Thought I would look at the numbers a bit: Comments from video. At 12:08 - We a touched a brake once right back there. At 12:11 - Mr. Knight down here is crawling At 12:15 - So we are going to cover our brake At 12:19 - I just gonna drop it here a little bit cause these cars have all got to get in the left lane - there all bunched up so we are prepared to do some braking. So from using time and speed and a little physics - It can be calculated how far Tim was from Mr. Knight. At 12:08 Tim was 868 feet over 1/8 of a mile from Mr. Knight. He had already acknowledged Mr. Knight was slow and had already prepared to start dealing with it. Tim covers 2,198 feet before he has to start braking for the car that pulls out in front of him. This distance is from a starting time of 12:08 until a breaking time of 12:32-33. Remember, as well, he had anticipated this. But no one could anticipate that the car would basically stop. Watching video: Car pulls out into left lane @ 12:30-12:31. At 12:32 car slows dramatically - even from what it was going when it was in the right lane. Between 12:32 - 12:33 Tim stops talking and has to get hard on the brakes. Braking lasts until approximately 12:40. As you can see, if you watch the video carefully, Tim has about 1/2 to 1 second to work with here. I'm talking reaction time and dealing with the car which slowed so much in the left lane. So from 12:32-33 to 12:40 he is hard on the brakes. I called it 7 seconds to have a number to work with. Using 60mph as his start and 40mph as his speed when he was through braking, I calculated he traveled 513 feet during braking. The car during this time traveled 410 feet assuming a speed of 40mph. This means that Tim was only 113 feet behind the car when it slowed so dramatically. The extra 10 feet from the calculations above comes into play because the car ended up approximately 10 feet or so in front of Tim at 12:40. If you notice 410 and 113 does not equal 513, if it had been equal then this would have meant that Tim would have hit the car. The slowing of the car is key here not just its changing lanes. Tim was very close when the car decided it wanted to basically stop. This above all else is very critical to this event as he only had 1.3 seconds before he would have covered this 113 feet at 60mph. Also, note how slow the car had now become by 12:40 - even the white car that was originally in front of him was leaving him. From looking up reaction times the estimate given for a best case scenario is 0.7 seconds. This is a reaction time given for someone who is "expecting", a situation and is aware of the good possibility that braking is necessary. From watching the video it looks like Tim reacted from 0.5 to 1sec. I would say he done well. Good thing he had dropped it a little and was covering his brakes. By the way - reaction time given for someone who was not anticipating a situation was listed as 1.25 seconds. Also, as I see it, this type of situation could present itself anywhere. It seems at times the only thing looked at in this situation is that this occurred while going down a hill. Above all else if this man had not been anticipating this it would not have turned out as it did. He did all that could be asked for and was prepared for the event as it unfolded. That's all that can be asked of anyone. Only assumptions I made was for the car traveling at a speed of 40mph when it got into left lane. I actually think it was a bit slower than this at times. Mr. Knights speed of 40mph was judged based on Tim's speed when he passed Mr. Knight at 12:50. Well done Tim!
Glad the first thing I learned when driving on the road. Drive like everybody else is an idiot behind the wheel. Had my bike for a week, learned to drive on it as well. First time driving to work without buddies, a police transport taxi drove out from the garage right in front of me. Better still when he noticed me he stopped covering my full lane. Couldn't swing out either way. Still very rookie on driving I slammed back brake too hard. Back started sliding out. Luckily for the 4 times better quality back tire, I didn't put her down. Lets just say that officer had an ear full from me. I also always predict these kinds of things and it a sad thing that I am more often right than wrong.
Jason Your math is off. Speedo goes over 65mph on the hill at 9:01. At 10:00 he drops down to 62mph and climbs back to 70 as he passed the runaway ramp at 10:30. He remains at 70mph until he spots "Mr. Knight" and talks about it until 12:20. I counldn't say it any better than LIG did "I don't know what you were thinking dude! Ya know? 80,000lb rig going down that grade [𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥] the speed limit? Jeezus!" Bonus! "I didn't think it would happen to that extreme." A first year driver could have seen that coming. The only difference is complacency hasn't set in with the "rookie."
The math is correct. However, I do agree from the time of 12:08 to 12:21 Tim is at 70mph. But there is no one close to him during this time either. From 12:21 until 12.33 his speed is steadily decreasing. It drops to 60 mph at 12:33. This is the time at which the braking event occurs. With that said, the faster speed will change the distance travelled by Tim from 12:08 until 12:33. When I originally done the calculations, I focused more on the braking event that occurred from 12:33 to 12:40. The calculations for the braking event are correct. It can clearly be seen that he starts braking at about 60mph and stops braking about 7 seconds later at about 40 mph. When I first did this calculation for the time span of 12:08 -12:33, I took an average speed of 60mph for this period to speed up the calculations. In doing this, I did not clearly present what occurred from 12:08 to 12:33. Therefore, I went back and recalculated for these times in question. I used all speeds that were given by the speedometer during the times in which they occurred. In doing this, it shows that Tim was even farther from Mr. Knight when he first mentions him than I originally calculated. Tim was about 1139ft or 0.22miles from Mr. Knight when he first acknowledges him. This is approaching ¼ of a mile from when he first notices the situation. Tim was actually doing a better job of being on top of things than I gave him credit for. If one wants to criticize Tim for being 5 mph over at times, then not much can be done to convince otherwise. Furthermore, if one can not see that this type of situation could present itself on perfectly flat ground then one has an extremely low ability to “what if” driving scenarios. I’m fully aware of the different braking stresses that the hill imposes and have calculated them. But, I do not want to bore anyone with all the numbers. There are a few numbers though that I found quite interesting from the regards of the truck itself. I have found that Tim was only using about 32% of his trucks braking capability at the time of this event. I also calculated that his truck should have the capability to completely stop on the hill in 293ft. Now the significance of this is that this a shorter stopping distance than trucks from even just a few years ago could have achieved on level ground. I obtained information from Peterbilt and Bendix Spicer that helped me to calculate this. From Peterbilt: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released new braking standard requirements in July 2009, requiring tractor-trailers that are traveling at 60 MPH to be able to come to a complete stop within 250 feet when loaded to the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). The old standard required a complete stop within 355 feet. The new reduced stopping distance standards go into effect August 1, 2011. From Bendix Spicer: Peterbilt was the first major heavy truck OEM to offer air disc brakes as standard across its class 8 product line. March 30, 2011 Finally, the ability to anticipate events like this, as well as knowing what to do and what not to do, comes from knowing the vehicle’s capabilities and from experience operating the vehicle. He clearly shows this in the video by acknowledging that Mr. Knight is slow, decreasing his speed and covering his brake. This all happens well before the event at 12:33.
My first "big" hill was Mont Eagle back in 93. I remembered what dad always told me though...you can go down a hill the right way every time but you can only go down the wrong way once! I've been on all of them since then and thanks to dad I'm still here over 2.5 MILLION miles later. I also heard you say that you'd go all the way to the right if you had to so that tells me you're old school...1 life for 10 is still the way for REAL truckers. Dad passed back in 2008 but I still ask his advice every day. Be safe brother trucker!
I haven't driven a truck for about fourteen years, been about sixteen since I last went down the gap. Watching this video brings back a lot of memories and its amazing how much I recognize. Going down Fancy Gap with a 46,000 lbs load was not for the faint of heart and you just prayed that someone idiot in a four wheeler didn't do anything stupid in front of you or that those ramps were empty if you needed one. Thankfully I never did. Drive safe Life is Good and keep the rubber side down!
Well it seems that way. it happens to me a lot. I've even had people up near my truck and when I put on the turn signal, drop back about 1/2 the length of the trailer and flash their lights for me to change lanes. I guess they think the trailer will bend around them.
When do that just about everytime they try to speed up to get passed me. If behind me they quickly get over so i cant get over and they take forever to go around..
My dad was a trucker (he died in a accident trucking 40+yrs ago) My uncle's were truckers (all died of cancer) My brother and cousins are truckers I was the only girl trucker in our family I'm saying I love truckers Maybe not all of them though. Love your truck! Awesome! Stay safe dude I drive like you always keeping my eyes on the road, to see what I need to do next and not kill no stupid driver! stay safe! Keep Truckin!
I am surprised that an experienced trucker wouldn't know that a lot of big companies put speed limiters in there truck @ 60 mph but most of the time they can't get there and they are stuck at 55.
I'm not a truck driver but I even know to look not just 2 or 3 cars ahead but as far as I can see ahead while driving in case something has happened and when on the highway stopped in a traffic jam to always look in your rearview mirrors to see if someone is not paying attention and not slowing down. That use to be the norm but nowadays with phones and texting, people just don't pay attention like they should. Btw, I subscribed to your channel because my husband drives and I've tagged along with him a few times to see what he does and it was a wake up call for how bad people treat tractor trailers on the highways. So many people cut him off it was insane. It's was like, "Don't mind me I'm just fully loaded at 80,000 lbs going 65 mph and could squish your little Prius, but it's alright, go ahead and jump in front of me. What could possibly go wrong?"
Get some super glue for the chip in the windshield. Put it on the chip all over, let it dry and then use a razor blade to make it smooth again. Works like a charm. I've done it 3 times already and the chip never got any bigger and didn't have to change the window. BTW, great job driving and keeping everyone safe.
