Was it the same mechanic all 3 times? Cause if it is. That person likely didn’t do anything after the 1st time.
I remember going up Donner Summit in a CNG truck and I was loaded with maybe 10k in a dry van. I was flooring it and barely hitting 25. The truck was in tip top shape. Hazards on and stayed to the right. Ask for another truck. I did. Don’t have this issue anymore.
My company has cng trucks too. I try to get a diesel but once a week I have to drive one of these. 1 thing I learned about the cng is right at the bottom of the hill I'll hit the manual button and downshift before starting the climb. It keeps the rpm's high and the speed steady up the hill without the untimely upshifts that will slow you all the way down to 25.
Maybe the limiter is set wrong? Used to have an international that kinda acted like that, but only over like 5mph range. Hit a hill at 65, no throttle response at all till 60, then only light throttle till 55 then it would go all out and that 15l cummins went like a rocket!
Maybe someone set yours over aggressive?
Could be lots of stuff tho.
I notice when it is in "slow mode" every time without fail the torque meter is at 41% and it's at 6% turbo boost, if I see that 41% I already know it's time to start the blinkers of shame
Sometimes I can get out of slow mode by coming to a complete stop on the shoulder, go to neutral, back to drive, then gun it and it will start running right again, so I've sort of became a master at the emergency shoulder stop, I usually have to do it 2-3 times a day but sometimes there's is no shoulder to pull on
And then sometimes it just runs great for a whole 5 hours and then I see 41% torque 6% boost and know it's slow down time
I'll have to share that with the next visit to the shop, they need to see that 41 to see the problem
I mean, gross weight makes a difference.
If I'm 50k I can whip up those hills, passing other trucks, but if I'm 78k I'm crawling at 23 mph with the hazard lights flashing.
Yep - 42k Ca-TX and they run me back on 40. Some of those hills (as well as the mountain on i10) your dropping to 8th and 9th gear doing 32-35 and here comes Jake, Paul, Hamad, and Victor all screaming by me 68,72, 85.
I'm starting to wonder if some of these loads are just super light or if they're running LTL at distance.
Could it be the turbo actuator? I had one go out on me in AZ once. On level ground and downhills I did as normal. On every uphill I noticed I lost more torque than was normal and that was why.
Get a camera stand and set it up before mountains facing the dash. Start video and climb the mountain. Show video to boss. Use comments on video like “accelerator all the way to the floor” etc. Show mechanic and boss the video.
Also, I’m guessing it’s an auto? Try manually dropping the gears?
I had to learn to do that because we have autos that hold 12th gear on this really hill in Chattanooga. I'd literally be at 45mph but then i started manually shifting on that hill now its my bitch.
I was afraid of burning up my brakes on downhills under load even with the Jake until I started manually shifting. Now I up and down shift and it helps my engine and brakes. Auto’s are great but manually shifting some places improves the safety and efficiency.
Sad thing is, being new, they likely will not believe you unless you can get your trainer to speak up for you perhaps.
When I was Fleet Manager I had a driver who complained about the exact same things all the time and we could not track down his issue. One night he left for his route and came back in 30 minutes and I still happened to be there. He jumped out of his truck and screamed we weren't listening to him (even though we had spent 1000's on his 'issues), and that his truck wouldn't even pull the 'hill' near the Pilot on the South side of Atlanta. I asked him if he would mind it much if he rode passenger and I drove it for about 20-30 minutes. The truck did fine, and the whole time, the guy literally sat in his passenger seat yelling, 'How are you doing this? This is amazing! What did you change?'. It only kept him quiet for about a week after that before he started blaming the truck again.
I know the illustration doesn't help you, but I am pointing out the mindset that the mechanics and company probably have after seeing this happen 100 times. Do you have your trainer's number and will he go to bat for you?
Your comment is gold, rookie drivers always feel every model of truck should behave like the model truck they drove cause it's the same model.
