What kind of road conditions are the old truck drivers most afraid of? Long downhills are definitely one of them. Because long downhill road conditions are often the high-incidence section of truck accidents, in order to control the speed of the vehicle, the time and frequency of using the brakes will increase, which also leads to a series of fatal problems. How to ensure driving safety?
▎Check the vehicle regularly before going downhill
If the vehicle runs for a long time, it is inevitable that there will be a "bad state". Therefore, it is necessary to regularly check the vehicle in daily operation, especially the configuration related to safety, such as whether the brake clearance is normal; whether the brake pads are excessively worn; whether the gas meter is leaking air; whether the brake drum is cracked; whether the return spring of the brake is working properly; whether the drying tank is normal, etc., if there is a problem, repair or replace it in time.
In the current transportation market, people who go to the southern mountainous area will require the installation of a water spray device. Although it is suspected of illegal modification, considering the safety of transportation, many long downhill sections will be reminded to fill up the water tank and check the water spray device to avoid high temperature braking. failure, etc.
As the saying goes, drive carefully for thousands of years. When driving on a long downhill section, do not take it lightly. Even if it is a road you are very familiar with, you must do a good job of inspection before driving to ensure that all parts are in normal working condition.
▎Decelerate in advance on downhill, do not slide in neutral gear
Learning defensive driving is an essential lesson in driving. When facing a long downhill road, whether or not there is auxiliary braking equipment, you should make a plan in advance, be cautious at all times, and always pay attention to the warning signs on the roadside and avoidance. The location of the dangerous lane, etc., among which the warning signs on the roadside may explain the road conditions ahead, such as "downhill xx kilometers ahead" and so on.
Before going down a long slope, you should downshift and decelerate in advance, because the traction resistance of the engine can be used to suppress the speed of the vehicle when driving in a low gear, and the frequency of using the brakes can be reduced at low speeds, reducing the risk of brake thermal decay Gears can also avoid unexpected problems, the speed is too fast to successfully "grab", resulting in an accident.
At the same time, do not coast in neutral gear. Many card users think that "gliding in neutral gear will be more fuel-efficient". In fact, this is a misunderstanding. Skiing in neutral gear will not save fuel. On the contrary, it will bring more hidden dangers to safety. The pump air volume is relatively small, and frequent braking is required on long downhills, and more air volume will be used. Long-distance neutral sliding will lead to insufficient air in the air tank, and there will be a risk of brake failure.
▎Add auxiliary brake, buy a car with optional fluid retarder
With the development of commercial vehicle technology, many heavy trucks are equipped with auxiliary braking functions such as hydraulic retarder, engine braking, and scheduling braking. Driving on slippery roads; the effect of the hydraulic retarder will be more obvious when driving at high speed.
If you often run on mountain roads, it is recommended to install the engine brake + pressure retarder, so that you can take into account the braking safety requirements when driving at high and low speeds. If the vehicle is equipped with a hydraulic retarder, it can also use its different brake gears to decelerate and brake in daily driving, which can also reduce the frequency of stepping on the brakes and improve the service life of the brake pads.
You must also have skills when braking. You can't always step on the brakes. You need to step on the brakes according to the speed of the vehicle. If the vehicle speed is fast, you can decelerate by downshifting the engine and assisting the brakes. , Intermittently step on the brakes, try to reduce the frequency of stepping on the brakes, do not step on continuously, so as to avoid the temperature of the brake drum being too high.
