Defensive Driving · Driver Training VideoMountain Driving & Long Grades
Heat breaks trucks on a mountain grade, not the grade itself, and a six-mile descent can fade the drums until the pedal stops nothing. Drivers learn to do the work at the top: check weight, read the sign, slow down, and gear down.
Branded with your logo & company nameWhat drivers learn
A mountain grade does not break trucks. Heat breaks trucks, and the driver decides how much heat there is.
Your service brakes are heat machines. They turn motion into heat, and they only work as long as they can shed that heat faster than you make it. Ride them down a six mile grade and the drums get so hot the friction fades away. That is brake fade. The pedal is still there.
So the real work is done at the top.
At the top of the grade you still have every option. Halfway down you have almost none, because you cannot get speed back once gravity has it. Stop at the brake check area. Know your gross weight, because a loaded rig and an empty one are not driving the same hill.
Then get into the right gear before you start down. The old rule was the same gear you would climb it in. With today's power, go one gear lower. Once you are rolling and over revving, you may not get it back into a gear at all, and now you are coasting a mountain in neutral.
Let the truck hold the truck. Engine brake or retarder on its highest setting, in a gear low enough to let it work. On snow or ice, back it off. A retarder can break the drive wheels loose and start a jackknife.
Use the service brakes in snubs, not in a drag. Firm enough to pull you about five miles an hour below your safe speed, then off, and let them cool. Come back up, snub again. Light steady pressure feels careful and it cooks the drums.
Never use the trailer hand valve to hold you back on a grade. It puts all the braking on the trailer, and that is how trailer swing starts.
Sample quiz questions
3 of the 10 questions drivers answer after the video. Quizzes run in the driver's own language.
- The steepness of the grade itself
- Heat, which the driver controls how much of there is
- The weight of the trailer alone
- The number of curves in the road
Show answer
Heat, which the driver controls how much of there is
- A warning light that comes on automatically before a descent
- The pedal disappearing completely and going to the floor
- Friction fading away after the drums get too hot, so the pedal no longer stops you
- A mechanical failure that only happens on icy roads
Show answer
Friction fading away after the drums get too hot, so the pedal no longer stops you
- Halfway down the grade
- At the top of the grade, before you start down
- At the escape ramp
- In the sleeper berth before the trip
Show answer
At the top of the grade, before you start down
How fleets use this training
Pick Mountain Driving & Long Grades and send each driver a personal link by email, or copy the link and text it yourself.
Drivers watch on their phone and answer the quiz in their own language. No app, no login.
They sign on screen and get a certificate with your logo. Every completion is saved for DOT and insurance.
Train your drivers on Mountain Driving & Long Grades
Included in the Full Library plan ($129.99/mo, unlimited drivers). Unlimited drivers, cancel anytime. Prefer to own it? Order it branded for $4.99, one time.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Mountain Driving & Long Grades training video?
About 3 min. Drivers watch it on their phone from a personal link, then take a 10-question quiz.
Is there a quiz and a completion certificate?
Yes. Every driver takes a 10-question quiz in their own language, signs on screen, and gets a completion certificate with your company name and logo. Records are saved for DOT audits and insurance.
Which languages is it available in?
Ready today in English. You can also order it branded in any other language for $2.99 per extra language.
How much does it cost?
Included in the Full Library plan ($129.99/mo, unlimited drivers). You can also order this video branded with your logo and company name in the voiceover for a one-time $4.99, yours to keep.