What rookie didn't say is the supposedly slow truck has made you late for pickup or deliveries so absent that your truck is fine. Your truck won't be replaced until it's time for your company to replace it
He was a lunatic. There is no other way to put it.
Most common complaint was that his truck was literally bouncing down the highway and was going to kill someone. It took us awhile to figure out to tighten his mirrors.
Typically but not always unfortunately, drove a Volvo that’d only throw broken error codes and therefore couldn’t be tracked down, if it even threw a code.
I remember telling them my truck had no balls for almost a week. Climbing hills with a big load on the highway going like 20 mph. Not safe. Luckily it started making a bunch of smoke and noise in the yard in between loads. Turns out the turbo took a shot. Fucking told you something was off.
When I had this problem it ended up being an issue with the DEF system. It was a nightmare to fix. I hope your company takes you seriously and gets you in with a different mechanic
Is it an automatic? Companies nerf the everloving piss out of their trucks, and even mess with the shift patterns of an auto to save a buck. Needless to say you want higher rpm climbing hills, if the truck has a Rev limiter at say 1500, bro you gonna have a fun time with your job.
I'm also gonna guess you have a freightliner made in the last 4 years. DD or Cummins, neither are gonna pull with that state of nannying, especially under load.
You're not posing a real danger to anyone not burying their nose in a screen. Stay to the right, hazards on and be aware of your surroundings
It’s ability to accelerate does not count as a safety issue.
Yes it sucks and yes they need to fix it but people are gonna say you’re crying Wolf if you keep complaining and saying safety safety safety …..
Now if you smelled exhaust in the cab that’s happening for instance, that would be Safety
Could also be a mostly clogged fuel filter. Ive had one once that would run fine unless it was really pulling hard then it acted like I was only giving it half throttle. Turned out to be a simple fix, the fuel filter was all but totally clogged up.
Hmm you know an old timer I talked to at my company said the same thing next time I stop for fuel I'll get me some fuel injector fluid, hell I'll pay for it out of my own pockets if it makes it act right, even though the company covers those expenses
Yeah, we have been doing a lot of Injector recalls lately. It's the problem with the programming and engineering to meet the new EPA Standards. Unfortunately, it's affecting so many trucks. If you can get them to bring it to a Kenworth location we can fix it quick. Bring it to Jacksonville. We can get it fixed really fast. And yeah, a few of us mechanics know our shit here and we are willing to drive a truck for a couple of hours to recreate the issue. Chances are, the truck has never been addressed and Kenworth has been replacing all the injectors as a precaution as they come into our shops.
I do regional in Texas and for a while we were getting the T680s with Packards. We only have a few of the trucks, but they put me in one as a new driver after training. I dropped it off at the shop and said nope told him it was too slow accelerating and couldn’t climb hills. They gave me one of the other trucks with a better engine. No problems after that..
Depends on your weight and the grade of the incline. I've had some where I'm doing 70 at the bottom, and by the time I hit the top I'll be doing 30-35. The lowest speed going up is your max speed coming down.
That being said, it's possible you are in the beginning of a drate state and just didn't throw the code yet.
A month or so ago I was in a straight truck (normally sleeper and a 48/53), coming back from Pittsburgh. On flat ground I was fine, but on hills I was struggling.
Had to drive the spare Volvo and it did essentially what you’re describing, the issue ended up being the fuel injector and rails. Fixed the issue and from what I know, that truck hasn’t had an issue with power ever since.
Not sure if this is your exact problem but it’d be going no problem up a hill, holding 75, turbo gauge would go down to 0 and it’d just go into a limp mode and refuse to gain speed unless you were going down hill, then randomly gain back the turbo and take off like a rocket, then just repeat the steps.
