This weekend, Tammy and I flew into Charleston, W.Va. and drove to White Sulphur Springs, a road trip through the beautiful Appalachian mountains.
They have some pretty steep grades on those roads, and the downhill run can go on for quite a while. It is not uncommon for an unfamiliar trucker to lose control of a big rig on those roads. I saw numerous signs announcing 5%, or even 7% grades, which were pretty steep and went on for long distances. For one stretch, we stayed behind a truck which was exuding the acrid odor of burning brakes. We didn't think we should pass him, somehow.
My husband had driven the big rigs over the road for a time, and I myself took a six-week course in driving tractor trailers--and still have a piece of paper to prove it. We had thought about buying a truck and driving as a team, but it never panned out.
I guess the drivers lose control when they are going too fast to downshift without stripping the gears, so they slow down using the brakes, which may be unable to adequately slow the truck, or may fail entirely.
At intervals, there are "Runaway Truck Ramps"--roads to nowhere that go take off like a side road, and head upward to slow out of control trucks. This option may save the driver, and other lives that would be lost should a major accident occur. It still involves driving a huge, out of control truck down a narrow lane. Tammy says she remembers once a truck was going so fast, it ran right off the end of the ramp, and the driver was killed.
Comments