What Should I Do If The Brakes On My Stick Shift Truck Give Out And I’m Rolling Down A Hill?
My job requires I drive a stick shift truck up and down a long mountain pass. Suppose I’m driving downhill and my brakes give out, what should I do? Jump out of the vehicle? Turn off the ignition?… What’s the right thing to do that is the safest?
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
Tags: Brakes, Down, Give, Hill, Rolling, Shift, Should, Stick, Truck, What
Trucking Jobs | cdlbjobs March 1, 2010
14 Comments to “What Should I Do If The Brakes On My Stick Shift Truck Give Out And I’m Rolling Down A Hill?”
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
By Dan, March 1, 2010 @ 10:06 am
Down shift immediately into the next lower gear. As soon as you can down shift again. Use the parking break to slow you as soon as you are slow enough. Pick out some place to pull off.
If this is a pickup truck, you can come to a complete stop doing this. If you have power steering do not turn off the engine.
Regards,
Dan
By StanS, March 1, 2010 @ 3:14 pm
Put on the emergence brake.
If you don’t have power steering turn off the engine.
If you have power steering do NOT turn off the engine. If you’re not going too fast down shift quickly. If you’re going faster than you think you can handle, look for an ‘out’, somewhere you can point it or even hit (side of the hill) without hurting someone.
If this is an bigger truck that does not have a fully syncromeshed transmission, only downshift if you KNOW you can. If you push in the clutch when going downhill the transmission may get moving too fast for it to go into the next lowest gear, or back into any gear. This is what a ‘runaway’ is.
Lookie here: http://www.e-z.net/~ts/ts/downhill.htm
By Old Man Dirt, March 1, 2010 @ 5:23 pm
Turning off the ignition will work. Had to do it. I left it in gear and this kept the engine turning so that I had power-steering.
On a diesel you have to kill the fuel pump or at least kill fuel to the engine.
The hand brake may help, but on a big truck very little.
When going down a grade, keep an eye on your vacuum. Brake only to a set point of vacuum then let it build back up, working down the gears.
Look for something to sideswipe, like a guard rail a rock out cropping.
Pick the least objectionable thing to hit.
Jumping is almost certain death, so ride it out.
If you are worried about the brakes, pull over at the top, check your brakes, and then proceed down the grade in a low gear. An ounce of prevention so to speak.
I don’t know about you, but I would rather be insulted while alive then praised when dead!
By StephenW, March 1, 2010 @ 5:44 pm
Release the accelerator and shift to first gear so that the engine “brakes” the vehicle. Use the parking/emergency brake but keep the release button down so that you can quickly relax it if the wheels lock.
If you must jump out, first steer off the road so that it does not hit other vehicles.
By bungee, March 1, 2010 @ 6:28 pm
it really depends on if the hill is straight or curvey, where you are on the hill. if you have a sudden total brake failure near the top of a long steep hill , your best bet would be to put the truck into the bank as soon as possible. if you have air brakes they would come on when you lose air pressure.
By Alex, March 1, 2010 @ 9:41 pm
remember to go down the hill in the same gear as you went up the hill in or maybe one gear higher and you will still have control over you truck if your brakes go out witch I’ve been a truck driver 10yrs and never lost my brakes totally maybe trailer or tractor but not both good luck
By Eric H, March 1, 2010 @ 10:31 pm
Downshift the truck and let the motor drag slow the vehicle down. Then downshift another gear and so on until you’re in 1st gear. THEN apply the parking brake to bring the truck to a stop.
Do NOT turn the motor off – you need it to power power brakes and steering.
By alex m, March 1, 2010 @ 10:53 pm
dont pull the e-brake right away because the truck couild fishtaiI. first downshift to you get to a lower speed and then pull the e-brake
and if that doesnt work jump out and hope that you dont get ran over by your own truck.
By UCANTCME, March 1, 2010 @ 11:21 pm
You would use your handbrake to slow down the vehicle and you would use it just like the brakes but dont just smash it down to the floor.
By Anonymous, March 2, 2010 @ 4:05 am
if your brakes go out usally your emergency brake wont work etheir turning the ignition wont do any thing just gear down and hope it stops you
By taytay, March 2, 2010 @ 10:26 am
pull tha emergancy break
By futuremi, March 2, 2010 @ 4:17 pm
use the emergency brake
By Anonymous, March 2, 2010 @ 9:05 pm
Hand break….
Jump out and dont be a wimp