You can see a runaway truck ramp on most steep mountainous roads. But have you ever seen one used?
It’s a pretty scary concept to think about. No one wants to be near a situation with a truck that cannot stop on its own. If a driver fails to gear down properly before a decent, brakes alone will not stop the semi truck.
Recently a truck in the mountains of Colorado had to use a runaway truck ramp.
I wanted to share the video because it is quite interesting. But also because I drive by this very ramp most weekends in the winter (on my way to snowboard). And I’ve never seen it used.
However, in the video, the tow truck drivers reported trucks using the ramps in Colorado up to once a week!
From thedrive.com
“Most truckers lean on engine braking when driving downhill for long distances in order to avoid burning out their brakes, but sometimes Murphy’s Law has its way, and the brakes fail. When that happens, the trucker’s best solution is to take the runaway truck ramp and swallow the tow bill for getting their truck out. Fortunately for the residents of Colorado, the trucker featured on this video did just that. The incident was recorded by Colorado resident Jesse Terrell, who quickly shared the footage to social media, where it has since gathered 2.3 million views and even the attention of local news affiliates.”
Founder and Executive Editor for Motor Speed News.
Current Garage:
2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon (302 whp)
2005 Toyota Tundra Limited
1986 Yamaha Virago XV1100