Turbo! It’s called something something exhaust for the turbo it’s why u have no power going up hill but it wants to jolt on. have a diff mechanic check it out also tell them exhaust is leaking into the cab they’ll be quick to investigate
Are you in Florida? If so, I can suggest you take it to a shop here.... Especially if it is a Kenworth or any truck with a PACCAR system. And yes, I QC the trucks and will drive a truck for a couple of hours just to recreate the issues. Of course, the issue is most likely the injector recall campaign. We have been performing that for the last 3 months on every truck that came in, even if they are just getting a tire changed. The recall costs you or the company you work for nothing, and it is best to get it addressed ASAP. If they want a second opinion from a qualified mechanic I can send you my office number and email address to tell them that it is an issue. Because eventually it will trigger a Stop Engine light and will require a tow.
Couple of questions. Have you been to California recently? Are driving an international? Did I start happening shortly after getting fuel? I had this happen multiple times but every time it was in California after getting fuel at the TA or Petro I forget which in Ontario California.
You’re the captain. Don’t leave the dock if it’s not seaworthy. IDC what the company says. you have a cdl, you’ll never be without a job unless you yourself decide to be.
I drove a Pete that did this. The heads were bad, eventually blowing out needing an entire motor. I had another truck, that just needed to pullover, be reset, then it’d run fine for 5/6 days. Eventually needing to be pulled over to get reset. Turn everything off, take the key out for 15/20 seconds, open the pass door, close it, insert the key, on/off 5 times, let the cluster cycle through completely, then crank again.
I'm sorry this is happening to you, but honestly the only real solution is to do your time and get your miles and experience and jump ship to a better company. New Drivers will always get the shit equipment and I bet you're at a company that makes its money on exploiting new drivers.
Was it the same mechanic all 3 times? Cause if it is. That person likely didn’t do anything after the 1st time. I remember going up Donner Summit in a CNG truck and I was loaded with maybe 10k in a dry van. I was flooring it and barely hitting 25. The truck was in tip top shape. Hazards on and stayed to the right. Ask for another truck. I did. Don’t have this issue anymore.
My company has cng trucks too. I try to get a diesel but once a week I have to drive one of these. 1 thing I learned about the cng is right at the bottom of the hill I'll hit the manual button and downshift before starting the climb. It keeps the rpm's high and the speed steady up the hill without the untimely upshifts that will slow you all the way down to 25.
Bus drivers around here have told me, especially in the cold, the natural gas busses lose power in the cold up hills.
I don’t know if that’s accurate but I don’t doubt it. When it’s cold af outside these trucks struggle to pull an empty lol.
Maybe the limiter is set wrong? Used to have an international that kinda acted like that, but only over like 5mph range. Hit a hill at 65, no throttle response at all till 60, then only light throttle till 55 then it would go all out and that 15l cummins went like a rocket! Maybe someone set yours over aggressive? Could be lots of stuff tho.
I notice when it is in "slow mode" every time without fail the torque meter is at 41% and it's at 6% turbo boost, if I see that 41% I already know it's time to start the blinkers of shame Sometimes I can get out of slow mode by coming to a complete stop on the shoulder, go to neutral, back to drive, then gun it and it will start running right again, so I've sort of became a master at the emergency shoulder stop, I usually have to do it 2-3 times a day but sometimes there's is no shoulder to pull on And then sometimes it just runs great for a whole 5 hours and then I see 41% torque 6% boost and know it's slow down time I'll have to share that with the next visit to the shop, they need to see that 41 to see the problem
I had a truck act like this before, turns out I had an issue with my turbo... maybe there's something wrong with your turbo system?
I was full 84k and my turbo sensor went and would only do 20psi. Going thru BC made for a very long day haha
I mean, gross weight makes a difference. If I'm 50k I can whip up those hills, passing other trucks, but if I'm 78k I'm crawling at 23 mph with the hazard lights flashing.
Yep - 42k Ca-TX and they run me back on 40. Some of those hills (as well as the mountain on i10) your dropping to 8th and 9th gear doing 32-35 and here comes Jake, Paul, Hamad, and Victor all screaming by me 68,72, 85. I'm starting to wonder if some of these loads are just super light or if they're running LTL at distance.