They even sell the chip filler tools on eBay that, if done right, will make the chip practically disappear. Done it on a couple of pickups I've owned and you couldn't tell the chip was there unless you were really close.
Man you are cool under pressure...you were talking, steering, braking and blowing the horn all at the same time....HAHAHA .A real professional driver...!!
While I was working as a diesel mechanic our truck saw a lot of mud and dirt and abuse and the disc brakes are wonderful for highway trucks, they run cooler and they’re overall more efficient, but when driving through mud nothing beats a good ole drum brake, also the disc brakes are hell to replace pads, at least the trucks I did were. Although, I will say, great job you were prepared and had your brake covered and ready for the four wheelers to do some dumb stuff like they normally do.
And that boys and girls is the whole purpose of a Jake brake, so when you need to hammer on the brakes, they are effective. The people who put No Jake Brake signs up on either side of town haven't figured that out yet
got pulled over in west jordan, utah and asked the cop if he was telling me i had to turn off the safety devices in my truck (jakes).... he let me go. i turn on the jakes when i leave they yard and turn them back off when i return.
MisterTwister Jake brake is for when you need to shed a little bit speed going down the hill not for when you have an emergency and you need to slow immediately
Whatever those discs costs. .....They paid for themselves right there. That idiot in front of you, I don't know why he felt the need to scrub THAT much speed!
The one person in the left lane was trying to be nice to the other motorist behind the truck by letting them in. I don't do things like that, especially if there are vehicles behind me in traffic. The other motorist just has to wait 15 seconds, when clear, move over.
@PunchingMegaTree yup. People are short sighted. They only see whats right in front of their face. They think its "nice" to hit their brakes and let somebody over but they have no consideration for what that does to the people behind them.
That shit happened to me yesterday but it was a truck pulling out from the off ramp of a rest stop. Truck passing me on my left and this guy decides to pull out right from there 500 feet in front of me without a turn signal... guess he couldn't wait the 10 secs. Or waste time actually going into the rest stop and using the merge lanes... I'm far from being an "experienced" driver but I didn't really think you needed to be one to look back and see that a truck 1/8 mile back and going 65 mph and no way to get over wouldn't be the best time to pull out... scared the shit out of me
A few years ago I was returning to NC from WVA and a thunderstorm dropped 4 to 6 inchs of hail on the road. I was lucky because I got in behind a big rig and followed him down the mountain. His wheels cleared a path for me and no one got so close behind me as to be dangerous. I was in my PU at the time and I made it home safely.
Gives you a new look at driving. Every year or so we jump on the interstate from ND to Ohio. I now have a little bit of understanding of what truckers go thru. Best advice for driving.... Watch out!! Pay attention. Death rides a fast horse out there.
Komin Inc well you're not the majority. Most trucks on discs are getting 500-800K out of a set, with far far better braking performance than drums. Drum brakes have been obsolete for a long time, US trucks have just been slow to adopt as usual... Matter of fact they're so good that DOT won't even look at them on a inspection. Not the case with drums lol
I'll always remember my first few times coming down Fancy Gap "SCARED TO DEATH"!! You did a superb job handling the situation, explaining details and keeping your cool in a gentlemanly way all at the same time. The general public has no idea what it's like to be behind the wheel of a big truck. I'm of the opinion there should be a class taught to the youngsters on how to drive around trucks and explain the true dangers they can encounter when sharing the highways with them. Thank you for a great video.
I always knock it neutral and let her roll.My swift trainer taught me that to make up time. My swift truck is governed at 64 mph but I can get up to 92 mph going down Fancy Gap. Love that road .
Your an idiot and will cause a death drum brakes on cars are not rated over 100mph and even less on a truck theres a reason the speed limit is lower for the trucks on a down hill grade
I am not a driver anymore. But I did spend 7 years driving for a very well known carrier when I was young. If you know the saying "all good kids love milk", you will know who I drove for in the 80s. I think you did a phenomenal job in slowing this down. Never drove anything that has disk breaks before but I swear if I did drive today I would insist they have them now after seeing this. You are fortunate it was dry. I have had cars hitting their breaks in front of me like this before and it's scary as hell. I always left them with a lot of room. I have even more respect for you guys that make a living doing this. I just couldn't live in that box back then. When I see you guys I give you respect and room. I am in no hurry to get where I am going so if I am behind you I am fine being there. Now I want to know why haven't you yet spent the money to invest in a wireless backup camera. I mean if I were to do this again I would do for this. It isn't hard to do. It would be a nice thing to have I think. Much respect for all the pros driving these. I look forward to watching your videos. Thanks for sharing them. Still, owe you a postcard. Be looking for it.
They always ride in the hammer down fancy gap. Nothing new. Had a jake brake completely fail in pouring down rain one day so I always keep it in the hammer lane going down now. Matter fact, just yesterday a oil sensor went in this volvo I was driving on 40EB and hole truck shut off with out any warning. Lost accelerator, then lost power steering hole truck cut off. Luckily was able to coast over to off ramp and restart it. Long story short, oil got in the sensor, but has been replaced. Never had a truck just completely shut off like that.
I stay in the hammer lane on fancy because I live about 35miles from it. If I see a big truck comming up on me I usually let them by just encase they need to fly by and ride it out, are empty, and or need the escape ramp. Other wise with a 45k lb trailer depending on how it is loaded and the center of gravity you can take fancy gap at 70-75mph safely with little braking involved on a good day in nice weather conditions.
Can't stand when 4 wheelers do that. Always advocated for the government to make 4 wheelers take a mandatory drivers ed (even if you currently have a license) and include trucks into their curriculum. Hell even go out with a trucker for one day to see what we have to deal with.
This the same thing ive been thinking for a while now. They should at the minimum make drivers pass the CDL permit test to give them a better understanding of trucks. To many 4 wheelers are completely ignorant of how much danger our vehicles pose to them when they get stupid around us.. Most of us are trying to watch out for them.. They should have the same respect for us..
Driver's ed in my area includes a video presentation of vehicle accidents including uncensored fatalities. Just imagine the feeling you get looking into the eyes of a man who was burned to death inside his vehicle! Unfortunately there are older people (above 21) who are not required to take driver's ed, simply because of their age.
Demetrius Davis I work with 2 organizations that are working with the states to have drivers ed classes to teach people how to treat truck drivers on the road, especially the oversize loads, we do have a program patent pending, hopefully we can get it mandated in all the states someday, so many accidents that should have never happened!
AAAHHHH HECK!!! I might as well put my two cents in as well. I drove one year in the oilfields in the eighties and left trucking until 2003 when I went OTR. I came in with the mindset of a rookie because I knew I WAS one. I knew how to drive a stick but not a ten speed. I was learning everything all over again. When I started with STEVENS TRANSPORT, guess what, that's right, they taught us to "CRAWL" down those mountains. We started out with no jake brake because they wanted us to (for a lack of a better way of putting it) have an idea of what to do in case a jake brake failed on us in the future and have an idea of what gear to be in to ride the grade without glazing/burning the brakes. Once I got on my own, after about TWELVE weeks of training, I was a lot more confident but still respected those grades. I had to finally turn off that CB so I wouldn't cuss back at the drivers who were cussing me for going too slow. I knew it was dangerous; I was scared shitless of being hit from behind by an EXPERIENCED driver who had already reached the level of KNOWING IT ALL, but I STILL had to stay focused and survive. Once I got a jake brake I still dropped into a lower gear but did not go as slow but still at a comfortable and safe speed. Even when I started training I was still nervous teaching my students the same thing but it's what STEVENS wanted and personally, I understand why. Several years after I left them I heard they started giving the new drivers jake brakes. I think that was good thing as long they know how and when to use it. I'm sure most of you have heard the quote: YOU CAN GO DOWN HILL A HUNDRED TIMES TOO SLOW, BUT YOU CAN ONLY GO DOWN IT "ONCE" TOO FAST. Safe travels everyone!
Good work! I'm always amazed at how four wheelers drive semi trucks. I don't drive trucks anymore but when I did, I hauled fuel and I the hairs on my neck would standup every time I had a vehicle pass...saw way too many of them jump in front of me and hit the brakes!
I don't understand why people drive so poorly anymore. It look like the people in that mini van was trying to allow the car behind the knight truck to get over but they forgot about you.. Go figure...
Not a big truck driver. My rig is a one ton dually pulling a 14000 pound fourth one foot long fifth wheel RV. I’ve had this experience happen to me more times than I wish. I travel at 60 mph for several reasons. Your experience is one of them. Fuel mileage is the greatest. If I am traveling too slow for your needs, please use the left lane to pass me. You drive professionally, I drive for recreational purposes(RV). Being retired I do not have a schedule to keep. When you are passing me, I try to remember to flash my lights when you are a safe distance ahead of me. When people get too close to my rear I gently ease off the brakes to make it easier for you to pass me. I NEVER play brake light tag(slam on the brakes)! My state has a move over law. You are required to move over for vehicles stopped in the emergency lane. If you can’t move over, you are required to slow down. And yes I have had idiots trap me in the right lane. Thanks for your program. I enjoy your channel.
Hopefully things go well with the airbrake and combination written test and start training with a buddy of mine in a couple weeks. I enjoy watching your videos.
