Highways Have Lanes For Speeding Semi Trucks With No Brakes.

For those who have ever traveled down the highway and heard the loud chugging of an 18 wheeler, there’s a good chance that it the sound was produced while the truck was aiming to slow down. Exhaust braking just one of the mechanisms that big trucks put in play in order to try and slow down without using their actual brakes. Engine compression can help slow the vehicle by using its own momentum without heating up too many components underneath the truck. Why in the world would any driver want to do this, though?

As it turns out, constant abuse of the braking system of a tractor-trailer can end up getting a little bit hazardous. This is especially true for truckers who face rather steep downward inclines. Now, for those who have traveled through a good deal of the country or live in hill infested areas, this certainly isn’t any news. However, for folks who live in relatively flat land, there’s a good chance that they have absolutely no idea that there are special roads for big rigs, put in place just so they don’t speed out of control when their brakes get too hot and end up failing.

How does it work? Essentially, a sort of massive sand trap that could be built out of something like gravel might be seen sloping upward next to a section of highway. The idea here is to provide a safe haven for these big rig drivers should they find that their brakes have failed them and they’re quickly hurling tens of thousands of pounds out of control as the truck keeps on gaining momentum. Do these runaway ramps work effectively? Well, by following along with the video below, we see one of the ramps in action, showing how it slows down a semi truck with no brakes.

https://www.facebook.com/CaltransHQ/videos/1437426332937691/