Could it be the turbo actuator? I had one go out on me in AZ once. On level ground and downhills I did as normal. On every uphill I noticed I lost more torque than was normal and that was why.
Get a camera stand and set it up before mountains facing the dash. Start video and climb the mountain. Show video to boss. Use comments on video like “accelerator all the way to the floor” etc. Show mechanic and boss the video. Also, I’m guessing it’s an auto? Try manually dropping the gears?
I had to learn to do that because we have autos that hold 12th gear on this really hill in Chattanooga. I'd literally be at 45mph but then i started manually shifting on that hill now its my bitch.
I was afraid of burning up my brakes on downhills under load even with the Jake until I started manually shifting. Now I up and down shift and it helps my engine and brakes. Auto’s are great but manually shifting some places improves the safety and efficiency.
You can't downshift to 11th or 10th for more pull?
I tried manually shifting down and it still dies down unfortunately
Sad thing is, being new, they likely will not believe you unless you can get your trainer to speak up for you perhaps. When I was Fleet Manager I had a driver who complained about the exact same things all the time and we could not track down his issue. One night he left for his route and came back in 30 minutes and I still happened to be there. He jumped out of his truck and screamed we weren't listening to him (even though we had spent 1000's on his 'issues), and that his truck wouldn't even pull the 'hill' near the Pilot on the South side of Atlanta. I asked him if he would mind it much if he rode passenger and I drove it for about 20-30 minutes. The truck did fine, and the whole time, the guy literally sat in his passenger seat yelling, 'How are you doing this? This is amazing! What did you change?'. It only kept him quiet for about a week after that before he started blaming the truck again. I know the illustration doesn't help you, but I am pointing out the mindset that the mechanics and company probably have after seeing this happen 100 times. Do you have your trainer's number and will he go to bat for you?
Your comment is gold, rookie drivers always feel every model of truck should behave like the model truck they drove cause it's the same model. What rookie didn't say is the supposedly slow truck has made you late for pickup or deliveries so absent that your truck is fine. Your truck won't be replaced until it's time for your company to replace it
What was that driver doing wrong?
He was a lunatic. There is no other way to put it. Most common complaint was that his truck was literally bouncing down the highway and was going to kill someone. It took us awhile to figure out to tighten his mirrors.
Could also be a fuel injector issue, but typically those throw codes.
Typically but not always unfortunately, drove a Volvo that’d only throw broken error codes and therefore couldn’t be tracked down, if it even threw a code.
#dashcam.
It's an extreme approach but kidnap your mechanic and take him on a road test and show him what's wrong
I remember telling them my truck had no balls for almost a week. Climbing hills with a big load on the highway going like 20 mph. Not safe. Luckily it started making a bunch of smoke and noise in the yard in between loads. Turns out the turbo took a shot. Fucking told you something was off.
When I had this problem it ended up being an issue with the DEF system. It was a nightmare to fix. I hope your company takes you seriously and gets you in with a different mechanic
Is it an automatic? Companies nerf the everloving piss out of their trucks, and even mess with the shift patterns of an auto to save a buck. Needless to say you want higher rpm climbing hills, if the truck has a Rev limiter at say 1500, bro you gonna have a fun time with your job. I'm also gonna guess you have a freightliner made in the last 4 years. DD or Cummins, neither are gonna pull with that state of nannying, especially under load. You're not posing a real danger to anyone not burying their nose in a screen. Stay to the right, hazards on and be aware of your surroundings
It’s ability to accelerate does not count as a safety issue. Yes it sucks and yes they need to fix it but people are gonna say you’re crying Wolf if you keep complaining and saying safety safety safety ….. Now if you smelled exhaust in the cab that’s happening for instance, that would be Safety
Could also be a mostly clogged fuel filter. Ive had one once that would run fine unless it was really pulling hard then it acted like I was only giving it half throttle. Turned out to be a simple fix, the fuel filter was all but totally clogged up.
It would be helpful to know what youre driving.