Man that is some beautiful scenery I’m an old trucker and I learned to drive on the old fancy gap. I drove a 1962 White Freightliner and pull a 40 foot van 12ft 6 inches 7.5 miles 2 lane
@life is good, I don't know how I ended up on your video, but I have to say the fact that you were prepared was excellent. I'm not a big rig driver or a rig driver. I'm a four-wheeler myself but the same vigilant technique you used here and lane control is what I have taught my son. A few years back I was doing about 68 MPH when a deer jumped in front of me. I slammed on the breaks, hit the deer and killed it. But the key was to control my lane. I never left my lane either way. To the right was the shoulder, to the left was the fast lane. I noticed the insults below. I feel that even if you had been going 55 like the people below said, the situation could have been similar depending on when the car would have pulled over. The key to me was that you were prepared.
I think I would have saved the heart attack and gone down the hill at 55 or so. no need to be a hero. because of knight etc you know it will happen again .
Excellent driving! The 4-wheeler was lucky you were anticipating their stupidity. When I'm on the Interstate, I try to watch for all you working guys. I know I depend on your delivering all the goods. When I can, I open a hole for you. Drive safe and Merry Christmas!
Dadgummit, my hands are sweaty watching that near-miss, good anticipation and wow, those disc brakes are working great! That should covert the drum brake hard heads who don't believe in the discs.
You are what I would call, a true professional driver. Very well done video. I have seen some really bad drivers in my years of doing long haul, from Canada to USA and back. All new drivers should be taught by a professional like yourself. You should open a school and teach.
You're a true professional driver. If everyone was like you the roads would be a lot safer. Those disc brakes are amazing, I feel like if you were running drums there may have been a different outcome there.
Life is good that was close, damn. But you did one thing that I always do even when I riding a motorcycle you always leave yourself an out and you did that quite well. Good job in dealing with the idiot four wheeler. Be safe
How can any injured worker have a chance for health recovery when non-medical claims adjuster is allowed to deny specialist appointment and MRI. The whole WCB system is totally Corrupt, designed to frustrate injured worker into giving up. HOW CAN YOU HAVE A FAIR APPEAL WHEN WCB EMPLOYEES DELIBERATELY FALSIFY INJURED WORKERS MEDICAL INFORMATION:
I'm no truck driver, I own and use 2 F-250's and a F-550 as towtrucks for bringing cars often across state lines from Utah to Nevada, and from California to Nevada. Taking i-80 from Utah to Nevada isn't usually too bad. However based on where I go in California, Donner Summit, Mt Rose, and Kingsbury grade are BRUTAL when you have a car hooked and you try to go down a 7-10% grade. Even then i can't really realy on braking hard to stop the truck on a dime, especially since we have drum rears still. hate when people jump out infront or brake check, I can't stop like that.
Life is good that could have gone really wrong it's been really a bad deal. Thank God you got the experience to do the right thing. That kind of crap happens when you're least expecting it and if you're not on top of your game it can bite you. Even if you are on top of your game sometimes that doesn't even help. I called them The Howdy Doody bunch. Four wheelers driving with their head up their kazoo or on their phone are going too slow are just generally not paying attention to driving. If everyone would put that God blessed phone down and just drive and respect the ones around them everything will be okay. But the drivers today have never been taught that in the first place so how would they know. That's their parents fault. And we get what we have today that we have to deal with on a daily basis which is a frustrating part of life. Knuckleheads man pure knuckleheads. I'm glad you came out of that okay. Be safe.
Im no trucker but great reaction from my point of view! Some people dont realize what can happen when you pull out in front of a rig going downhill at those speeds. Speed up or wait for them to pass, or it might cost your life! Much respect
He used "race" as a figure of speech. If you really want to get technical, he is passing vehicles and trying to get down the hill faster than they are. Hence, "racing." You're looking up to and defending the wrong person.
I used to hate being goverend at 55. Some drivers don't seem to understand that when company trucks are goverened as a driver there's nothing you can do to go faster.
Grossed out at 80000 and u don't use your lower gear or,break I've driven this grade many times with half the weight and maintain 50 mph that's how u avoid killing someone dufus
You don't own the road dude. 80,000 lb rig, that's why you are supposed to be a trained professional. It's not every drivers job to look out for your truck, it's yours. Keep it under control!
They don't think, that's the problem, most drivers react after the fact, they expect the other driver to do the work, and too many people assume a rig can stop on a dime. My cousin had a similar situation, but, the result was different, 80,000+ pounds ended up in the cars trunk, luckily no one was killed. Good job with the brakes and reflexes, and, you know, not losing your mind and staying cool. We need more drivers like you, less like he was.
Really nice tractor. Funny, well NOT ‘funny’ really, but those dang little ANNOYING rock/stone chips in the glass can be hard to ignore. BTW, THIS is HOW footage should be taken if “we’re” to see the actual DRIVER’S point of view. All posters should take note! Great job...
It don't matter. That highlander should have sped up upon getting into left lane. Dumb move by that driver, even though they might have meant well to other driver
Jeff Stoops people don't understand that although being polite and letting someone out is nice it's just as helpful to get out of the way completely. If that guy just speed up getting out of the way there wouldn't of been a problem. The guy behind the truck can wait his turn to merge.
"I didn't do anything wrong" you mean like not speeding. I been driving 33 years have been down fancy more times than I can count. You were not prepared for the unexpected and a reckless driver.
he was going 65 when the shit hit the fan. The speed limit is 65. Even if he was speeding and driving 70 the result wouldn't have been any different, the problem was the car hitting its brakes not the truck...
@dugweacr1 dude, if you're coming down fancy gap at 65 mph with a 70k vehicle, you're a certified idiot. That posted speed limit is for 4 wheelers not commercial vehicles.
I was headed north on I75 just before Sarasota with my cruise set at the limit of 70. I came upon a truck doing 65, so pulled out to pass. While I was passing him, another car that was a speck in my mirror when I pulled out, came right up to my bumper. As soon as I was clear of the truck, I moved right and the car behind me blasted past along with the line following him. A few hundred feet in front of me, there was a Dodge Caliber parked on the shoulder. It suddenly pulled out into the driving lane right in front of me. I could not move over because I was being passed so all I could do was slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the Caliber, which of course, the truck I just passed also had to do to avoid hitting both of us, slowing from 70 to 25. The trucker blasted his horn, hopefully not at me because there was nothing I could do. The Caliber slowly accelerated to 55 before I could pass, as well as the truck.
Mr. knight was going to get him self and someone else killed and was not doing the right thing Me Jason was doing was doing the right thing holding his speed at the limit without brakes just the Jake this way when a situation presented its self he had nice cool brakes to stop with Mr Jason is a true professional being able to read the trafic and the road Mr knight was a rooky pulling a rooky mistake
my point of view you going to fast for the front viechles you need to leave more space in front of you that horn is not going to resove the crash rear ended hit be more professional driver dont try to intemedi people think safty first good luck be safe
An 80,000 pound rig going down hill at the speed limit and hitting a car the slows down in front of it will end up with the car and people in it ending up in a big ol ball of metal
Ron Lawrence I wouldn’t call running 60 in a 65 zone barreling, you did see the car change lanes and stop, correct? I believe I could have beat that one, watch it again!
You were driving too fast for conditions. And while I acknowledge the driver of the other car(s) probably should have waited until you passed to change lanes, we both know if you'd have hit them, you would have been the one receiving the citation. No need to feel defensive, this could happen to anyone driving any vehicle...and in fact, it happens all the time. I used to feel the most paranoid driving in the carpool lane during rush hour traffic doing 50 or so passing cars that were at a standstill. Invariably, some clueless moron who couldn't even legally drive the carpool lane during that time of day would pull out, undoubtedly believing the laws didn't apply to him, and it was definitely worth the chance of getting killed in order to make it to work on time. So I really do get it, but in this case, I think you almost failed to anticipate the dangerous situation developing in front of you, and take appropriate corrective action before it became necessary to lay on your horn and swerve back into the right lane.
He saw the Knight driver creeping along in the slow lane. He saw the pileup of 4 wheelers behind the Knight driver. He even commented he was moving his foot to hover over the brake. The 4 wheeler definitely should not have pulled out when he did (as I've already mentioned)... A professional driver anticipates the stupid moves of other drivers and adjusts his speed and position accordingly. Life Is Good saw the problem developing, but failed to adjust his speed accordingly until it was almost too late. And what if he would have plowed into the rear end of that car killing some soccer mom and her kids? Are you going to console yourself with the thought, "Well I saw it happening right in front of me, and I could have slowed down even further and saved everyone's life...but that woman must have been on the phone, and she didn't have her hazards flashing, and she failed to signal....so my killing her is justified?" WTF?
Anita Martini how fast one can safely go down a hill has nothing to do with a sign telling you how fast the limit is. It's determined by what's in front of you and the ability to stop safely in a controlled manner without hitting what's on front of you. If a speed limit says 50 and you end up hitting a car for pulling out then regardless of the speed limit you're going too fast if you couldn't safely stop to avoid it. As a poster here clearly stated earlier he saw the pile of cars hamming up and even comments on it. Right there'd I'd have been backing down and flashing my cautions as to let everyone else know why I am backing down the throttle. He didn't do this till the last second (which I'm still scratching my head as to why) which then causes him to swerve lanes. That's not a controlled stop and even that itself is dangerous as you run the risk of scaring the crap put of the car in front of you and having them do something even more stupid in avoidance of your situation. No matter how you look at this video any safety director is not going to look at it as not the truck drivers fault. No offense intended to the driver. Peace live in it or rest in it.. Good day to all
Very informative. I have learned a good bit from watching vids like this and crash vids. Makes me much more understanding of what you guys have to put up with as I drive around 285 and the other interstates in Atl. Enjoyed watching, thanks.
