General Knowledge · Mountain Driving
Under federal regulation, which three practices must a commercial driver have knowledge of for driving upgrade and downgrade on mountain roads?
Explanation
Federal regulation names three specific mountain-driving knowledge areas: selecting a safe speed, selecting the right gear, and proper braking techniques, under 49 CFR 383.111(a)(19). These three cover the descent from start to finish, choosing a speed you can control before you start down, choosing a gear that helps control that speed, and braking in a way that does not overheat the brakes along the way. The wrong options each invent an unsafe or backwards practice, riding the parking brake continuously, coasting in neutral, or downshifting only after the vehicle is already moving too fast, none of which appears in the regulation or reflects sound technique, and one option describes ordinary highway driving rather than the grade-specific practices this paragraph actually names.
Source: 49 CFR 383.111(a)(19)
Related Mountain Driving questions
- What is the correct way to choose a safe speed before starting down a long, steep downgrade?
- When should a driver select the gear for descending a steep grade, and which gear is generally correct?
- Why can continuous, heavy use of the service brakes on a long downgrade cause the brakes to lose stopping power?
- What braking technique helps prevent brake fade while descending a long grade?