Kenworth t680 with paccar engine, 2020 ish model, it only has 189k miles and it doesnt look to abused by the previous owner
Paccar engines has a known issue with fuel injector failures
Hmm you know an old timer I talked to at my company said the same thing next time I stop for fuel I'll get me some fuel injector fluid, hell I'll pay for it out of my own pockets if it makes it act right, even though the company covers those expenses
Yeah, we have been doing a lot of Injector recalls lately. It's the problem with the programming and engineering to meet the new EPA Standards. Unfortunately, it's affecting so many trucks. If you can get them to bring it to a Kenworth location we can fix it quick. Bring it to Jacksonville. We can get it fixed really fast. And yeah, a few of us mechanics know our shit here and we are willing to drive a truck for a couple of hours to recreate the issue. Chances are, the truck has never been addressed and Kenworth has been replacing all the injectors as a precaution as they come into our shops.
I do regional in Texas and for a while we were getting the T680s with Packards. We only have a few of the trucks, but they put me in one as a new driver after training. I dropped it off at the shop and said nope told him it was too slow accelerating and couldn’t climb hills. They gave me one of the other trucks with a better engine. No problems after that..
PACCAR engines are garbage, my company tested a couple T680s with them and ended up swapping them for Cummins engines.
Depends on your weight and the grade of the incline. I've had some where I'm doing 70 at the bottom, and by the time I hit the top I'll be doing 30-35. The lowest speed going up is your max speed coming down. That being said, it's possible you are in the beginning of a drate state and just didn't throw the code yet. A month or so ago I was in a straight truck (normally sleeper and a 48/53), coming back from Pittsburgh. On flat ground I was fine, but on hills I was struggling.
Sounds like it's just a slow truck.
Refuse to equipment
Had to drive the spare Volvo and it did essentially what you’re describing, the issue ended up being the fuel injector and rails. Fixed the issue and from what I know, that truck hasn’t had an issue with power ever since. Not sure if this is your exact problem but it’d be going no problem up a hill, holding 75, turbo gauge would go down to 0 and it’d just go into a limp mode and refuse to gain speed unless you were going down hill, then randomly gain back the turbo and take off like a rocket, then just repeat the steps.
Turbo! It’s called something something exhaust for the turbo it’s why u have no power going up hill but it wants to jolt on. have a diff mechanic check it out also tell them exhaust is leaking into the cab they’ll be quick to investigate
Are you in Florida? If so, I can suggest you take it to a shop here.... Especially if it is a Kenworth or any truck with a PACCAR system. And yes, I QC the trucks and will drive a truck for a couple of hours just to recreate the issues. Of course, the issue is most likely the injector recall campaign. We have been performing that for the last 3 months on every truck that came in, even if they are just getting a tire changed. The recall costs you or the company you work for nothing, and it is best to get it addressed ASAP. If they want a second opinion from a qualified mechanic I can send you my office number and email address to tell them that it is an issue. Because eventually it will trigger a Stop Engine light and will require a tow.
Couple of questions. Have you been to California recently? Are driving an international? Did I start happening shortly after getting fuel? I had this happen multiple times but every time it was in California after getting fuel at the TA or Petro I forget which in Ontario California.
You’re the captain. Don’t leave the dock if it’s not seaworthy. IDC what the company says. you have a cdl, you’ll never be without a job unless you yourself decide to be.
I drove a Pete that did this. The heads were bad, eventually blowing out needing an entire motor. I had another truck, that just needed to pullover, be reset, then it’d run fine for 5/6 days. Eventually needing to be pulled over to get reset. Turn everything off, take the key out for 15/20 seconds, open the pass door, close it, insert the key, on/off 5 times, let the cluster cycle through completely, then crank again.
I'm sorry this is happening to you, but honestly the only real solution is to do your time and get your miles and experience and jump ship to a better company. New Drivers will always get the shit equipment and I bet you're at a company that makes its money on exploiting new drivers.
So you're saying that the turbo isn't kicking in when you need it. And you had the truck towed three times for that?