I run the Gap regularly. The danger of the Gap isn’t so much the incline or the curves: it’s the unpredictability of that stretch. I’ve been on it when the wind would pull a 4 wheeler off the road and it’ll fog so quick after a summer t-storm you can’t see the nose of your truck. 4 wheelers panic in those conditions and you may round a curve and see nothing but brake lights in both lanes. Call me whatever; I run it 55 in a lower gear. I’ve seen some ugly sights on that 7 mile stretch.
You were going too fast down that grade. Fancy Gap has that nasty curve at the bottom and that grade is no joke. It may seem like nothing compared to the mountains out west but gravity doesn't give a shit. I've been up and down that grade many times, fully loaded and always respect it. You're very lucky it went as smooth as it did.
I have always taken Fancy Gap down in high gear, never had a problem in 30 years of driving. +testekleez, Tim was doing the speed limit, he was not going too fast. You sound like you were the rookie driving the Knight truck!
Well that one was a nail biters. I would have road rage. I am a dinosaur at trucking. For a quick cheap thing to keep tires looking good is mop and glow. It keeps dust off. I miss having the big truck but that’s life. Have a wonderful day. 😀
People never pay any attention to their mirrors but will drive they their the ONLY ones on the road. Lol it kills me. I've seen a guy on 95 south going down the road with his mirrors folded in while he was switch lanes, an older, OLDER car, so they weren't power folding. That alone tells you a lot how little people pay attention driving.
Skip M Just think about what you said there....When SOME people turn their head to look, their hands will typically go in that direction too so yes, people do need mirrors. I on the other hand use all my mirrors and also turn my head, not everyone can do that.
I can't remember a time a dropped a gear to go down Fancy Gap. I just use the jake and let her role. There is always that one 4 wheeler that is extra dumb and thinks I need to go extra slow to let these cars out. Stay safe out there.
You think it was the other drivers fault? No fool you are at fault for driving fast down hill. You knew those cars was right there and you still kept coming in hot. You know you cant stop that fast but you still go in fast, dont matter if the other drivers dont know cause they are not driving your truck. Any state trooper would find you at fault and give a big fine for rear ending that car.
I’ve seen two of your videos... the one about your first interview with the fella in the landstar, and this one. Man... maybe I just lucked up, but what great uploads on your part. I’m not even a trucker, I drive for ups, but my dad was a trucker and I’ve loved it my whole life. Badass videos, good foresight, obviously you’re a great driver. Thanks for that!!
Knight could go 45mph if he wants to (It's legal minimum) just because the speed limit is 65mph does NOT mean everybody drives to the limit, his truck could have problems who knows. don't blame Knight.
charles cameron did you watch the video? I might suggest you watch it again on maybe a larger screen and turn up the volume a little, but I will definitely work on the super trucker bit, I do not wish to fit into that classification, I’m a professional singer by trade, driving is just a hobby.
charles cameron super trucker??? Do you have nothing to say for the idiot car driver that decided to get into the passing Lane in front of a semi truck going 30 miles per hour? Blame the truck..pfffff whatever!!
driver called this scenario. he was thinkin way before. 4wheeler shouldnt have slowed to let the 4wheeler behind slow semi try to squeeze in. maybe you should watch it again
You can fix a rock chip or small crack by drilling a tiny hole in the center of the chip with a tiny Dremel bit, using oil for lubricant so the bit doesn’t overheat the glass, and the fill it with an epoxy resin in a syringe. If it’s a crack, you want to drill at each end point of the crack. Even if you don’t fill it, drilling it will stop it from spreading.
If you had killed someone with this footage you’d be in jail right now. You’re nearly grossed out you were told to use the lower gear and failed at that and did the prosecution a favor and filmed the entire thing. That’s the reality of this. I’m a driver and I’m with you but faster than that shit goes totally wrong and then what....
Rookie Budget Fishing Speed limit is 65mph, this grade doesn’t have a weight restriction speed limit, I was running below the posted speed limit, I always run dash cameras, so in the event that a car changes lanes in front of me and stops, I’m protected, you did see the car do that, didn’t you? So should I always run 25 mph everywhere I go? Knight transportation truck was being the unsafe driver and a traffic hazard on the road, not I, I was obeying the posted speed limit, minimum interstate speed is 40 mph not 25, unless your somewhere like Moneagle where truck speed is 25, 35 or 45 mph depending on your gross weight.
Anita Martini not only society truckers hate truckers. I’m one of them I’ve been driving for 12 yers now and a fuel truck for the last 4 and the behavior and stupidity is absolutely no different. You’d think they have respect around a fuel truck loaded with 9000 gallons but they don’t.
a shining example of how not to drive a truck!!!!!!!!!! you should not be in the drivers seat. you did everything wrong from the top of the gap. what would you have done if that was an accident that had stopped traffic. you would have kill many poor bastards. time for you to retire! but I'm sure your super trucker! after all its only 4 wheelers. playin with peoples lives....
Thought I would look at the numbers a bit:
Comments from video.
At 12:08 - We a touched a brake once right back there.
At 12:11 - Mr. Knight down here is crawling
At 12:15 - So we are going to cover our brake
At 12:19 - I just gonna drop it here a little bit cause these cars have all got to get in the left lane - there all bunched up so we are prepared to do some braking.
So from using time and speed and a little physics - It can be calculated how far Tim was from Mr. Knight. At 12:08 Tim was 868 feet over 1/8 of a mile from Mr. Knight. He had already acknowledged Mr. Knight was slow and had already prepared to start dealing with it.
Tim covers 2,198 feet before he has to start braking for the car that pulls out in front of him.
This distance is from a starting time of 12:08 until a breaking time of 12:32-33. Remember, as well, he had anticipated this. But no one could anticipate that the car would basically stop.
Watching video: Car pulls out into left lane @ 12:30-12:31. At 12:32 car slows dramatically - even from what it was going when it was in the right lane. Between 12:32 - 12:33 Tim stops talking and has to get hard on the brakes. Braking lasts until approximately 12:40. As you can see, if you watch the video carefully, Tim has about 1/2 to 1 second to work with here. I'm talking reaction time and dealing with the car which slowed so much in the left lane.
So from 12:32-33 to 12:40 he is hard on the brakes. I called it 7 seconds to have a number to work with. Using 60mph as his start and 40mph as his speed when he was through braking, I calculated he traveled 513 feet during braking. The car during this time traveled 410 feet assuming a speed of 40mph. This means that Tim was only 113 feet behind the car when it slowed so dramatically. The extra 10 feet from the calculations above comes into play because the car ended up approximately 10 feet or so in front of Tim at 12:40. If you notice 410 and 113 does not equal 513, if it had been equal then this would have meant that Tim would have hit the car. The slowing of the car is key here not just its changing lanes. Tim was very close when the car decided it wanted to basically stop. This above all else is very critical to this event as he only had 1.3 seconds before he would have covered this 113 feet at 60mph. Also, note how slow the car had now become by 12:40 - even the white car that was originally in front of him was leaving him.
From looking up reaction times the estimate given for a best case scenario is 0.7 seconds. This is a reaction time given for someone who is "expecting", a situation and is aware of the good possibility that braking is necessary. From watching the video it looks like Tim reacted from 0.5 to 1sec. I would say he done well. Good thing he had dropped it a little and was covering his brakes. By the way - reaction time given for someone who was not anticipating a situation was listed as 1.25 seconds. Also, as I see it, this type of situation could present itself anywhere. It seems at times the only thing looked at in this situation is that this occurred while going down a hill. Above all else if this man had not been anticipating this it would not have turned out as it did. He did all that could be asked for and was prepared for the event as it unfolded. That's all that can be asked of anyone.
Only assumptions I made was for the car traveling at a speed of 40mph when it got into left lane. I actually think it was a bit slower than this at times. Mr. Knights speed of 40mph was judged based on Tim's speed when he passed Mr. Knight at 12:50.
Well done Tim!
Glad the first thing I learned when driving on the road. Drive like everybody else is an idiot behind the wheel.
Had my bike for a week, learned to drive on it as well. First time driving to work without buddies, a police transport taxi drove out from the garage right in front of me. Better still when he noticed me he stopped covering my full lane. Couldn't swing out either way. Still very rookie on driving I slammed back brake too hard. Back started sliding out. Luckily for the 4 times better quality back tire, I didn't put her down. Lets just say that officer had an ear full from me.
I also always predict these kinds of things and it a sad thing that I am more often right than wrong.
Jason Your math is off.
Speedo goes over 65mph on the hill at 9:01.
At 10:00 he drops down to 62mph and climbs back to 70 as he passed the runaway ramp at 10:30.
He remains at 70mph until he spots "Mr. Knight" and talks about it until 12:20.
I counldn't say it any better than LIG did "I don't know what you were thinking dude! Ya know? 80,000lb rig going down that grade [𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥] the speed limit? Jeezus!"
Bonus!
"I didn't think it would happen to that extreme." A first year driver could have seen that coming. The only difference is complacency hasn't set in with the "rookie."
