, time after time after time after time - I tried to get the identification numbers off the back of the trailer so I could report him but couldn't get close enough to read them - wet or slushy roads are another time that few truckers seem to realise or don't care what they are doing when they pass a slower, but safely moving vehicle - traveling at 70 MPH, a big truck throws up a lot of spray, spray filled with oil and grime from the highway - smaller vehicles are prime to get their windshields smeared with the gunk and they have to lift off the gas so they can see as their windshield clears - slowing because of the hazard a big truck has created invites other 'in-a-hurry' truckers to pass, creating an ever escalating problem for normal passenger vehicles - yeah, those truckers are out there, bullies, uncaring for others on the road, not paying attention to what they are doing, half dozing because of boredom or a too long shift and they create a real hazard on the road

[CHEESE_WAGON]

There are far less of those Billy BigRiggers than you think, you just notice them more because they call attention to themselves. We call them supertruckers, and it's by no means a compliment. For every one of those you see, there are a thousand more saving people from their own ignorance and distraction, and we call those loose cannons supertruckers. CDL drivers don't keep their license very long if they aren't doing things right -- and well, those who don't, get weeded out pretty quick. The E-Log mandate of 2018 should be slowly but surely making experiences like yours a thing of the past.

But food for thought, do you know how many smaller vehicles I have avoided running over because THEY weren't paying attention? It really is a two-way street, whether you realize it or not.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

There are far less of those Billy BigRiggers than you think, you just notice them more because they call attention to themselves. We call them supertruckers, and it's by no means a compliment. For every one of those you see, there are a thousand more saving people from their own ignorance and distraction, and we call those loose cannons supertruckers. CDL drivers don't keep their license very long if they aren't doing things right -- and well, those who don't, get weeded out pretty quick. The E-Log mandate of 2018 should be slowly but surely making experiences like yours a thing of the past.

But food for thought, do you know how many smaller vehicles I have avoided running over because THEY weren't paying attention? It really is a two-way street, whether you realize it or not.

l certainly agree that there are the good and the bad on all sides

[o1marc]

Talking with a neighbor that drives part time. I told him I was interested in doing what he does, local, part time. He says the problem is they need full time drivers and want you to log illegal miles. They are hiring immigrants that have never driven a truck before, tell me that isn't scary in itself. I wouldn't mind driving a truck, but don't want to be away from home a month at a time