Carnage avoidance as truck driver praised for driving skills

[Crossy]

Jake brakes, exhaust brakes, electric retarders are unknown here because they cost money (often quite a lot of money).

 

Simple low-gear engine braking is also unheard of, it does not cost anything other than training.

 

Sadly changing the habit of a lifetime (riding the brakes down hill) is incredibly difficult (in the West as well as in Thailand).

 

That said, let's train new drivers in how to descend hills safely, eventually all drivers will know how.

 

I know, I'm still dreaming 

 

[a977]

4 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Jake brakes, exhaust brakes, electric retarders are unknown here because they cost money (often quite a lot of money).

 

Simple low-gear engine braking is also unheard of, it does not cost anything other than training.

 

Sadly changing the habit of a lifetime (riding the brakes down hill) is incredibly difficult (in the West as well as in Thailand).

 

That said, let's train new drivers in how to descend hills safely, eventually all drivers will know how.

 

I know, I'm still dreaming 

 

Most European truck makers supply retarder brakes as standard equipment, it's just Thais don't know what to do with extra lever, they already having trouble with indicator lever. too many levers how can I read facebook?????????

[Thongkorn]

42 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Jake brakes, exhaust brakes, electric retarders are unknown here because they cost money (often quite a lot of money).

 

Simple low-gear engine braking is also unheard of, it does not cost anything other than training.

 

Sadly changing the habit of a lifetime (riding the brakes down hill) is incredibly difficult (in the West as well as in Thailand).

 

That said, let's train new drivers in how to descend hills safely, eventually all drivers will know how.

 

I know, I'm still dreaming 

 

Speed retarder are fitted standard on 99% of trucks no extra cost . Just no training how to use them.

[Crossy]

8 minutes ago, Thongkorn said:

Speed retarder are fitted standard on 99% of trucks no extra cost . Just no training how to use them.

If this is actually the case for locally manufactured vehicles, there's even less of an excuse.

 

Unfortunately I don't read Thai too well and the page won't translate with Google.

http://www.hinothailand.com/page_hino_car.php?cid=365&a=6&lang=eng

Any mention of retarders and the like (I do see ABS) ?

 

EDIT This page suggests it's true and I stand corrected. http://www.hinothailand.com/page_hino_car.php?cid=363&a=4

How many drivers know what the "RET" switch does I wonder?

[pieeyed]

Brake failure my ass. He was driving to fast and when confronted with the road going to one lane due to road construction he could not slow down fast enough so he headed for the barrier.

[kannot]

19 minutes ago, Thongkorn said:

Speed retarder are fitted standard on 99% of trucks no extra cost . Just no training how to use them.

cant help the" Driver retarder" though

[fakename]

That guy was sure a hero! Wow, it doesnt take much to be a hero on the roads here!

[Somchai Logic]

14 hours ago, kannot said:

Can u imagine this in Thailand

1 the kid would be dead

2 he would probably have hit the filming driver also

3 every car behind would have been wrecked also

Yet here no cars wrecked and the brakes on that truck were incredible.

 

Every part of this video (except the kids) shows some kind of intelligent reaction. Something you will NEVER see here 

[kannot]

Ive found the lever  which all Thai lorry drivers need  fitted and should use regularly..suggest every 3 minutes

[kwonitoy]

I once rode in a pipe truck north hauling 42" sections of pipe north of Kanchanaburi ONE time (due to my pickup breaking down)

The driver treated the brake pedal just like you hear them using the accelerator.

Full on throttle....coast....full on throttle....coast

Comes to a long downhill section

full on brake....coast....too fast....full on brake.... coast... no motor engagement at all

By the time we got to yard I was soaked  in sweat and my hands hurt from grabbing the dash and door, walking back by trailer I could feel the heat from the tractor duals and trailer duals like a bonfire.

The amount of trucks lost on the mountain road going up to Ban E Tong on the Burma border was unbelievable, 

 

[Crossy]

11 minutes ago, Somchai Logic said:

Every part of this video (except the kids) shows some kind of intelligent reaction. Something you will NEVER see here 

Indeed, and the truck driver was likely off the gas (and possibly covering the brake) having seen the bus dropping off kids, he reacted amazingly quickly.

 

Also note the car in front of the truck had moved as far to his right as he could.

 

"Anticipation" sadly not a word in many Thai driver's dictionaries

[meatboy]

can you imagine one of these so called truck drivers behind the wheel of the NEW EXPRESS TRAIN.

[Media1]

22 hours ago, Maverell said:

Why is it so many vehicle in Thailand have 'brake difficulties or failure' ? 55555555

lack of service or poor driving. Pick one

[Thongkorn]

9 hours ago, kwonitoy said:

I once rode in a pipe truck north hauling 42" sections of pipe north of Kanchanaburi ONE time (due to my pickup breaking down)

The driver treated the brake pedal just like you hear them using the accelerator.

Full on throttle....coast....full on throttle....coast

Comes to a long downhill section

full on brake....coast....too fast....full on brake.... coast... no motor engagement at all

By the time we got to yard I was soaked  in sweat and my hands hurt from grabbing the dash and door, walking back by trailer I could feel the heat from the tractor duals and trailer duals like a bonfire.

The amount of trucks lost on the mountain road going up to Ban E Tong on the Burma border was unbelievable, 

 

Did you get your Licence in Thailand you never coast any vehicle because you are not in control of the vehicle.

[Basil B]

On 12/04/2018 at 5:13 AM, Sir Dude said:

Good driving skills...pfft! Blind luck that it didn't end in a horror show more like.

Good driving skills would be to check the breaks before setting out... and see his truck got regular maintenance from qualified truck engineers.

[kwonitoy]

1 hour ago, Thongkorn said:

Did you get your Licence in Thailand you never coast any vehicle because you are not in control of the vehicle.

I was the passenger

[Dingle 60]

Thais have no idea what low gears  i.e. 1 and 2 on automatics are for, just like they have no idea what mirrors and indicators are for

[nong38]

Are brake failure and brain failure connected in some mysterious way both seem to be part of the Thai psyche.

[assayer]

On 4/12/2018 at 11:48 AM, ratcatcher said:

I wonder if tractor units are fitted with  engines using Jake brake systems in Thailand.

I agree with your comment, I have never heard the familiar sound of a Jake brake in use on any downhill sections of Thai highways.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkfjCJClWVA

 

I think I remember reading that engine brakes are not allowed in Thailand

 

[Crossy]

9 hours ago, assayer said:

I think I remember reading that engine brakes are not allowed in Thailand

Possibly "Jake" brakes are not, they can be hideously noisy on a badly designed (read every Thai truck) exhaust system, but my earlier link to the Hino website suggests there is some sort of engine retarder fitted to their big (that's a UK big) tractor units.

 

This could be a simple exhaust brake (a butterfly in the exhaust system, still rather noisy) or a hydraulic or electric retarder, both are silent in operation but costly.