The math is correct. However, I do agree from the time of 12:08 to 12:21 Tim is at 70mph. But there is no one close to him during this time either. From 12:21 until 12.33 his speed is steadily decreasing. It drops to 60 mph at 12:33. This is the time at which the braking event occurs. With that said, the faster speed will change the distance travelled by Tim from 12:08 until 12:33. When I originally done the calculations, I focused more on the braking event that occurred from 12:33 to 12:40. The calculations for the braking event are correct. It can clearly be seen that he starts braking at about 60mph and stops braking about 7 seconds later at about 40 mph.
When I first did this calculation for the time span of 12:08 -12:33, I took an average speed of 60mph for this period to speed up the calculations. In doing this, I did not clearly present what occurred from 12:08 to 12:33. Therefore, I went back and recalculated for these times in question. I used all speeds that were given by the speedometer during the times in which they occurred. In doing this, it shows that Tim was even farther from Mr. Knight when he first mentions him than I originally calculated.
Tim was about 1139ft or 0.22miles from Mr. Knight when he first acknowledges him. This is approaching ¼ of a mile from when he first notices the situation. Tim was actually doing a better job of being on top of things than I gave him credit for.
If one wants to criticize Tim for being 5 mph over at times, then not much can be done to convince otherwise. Furthermore, if one can not see that this type of situation could present itself on perfectly flat ground then one has an extremely low ability to “what if” driving scenarios.
I’m fully aware of the different braking stresses that the hill imposes and have calculated them. But, I do not want to bore anyone with all the numbers. There are a few numbers though that I found quite interesting from the regards of the truck itself. I have found that Tim was only using about 32% of his trucks braking capability at the time of this event. I also calculated that his truck should have the capability to completely stop on the hill in 293ft. Now the significance of this is that this a shorter stopping distance than trucks from even just a few years ago could have achieved on level ground. I obtained information from Peterbilt and Bendix Spicer that helped me to calculate this.
From Peterbilt:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released new braking standard requirements in July 2009, requiring tractor-trailers that are traveling at 60 MPH to be able to come to a complete stop within 250 feet when loaded to the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). The old standard required a complete stop within 355 feet. The new reduced stopping distance standards go into effect August 1, 2011.
From Bendix Spicer:
Peterbilt was the first major heavy truck OEM to offer air disc brakes as standard across its class 8 product line. March 30, 2011
Finally, the ability to anticipate events like this, as well as knowing what to do and what not to do, comes from knowing the vehicle’s capabilities and from experience operating the vehicle. He clearly shows this in the video by acknowledging that Mr. Knight is slow, decreasing his speed and covering his brake. This all happens well before the event at 12:33.
It took awhile.
OK, one big strapper reward and trophy for Tim. Sounds fair. I don't even tie my shoes without a back up plan.
My first "big" hill was Mont Eagle back in 93. I remembered what dad always told me though...you can go down a hill the right way every time but you can only go down the wrong way once! I've been on all of them since then and thanks to dad I'm still here over 2.5 MILLION miles later. I also heard you say that you'd go all the way to the right if you had to so that tells me you're old school...1 life for 10 is still the way for REAL truckers. Dad passed back in 2008 but I still ask his advice every day. Be safe brother trucker!
I haven't driven a truck for about fourteen years, been about sixteen since I last went down the gap. Watching this video brings back a lot of memories and its amazing how much I recognize. Going down Fancy Gap with a 46,000 lbs load was not for the faint of heart and you just prayed that someone idiot in a four wheeler didn't do anything stupid in front of you or that those ramps were empty if you needed one. Thankfully I never did. Drive safe Life is Good and keep the rubber side down!
I think when we put on a turn signal, the 4 wheelers think it means pull up along side the trailer tandems and match pace.
Happy Pappy for real though lol
Well it seems that way. it happens to me a lot. I've even had people up near my truck and when I put on the turn signal, drop back about 1/2 the length of the trailer and flash their lights for me to change lanes. I guess they think the trailer will bend around them.
When do that just about everytime they try to speed up to get passed me. If behind me they quickly get over so i cant get over and they take forever to go around..
All you have to do is hit the nos button as you switch lanes
yeah I think they think our turn signals are christmas lights we leave up all yr for the hell of it.
My dad was a trucker (he died in a accident trucking 40+yrs ago)
My uncle's were truckers (all died of cancer)
My brother and cousins are truckers
I was the only girl trucker in our family
I'm saying I love truckers
Maybe not all of them though.
Love your truck!
Awesome!
Stay safe dude
I drive like you always keeping my eyes on the road,
to see what I need to do next and not kill no stupid driver!
stay safe!
Keep Truckin!
I am surprised that an experienced trucker wouldn't know that a lot of big companies put speed limiters in there truck @ 60 mph but most of the time they can't get there and they are stuck at 55.
npadul30 he was running 25mph that’s not a speed limiter at work
I'm not a truck driver but I even know to look not just 2 or 3 cars ahead but as far as I can see ahead while driving in case something has happened and when on the highway stopped in a traffic jam to always look in your rearview mirrors to see if someone is not paying attention and not slowing down. That use to be the norm but nowadays with phones and texting, people just don't pay attention like they should. Btw, I subscribed to your channel because my husband drives and I've tagged along with him a few times to see what he does and it was a wake up call for how bad people treat tractor trailers on the highways. So many people cut him off it was insane. It's was like, "Don't mind me I'm just fully loaded at 80,000 lbs going 65 mph and could squish your little Prius, but it's alright, go ahead and jump in front of me. What could possibly go wrong?"
Get some super glue for the chip in the windshield. Put it on the chip all over, let it dry and then use a razor blade to make it smooth again. Works like a charm. I've done it 3 times already and the chip never got any bigger and didn't have to change the window.
BTW, great job driving and keeping everyone safe.
Hey I didn't know that trick lol....smh
They even sell the chip filler tools on eBay that, if done right, will make the chip practically disappear. Done it on a couple of pickups I've owned and you couldn't tell the chip was there unless you were really close.
Man you are cool under pressure...you were talking, steering, braking and blowing the horn all at the same time....HAHAHA .A real professional driver...!!
I would have to edit the video because I would have cussed them out over the PA system I have on the truck!
While I was working as a diesel mechanic our truck saw a lot of mud and dirt and abuse and the disc brakes are wonderful for highway trucks, they run cooler and they’re overall more efficient, but when driving through mud nothing beats a good ole drum brake, also the disc brakes are hell to replace pads, at least the trucks I did were. Although, I will say, great job you were prepared and had your brake covered and ready for the four wheelers to do some dumb stuff like they normally do.
This is a great video, shows you how fast something can happen, even when you are ready for it. Imagine if you were distracted!
And that boys and girls is the whole purpose of a Jake brake, so when you need to hammer on the brakes, they are effective. The people who put No Jake Brake signs up on either side of town haven't figured that out yet
MisterTwister Just tell em the Jake Brake is a whole lot quieter than a semi going through your 🏠! 😂😂
got pulled over in west jordan, utah and asked the cop if he was telling me i had to turn off the safety devices in my truck (jakes).... he let me go. i turn on the jakes when i leave they yard and turn them back off when i return.
Michael D Amen to that 👍👍
MisterTwister Jake brake is for when you need to shed a little bit speed going down the hill not for when you have an emergency and you need to slow immediately
CAPTAIN WELLS Thanks Captain Obvious👍👍
Whatever those discs costs. .....They paid for themselves right there. That idiot in front of you, I don't know why he felt the need to scrub THAT much speed!
My theory is that those two cars were traveling together and he was slowing to let them out.
The one person in the left lane was trying to be nice to the other motorist behind the truck by letting them in. I don't do things like that, especially if there are vehicles behind me in traffic. The other motorist just has to wait 15 seconds, when clear, move over.
@PunchingMegaTree yup. People are short sighted. They only see whats right in front of their face. They think its "nice" to hit their brakes and let somebody over but they have no consideration for what that does to the people behind them.
I would love to hear an audible book in this mans voice. Great trucker perspective video, much respect to you sir.
That shit happened to me yesterday but it was a truck pulling out from the off ramp of a rest stop. Truck passing me on my left and this guy decides to pull out right from there 500 feet in front of me without a turn signal... guess he couldn't wait the 10 secs. Or waste time actually going into the rest stop and using the merge lanes... I'm far from being an "experienced" driver but I didn't really think you needed to be one to look back and see that a truck 1/8 mile back and going 65 mph and no way to get over wouldn't be the best time to pull out... scared the shit out of me
nhyijy they don’t think and they don’t care, they see a fellow driver and think you are able to yield for them, they haven’t got a clue!
A few years ago I was returning to NC from WVA and a thunderstorm dropped 4 to 6 inchs of hail on the road. I was lucky because I got in behind a big rig and followed him down the mountain. His wheels cleared a path for me and no one got so close behind me as to be dangerous. I was in my PU at the time and I made it home safely.
I always have a lot of respect for the big rigs and try to give them plenty of space because I know they carry heavy loads. Be safe!
Maintaining your lane is hard to do. Your instinct is always to avoid accidents. Its something you have to train yourself to do!!
Gives you a new look at driving. Every year or so we jump on the interstate from ND to Ohio. I now have a little bit of understanding of what truckers go thru. Best advice for driving.... Watch out!! Pay attention. Death rides a fast horse out there.
AL M indeed it does
The folks in the car don't know how lucky they are. That's some great driving.
We run Disc brakes as well, it's the only way to go!!
Wait till you have to replace them. We've had horrible luck with disc brakes. They're lasting half as long and eating calipers.
Komin Inc well you're not the majority. Most trucks on discs are getting 500-800K out of a set, with far far better braking performance than drums. Drum brakes have been obsolete for a long time, US trucks have just been slow to adopt as usual...
Matter of fact they're so good that DOT won't even look at them on a inspection. Not the case with drums lol
larry ballard what if ya wanna drift it? If they don't lock up can ya drift? (Without trailer of course)
they expensive, so i dont like em.. besides, i never figured out what the brakes are for, i aint never used em before :/
Celadon wants to show the world what he’s got lol
I'll always remember my first few times coming down Fancy Gap "SCARED TO DEATH"!! You did a superb job handling the situation, explaining details and keeping your cool in a gentlemanly way all at the same time. The general public has no idea what it's like to be behind the wheel of a big truck. I'm of the opinion there should be a class taught to the youngsters on how to drive around trucks and explain the true dangers they can encounter when sharing the highways with them.
Thank you for a great video.
I always knock it neutral and let her roll.My swift trainer taught me that to make up time. My swift truck is governed at 64 mph but I can get up to 92 mph going down Fancy Gap. Love that road .
Your an idiot and will cause a death drum brakes on cars are not rated over 100mph and even less on a truck theres a reason the speed limit is lower for the trucks on a down hill grade
Favorite comment
Neutral, wow, I don’t doubt that a swift trainer taught you that 🤦🏻♂️
@@JBVantage1 lmao or hr england
92 mph going down fancy gap , man you’re pilot NOT driver ... don’t slip , and hit a plane ✈️ pilot 👩✈️
I am not a driver anymore. But I did spend 7 years driving for a very well known carrier when I was young. If you know the saying "all good kids love milk", you will know who I drove for in the 80s.
I think you did a phenomenal job in slowing this down. Never drove anything that has disk breaks before but I swear if I did drive today I would insist they have them now after seeing this. You are fortunate it was dry. I have had cars hitting their breaks in front of me like this before and it's scary as hell. I always left them with a lot of room.
I have even more respect for you guys that make a living doing this. I just couldn't live in that box back then. When I see you guys I give you respect and room. I am in no hurry to get where I am going so if I am behind you I am fine being there.
Now I want to know why haven't you yet spent the money to invest in a wireless backup camera. I mean if I were to do this again I would do for this. It isn't hard to do. It would be a nice thing to have I think.
Much respect for all the pros driving these. I look forward to watching your videos. Thanks for sharing them.
Still, owe you a postcard. Be looking for it.
Coming down fancy gap is like landing a plane,great job sir,hate those 4 wheelers that don't look into their rear view mirror, what a view ain't it?
They always ride in the hammer down fancy gap. Nothing new. Had a jake brake completely fail in pouring down rain one day so I always keep it in the hammer lane going down now. Matter fact, just yesterday a oil sensor went in this volvo I was driving on 40EB and hole truck shut off with out any warning. Lost accelerator, then lost power steering hole truck cut off. Luckily was able to coast over to off ramp and restart it. Long story short, oil got in the sensor, but has been replaced. Never had a truck just completely shut off like that.
I stay in the hammer lane on fancy because I live about 35miles from it. If I see a big truck comming up on me I usually let them by just encase they need to fly by and ride it out, are empty, and or need the escape ramp. Other wise with a 45k lb trailer depending on how it is loaded and the center of gravity you can take fancy gap at 70-75mph safely with little braking involved on a good day in nice weather conditions.
You had a jake brake fail in pouring down rain? Why were you using a jake brake in pouring down rain? That's just asking for trouble.
I'm probably about the only one on here that isn't a trucker, but watching y'alls vids. helps me to see what you guys have to deal with.
Can't stand when 4 wheelers do that. Always advocated for the government to make 4 wheelers take a mandatory drivers ed (even if you currently have a license) and include trucks into their curriculum. Hell even go out with a trucker for one day to see what we have to deal with.
This the same thing ive been thinking for a while now. They should at the minimum make drivers pass the CDL permit test to give them a better understanding of trucks. To many 4 wheelers are completely ignorant of how much danger our vehicles pose to them when they get stupid around us.. Most of us are trying to watch out for them.. They should have the same respect for us..
Driver's ed in my area includes a video presentation of vehicle accidents including uncensored fatalities. Just imagine the feeling you get looking into the eyes of a man who was burned to death inside his vehicle! Unfortunately there are older people (above 21) who are not required to take driver's ed, simply because of their age.
Lawrence V. Texas I’m 22 years old with a college degree, and have licenses where I can work in other professional fields so I think I’ll be fine.
Demetrius Davis I work with 2 organizations that are working with the states to have drivers ed classes to teach people how to treat truck drivers on the road, especially the oversize loads, we do have a program patent pending, hopefully we can get it mandated in all the states someday, so many accidents that should have never happened!
Demetrius Davis you are so right.....here in VA they drive like they bought the drivers license from dollar general.
AAAHHHH HECK!!! I might as well put my two cents in as well. I drove one year in the oilfields in the eighties and left trucking until 2003 when I went OTR. I came in with the mindset of a rookie because I knew I WAS one. I knew how to drive a stick but not a ten speed. I was learning everything all over again. When I started with STEVENS TRANSPORT, guess what, that's right, they taught us to "CRAWL" down those mountains. We started out with no jake brake because they wanted us to (for a lack of a better way of putting it) have an idea of what to do in case a jake brake failed on us in the future and have an idea of what gear to be in to ride the grade without glazing/burning the brakes. Once I got on my own, after about TWELVE weeks of training, I was a lot more confident but still respected those grades. I had to finally turn off that CB so I wouldn't cuss back at the drivers who were cussing me for going too slow. I knew it was dangerous; I was scared shitless of being hit from behind by an EXPERIENCED driver who had already reached the level of KNOWING IT ALL, but I STILL had to stay focused and survive. Once I got a jake brake I still dropped into a lower gear but did not go as slow but still at a comfortable and safe speed. Even when I started training I was still nervous teaching my students the same thing but it's what STEVENS wanted and personally, I understand why. Several years after I left them I heard they started giving the new drivers jake brakes. I think that was good thing as long they know how and when to use it.
I'm sure most of you have heard the quote: YOU CAN GO DOWN HILL A HUNDRED TIMES TOO SLOW, BUT YOU CAN ONLY GO DOWN IT "ONCE" TOO FAST.
Safe travels everyone!
It's a good thing you had disc brakes, they work well. I was thinking that car wasn't gonna make it out okay.
Good work! I'm always amazed at how four wheelers drive semi trucks. I don't drive trucks anymore but when I did, I hauled fuel and I the hairs on my neck would standup every time I had a vehicle pass...saw way too many of them jump in front of me and hit the brakes!
I don't understand why people drive so poorly anymore. It look like the people in that mini van was trying to allow the car behind the knight truck to get over but they forgot about you.. Go figure...
That's *exactly* what happened.
Giving fuck tonnes of Immigrants/Refugees Licenses. Also, if someone isn't able to Drive, they won't work...No Tax Revenue
Not a big truck driver. My rig is a one ton dually pulling a 14000 pound fourth one foot long fifth wheel RV. I’ve had this experience happen to me more times than I wish. I travel at 60 mph for several reasons. Your experience is one of them. Fuel mileage is the greatest. If I am traveling too slow for your needs, please use the left lane to pass me. You drive professionally, I drive for recreational purposes(RV). Being retired I do not have a schedule to keep. When you are passing me, I try to remember to flash my lights when you are a safe distance ahead of me. When people get too close to my rear I gently ease off the brakes to make it easier for you to pass me. I NEVER play brake light tag(slam on the brakes)! My state has a move over law. You are required to move over for vehicles stopped in the emergency lane. If you can’t move over, you are required to slow down. And yes I have had idiots trap me in the right lane. Thanks for your program. I enjoy your channel.
Hopefully things go well with the airbrake and combination written test and start training with a buddy of mine in a couple weeks. I enjoy watching your videos.
Man that is some beautiful scenery I’m an old trucker and I learned to drive on the old fancy gap. I drove a 1962 White Freightliner and pull a 40 foot van 12ft 6 inches 7.5 miles 2 lane
Sounds like you need to head to house for a few days.
@life is good, I don't know how I ended up on your video, but I have to say the fact that you were prepared was excellent. I'm not a big rig driver or a rig driver. I'm a four-wheeler myself but the same vigilant technique you used here and lane control is what I have taught my son. A few years back I was doing about 68 MPH when a deer jumped in front of me. I slammed on the breaks, hit the deer and killed it. But the key was to control my lane. I never left my lane either way. To the right was the shoulder, to the left was the fast lane.
I noticed the insults below. I feel that even if you had been going 55 like the people below said, the situation could have been similar depending on when the car would have pulled over. The key to me was that you were prepared.
I think I would have saved the heart attack and gone down the hill at 55 or so. no need to be a hero. because of knight etc you know it will happen again .
Nice anticipation and recognition/reaction Driver. Those 4 wheelers haven't got a clue how lucky they are.
Man you not only talk the talk, you walk the walk....Good Job!!
This is one of the most realistic Trucking videos I've seen. Thank you for posting it
Them four-wheelers sure keeping you on your toes, Buddy. Stay safe out there, Driver.
Excellent driving! The 4-wheeler was lucky you were anticipating their stupidity.
When I'm on the Interstate, I try to watch for all you working guys. I know I depend on your delivering all the goods. When I can, I open a hole for you.
Drive safe and Merry Christmas!
Dadgummit, my hands are sweaty watching that near-miss, good anticipation and wow, those disc brakes are working great! That should covert the drum brake hard heads who don't believe in the discs.
Mopar21277 there is a substantial cost difference, but yes they are amazing.
Mopar21277 yeah, me too. I was thinking he was going to split the middle of the cars and Knight.
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A trucking video with no drama is something special. Lil whoever and whatever should take note same with all the other you tube trucking divas.
Abella Patera Thank you, welcome to the madness.
Great anticipation I enjoy listening to how you read the road.
You are what I would call, a true professional driver. Very well done video. I have seen some really bad drivers in my years of doing long haul, from Canada to USA and back. All new drivers should be taught by a professional like yourself. You should open a school and teach.
Wheres that guy who tells you the time of video where the action is?
(Sorry, I'm off duty I can't be looking out the drivers window)
You're a true professional driver. If everyone was like you the roads would be a lot safer. Those disc brakes are amazing, I feel like if you were running drums there may have been a different outcome there.
Life is good that was close, damn. But you did one thing that I always do even when I riding a motorcycle you always leave yourself an out and you did that quite well. Good job in dealing with the idiot four wheeler. Be safe
Raymond Bradley Thank you, that’s why my headcam makes people dizzy, I’m always checking my surroundings.
How can any injured worker have a chance for health recovery when non-medical claims adjuster is allowed to deny specialist appointment and MRI. The whole WCB system is totally Corrupt, designed to frustrate injured worker into giving up. HOW CAN YOU HAVE A FAIR APPEAL WHEN WCB EMPLOYEES DELIBERATELY FALSIFY INJURED WORKERS MEDICAL INFORMATION:
I'm no truck driver, I own and use 2 F-250's and a F-550 as towtrucks for bringing cars often across state lines from Utah to Nevada, and from California to Nevada. Taking i-80 from Utah to Nevada isn't usually too bad. However based on where I go in California, Donner Summit, Mt Rose, and Kingsbury grade are BRUTAL when you have a car hooked and you try to go down a 7-10% grade. Even then i can't really realy on braking hard to stop the truck on a dime, especially since we have drum rears still. hate when people jump out infront or brake check, I can't stop like that.
Life is good that could have gone really wrong it's been really a bad deal. Thank God you got the experience to do the right thing. That kind of crap happens when you're least expecting it and if you're not on top of your game it can bite you. Even if you are on top of your game sometimes that doesn't even help. I called them The Howdy Doody bunch. Four wheelers driving with their head up their kazoo or on their phone are going too slow are just generally not paying attention to driving. If everyone would put that God blessed phone down and just drive and respect the ones around them everything will be okay. But the drivers today have never been taught that in the first place so how would they know. That's their parents fault. And we get what we have today that we have to deal with on a daily basis which is a frustrating part of life. Knuckleheads man pure knuckleheads. I'm glad you came out of that okay. Be safe.
Im no trucker but great reaction from my point of view! Some people dont realize what can happen when you pull out in front of a rig going downhill at those speeds. Speed up or wait for them to pass, or it might cost your life! Much respect
Andrew Ness 👍 thank you, stay safe out there
That's why you are supposed to run in lower gear!
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Add "ASS-HOLE"
I actually enjoyed this guys commentary , explaining how he is anticipating hazards well in advance. Good job buddy, stay safe.
Just because the speed limit is 65mph don't mean you have to do 65mph, that's a Super Trucker move
Basolisk lol. Really?
James Schrader race ?? ..... Since when is driving under the speed limit racing?
Charles Pyatt When the signs advise you to reduce gear and you don't.
Rob Calhoun no part of this video involves racing in any fashion
He used "race" as a figure of speech. If you really want to get technical, he is passing vehicles and trying to get down the hill faster than they are. Hence, "racing."
You're looking up to and defending the wrong person.
I used to hate being goverend at 55. Some drivers don't seem to understand that when company trucks are goverened as a driver there's nothing you can do to go faster.
I deal with the same bullshit brother, in governed at 65. Don't stress about it😉
Grossed out at 80000 and u don't use your lower gear or,break I've driven this grade many times with half the weight and maintain 50 mph that's how u avoid killing someone dufus
EXACTLY !!!!!! down and off this little hill in 4 minutes.....where do they get these people????
That's why you ALWAYS keep checking your mirrors so you know your plan of escape at all times.
You don't own the road dude. 80,000 lb rig, that's why you are supposed to be a trained professional. It's not every drivers job to look out for your truck, it's yours.
Keep it under control!
They don't think, that's the problem, most drivers react after the fact, they expect the other driver to do the work, and too many people assume a rig can stop on a dime. My cousin had a similar situation, but, the result was different, 80,000+ pounds ended up in the cars trunk, luckily no one was killed. Good job with the brakes and reflexes, and, you know, not losing your mind and staying cool. We need more drivers like you, less like he was.
What is the mpg now? Getting better?
Disc breaks are the best upgrade in trucking since air conditioning! Be safe driver, some of these green horns could learn from watching your video!
this is why, I don't do videos
Really nice tractor. Funny, well NOT ‘funny’ really, but those dang little ANNOYING rock/stone chips in the glass can be hard to ignore. BTW, THIS is HOW footage should be taken if “we’re” to see the actual DRIVER’S point of view. All posters should take note! Great job...
You should know better than to go 65 down a 7% grade. You almost killed those people.
Shekkey Green was a comedian , king of the one liners and I dig your dance of humor. Keep the shiny side up friend..
It seems like u r goimg a bit too fast for that kind of grade
He’s being passed by Celadon… trust me, he’s not speeding.
Nice save Mr. Trucker. It's nice to see a professional driver. Thank you for all you do to keep this country running.
Sgt. Stones thank you for not bashing me on my driving and noticing what actually happened 👍
He was letting that other car out from behind that other truck that was going SOOOOOOOOOOO SLOW ...
Jeff Stoops he could have died in the process
It don't matter. That highlander should have sped up upon getting into left lane. Dumb move by that driver, even though they might have meant well to other driver
Jeff Stoops people don't understand that although being polite and letting someone out is nice it's just as helpful to get out of the way completely. If that guy just speed up getting out of the way there wouldn't of been a problem. The guy behind the truck can wait his turn to merge.
Safelite for the repair on the windshield. They do a phenomenal job.
Very nice Pete enjoy be safe out there
you can go down that mountain too slow a million times, but you'll only go down it too fast once.
"I didn't do anything wrong" you mean like not speeding. I been driving 33 years have been down fancy more times than I can count. You were not prepared for the unexpected and a reckless driver.
he was going 65 when the shit hit the fan. The speed limit is 65. Even if he was speeding and driving 70 the result wouldn't have been any different, the problem was the car hitting its brakes not the truck...
@dugweacr1 dude, if you're coming down fancy gap at 65 mph with a 70k vehicle, you're a certified idiot. That posted speed limit is for 4 wheelers not commercial vehicles.
I was headed north on I75 just before Sarasota with my cruise set at the limit of 70. I came upon a truck doing 65, so pulled out to pass. While I was passing him, another car that was a speck in my mirror when I pulled out, came right up to my bumper. As soon as I was clear of the truck, I moved right and the car behind me blasted past along with the line following him. A few hundred feet in front of me, there was a Dodge Caliber parked on the shoulder. It suddenly pulled out into the driving lane right in front of me. I could not move over because I was being passed so all I could do was slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the Caliber, which of course, the truck I just passed also had to do to avoid hitting both of us, slowing from 70 to 25. The trucker blasted his horn, hopefully not at me because there was nothing I could do. The Caliber slowly accelerated to 55 before I could pass, as well as the truck.
Mr knight was going down the grade correctly.All I say
Mr. knight was going to get him self and someone else killed and was not doing the right thing Me Jason was doing was doing the right thing holding his speed at the limit without brakes just the Jake this way when a situation presented its self he had nice cool brakes to stop with Mr Jason is a true professional being able to read the trafic and the road Mr knight was a rooky pulling a rooky mistake
That is a beautiful stretch of Highway. Took that route flat-towing a 68 Ford Fairlane with a 97 Chevy Astro. That was a drive I would not do again.
my point of view you going to fast for the front viechles you need to leave more space in front of you that horn is not going to resove the crash rear ended hit be more professional driver dont try to intemedi people think safty first
good luck be safe
Ray Espinoza you did see my lane was clear? The car jumped into my lane and stopped.
An 80,000 pound rig going down hill at the speed limit and hitting a car the slows down in front of it will end up with the car and people in it ending up in a big ol ball of metal
OMG I started driving i5 86 miles a day for 8 months now and I always wondered what was going on in there heads. This is a gem of a find for me
So if I was barreling down the freeway and nearly rear ended the vehicle in front of me, whose fault is that again?
Ron Lawrence I wouldn’t call running 60 in a 65 zone barreling, you did see the car change lanes and stop, correct? I believe I could have beat that one, watch it again!
You were driving too fast for conditions. And while I acknowledge the driver of the other car(s) probably should have waited until you passed to change lanes, we both know if you'd have hit them, you would have been the one receiving the citation. No need to feel defensive, this could happen to anyone driving any vehicle...and in fact, it happens all the time. I used to feel the most paranoid driving in the carpool lane during rush hour traffic doing 50 or so passing cars that were at a standstill. Invariably, some clueless moron who couldn't even legally drive the carpool lane during that time of day would pull out, undoubtedly believing the laws didn't apply to him, and it was definitely worth the chance of getting killed in order to make it to work on time.
So I really do get it, but in this case, I think you almost failed to anticipate the dangerous situation developing in front of you, and take appropriate corrective action before it became necessary to lay on your horn and swerve back into the right lane.
He saw the Knight driver creeping along in the slow lane. He saw the pileup of 4 wheelers behind the Knight driver. He even commented he was moving his foot to hover over the brake. The 4 wheeler definitely should not have pulled out when he did (as I've already mentioned)...
A professional driver anticipates the stupid moves of other drivers and adjusts his speed and position accordingly. Life Is Good saw the problem developing, but failed to adjust his speed accordingly until it was almost too late.
And what if he would have plowed into the rear end of that car killing some soccer mom and her kids? Are you going to console yourself with the thought, "Well I saw it happening right in front of me, and I could have slowed down even further and saved everyone's life...but that woman must have been on the phone, and she didn't have her hazards flashing, and she failed to signal....so my killing her is justified?"
WTF?
"Foul Language"
???
Seriously? You lost me right there, Anita. Have a nice day.
Anita Martini how fast one can safely go down a hill has nothing to do with a sign telling you how fast the limit is. It's determined by what's in front of you and the ability to stop safely in a controlled manner without hitting what's on front of you. If a speed limit says 50 and you end up hitting a car for pulling out then regardless of the speed limit you're going too fast if you couldn't safely stop to avoid it. As a poster here clearly stated earlier he saw the pile of cars hamming up and even comments on it. Right there'd I'd have been backing down and flashing my cautions as to let everyone else know why I am backing down the throttle. He didn't do this till the last second (which I'm still scratching my head as to why) which then causes him to swerve lanes. That's not a controlled stop and even that itself is dangerous as you run the risk of scaring the crap put of the car in front of you and having them do something even more stupid in avoidance of your situation. No matter how you look at this video any safety director is not going to look at it as not the truck drivers fault. No offense intended to the driver. Peace live in it or rest in it.. Good day to all
Very informative. I have learned a good bit from watching vids like this and crash vids. Makes me much more understanding of what you guys have to put up with as I drive around 285 and the other interstates in Atl. Enjoyed watching, thanks.
Let go of your ego and drive safe!
I run the Gap regularly. The danger of the Gap isn’t so much the incline or the curves: it’s the unpredictability of that stretch. I’ve been on it when the wind would pull a 4 wheeler off the road and it’ll fog so quick after a summer t-storm you can’t see the nose of your truck. 4 wheelers panic in those conditions and you may round a curve and see nothing but brake lights in both lanes. Call me whatever; I run it 55 in a lower gear. I’ve seen some ugly sights on that 7 mile stretch.
You were going too fast down that grade. Fancy Gap has that nasty curve at the bottom and that grade is no joke. It may seem like nothing compared to the mountains out west but gravity doesn't give a shit. I've been up and down that grade many times, fully loaded and always respect it. You're very lucky it went as smooth as it did.
Curve at the bottom? Lmao it’s only a slight turn! Fancy Gap is nothing unless you are a recent graduate from a SWIFT school
I have always taken Fancy Gap down in high gear, never had a problem in 30 years of driving. +testekleez, Tim was doing the speed limit, he was not going too fast. You sound like you were the rookie driving the Knight truck!
Speed limits are for four wheelers. If you've been driving thirty years you should know that already.
+testekleez, It is obvious that you are not a driver. All roads have speed limits for all vehicles. Dumbass!
Not going down a fucking mountain you fucking ditch dweller.
Interstate 77 south from Virginia into North Carolina. Seven percent grade for 7 miles. Put the cruise on and glide all the way down.
My opinion. You was going to fast.
I didn't hear him say anything about not eating...
Well that one was a nail biters. I would have road rage. I am a dinosaur at trucking. For a quick cheap thing to keep tires looking good is mop and glow. It keeps dust off. I miss having the big truck but that’s life. Have a wonderful day. 😀
Mary Boze that's a great tip!! I never tried that!! I used to use mop n glo on dirt bike plastic to make it shine...
People never pay any attention to their mirrors but will drive they their the ONLY ones on the road. Lol it kills me. I've seen a guy on 95 south going down the road with his mirrors folded in while he was switch lanes, an older, OLDER car, so they weren't power folding. That alone tells you a lot how little people pay attention driving.
Skip M Just think about what you said there....When SOME people turn their head to look, their hands will typically go in that direction too so yes, people do need mirrors. I on the other hand use all my mirrors and also turn my head, not everyone can do that.
Skip M Amen to that. Their just giving away Licenses it seems like
I'd say this truck driver drives like HE is the only one on the road...
I can't remember a time a dropped a gear to go down Fancy Gap. I just use the jake and let her role. There is always that one 4 wheeler that is extra dumb and thinks I need to go extra slow to let these cars out. Stay safe out there.
I felt you made the only move you had as long as the right lane was clear, Awesome move There Driver.........Happy Trails.
Allen Dodson thank you
super trucker
Man, those breaks will good!!!! Awesome very reliable and worked well!!!! Also love that horn and that truck accelerates fast!!
You think it was the other drivers fault? No fool you are at fault for driving fast down hill. You knew those cars was right there and you still kept coming in hot. You know you cant stop that fast but you still go in fast, dont matter if the other drivers dont know cause they are not driving your truck. Any state trooper would find you at fault and give a big fine for rear ending that car.
He was under the speed limit and completely controlled. With the video, the cop would give the ticket to the four-wheeler for cutting him off.
But this asshole is a professional LOL he should be put in prison
I’ve seen two of your videos... the one about your first interview with the fella in the landstar, and this one. Man... maybe I just lucked up, but what great uploads on your part. I’m not even a trucker, I drive for ups, but my dad was a trucker and I’ve loved it my whole life. Badass videos, good foresight, obviously you’re a great driver. Thanks for that!!
give me a dollar for every idiot in a car and I will buy you a brand new pete, pull toy told you that
Knight could go 45mph if he wants to (It's legal minimum) just because the speed limit is 65mph does NOT mean everybody drives to the limit, his truck could have problems who knows. don't blame Knight.
you playin' super trucker you are gonna fuck up sooner or later. and what you did wrong was not think about what was ahead
charles cameron did you watch the video? I might suggest you watch it again on maybe a larger screen and turn up the volume a little, but I will definitely work on the super trucker bit, I do not wish to fit into that classification, I’m a professional singer by trade, driving is just a hobby.
charles cameron super trucker??? Do you have nothing to say for the idiot car driver that decided to get into the passing Lane in front of a semi truck going 30 miles per hour?
Blame the truck..pfffff whatever!!
driver called this scenario. he was thinkin way before. 4wheeler shouldnt have slowed to let the 4wheeler behind slow semi try to squeeze in. maybe you should watch it again
Charles Pyatt correct! That's what I see behind the awsome video
charles cameron Ya cant predict a 4 wheelers stupidity all the time.... he did what he could and avoided the issue
You can fix a rock chip or small crack by drilling a tiny hole in the center of the chip with a tiny Dremel bit, using oil for lubricant so the bit doesn’t overheat the glass, and the fill it with an epoxy resin in a syringe. If it’s a crack, you want to drill at each end point of the crack. Even if you don’t fill it, drilling it will stop it from spreading.
If you had killed someone with this footage you’d be in jail right now. You’re nearly grossed out you were told to use the lower gear and failed at that and did the prosecution a favor and filmed the entire thing. That’s the reality of this. I’m a driver and I’m with you but faster than that shit goes totally wrong and then what....
Rookie Budget Fishing Speed limit is 65mph, this grade doesn’t have a weight restriction speed limit, I was running below the posted speed limit, I always run dash cameras, so in the event that a car changes lanes in front of me and stops, I’m protected, you did see the car do that, didn’t you? So should I always run 25 mph everywhere I go? Knight transportation truck was being the unsafe driver and a traffic hazard on the road, not I, I was obeying the posted speed limit, minimum interstate speed is 40 mph not 25, unless your somewhere like Moneagle where truck speed is 25, 35 or 45 mph depending on your gross weight.
Life is Good. Is the speed limit a mandate? Is it the law that you must do it?
Anita Martini not only society truckers hate truckers. I’m one of them I’ve been driving for 12 yers now and a fuel truck for the last 4 and the behavior and stupidity is absolutely no different. You’d think they have respect around a fuel truck loaded with 9000 gallons but they don’t.
what is the emergency stopping distance of an 80,000 pound truck going down a steep grade?
a shining example of how not to drive a truck!!!!!!!!!! you should not be in the drivers seat. you did everything wrong from the top of the gap. what would you have done if that was an accident that had stopped traffic. you would have kill many poor bastards. time for you to retire! but I'm sure your super trucker! after all its only 4 wheelers. playin with peoples lives....
You're not very intelligent. You see other dumb people saying "super trucker" and you join in. Stay in your Ford Pinto and stay off the highways.
lol 40 years in the truck, I shit more experience then you will ever know!
gonzosc1 lol ok Mr 40 years of experience
Nice Reaction to the possible collision, and thank you for turning that into a teachable moment. Good driving