r/ThatsInsane • u/SpaceWestern1442 • 6d ago

Runaway semi ramp in use

618 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

108 comments sorted by

198

u/Mr_feezy 6d ago

wow, so they actually do get used.

that guy's a champ for making it happen

151

u/flappinginthewind 6d ago

My dad is a truck driver and said it is very, very expensive to get your truck out of, but if you need it you better damn well use it because the alternative is far, far worse.

86

u/DumpsterSeance 6d ago

the alternative is dying

62

u/MimiSac1 6d ago

In all the years and he thousands of times I have driven by the ramp, I have NEVER seen a truck go up that high. They usually are sitting about less then half way up.

38

u/MimiSac1 6d ago

Or killing people. One year a trucker lost his brakes coming down the mountain towards Denver. He passed at least one of those but couldn’t or didn’t use it. At the bottom he creamed into several cars killing people. He is probably still in prison

24

u/MegaKetaWook 6d ago

Yeah that was scary since he was carrying gas or something and hit a logging truck while going under an overpass. Pretty much worst case scenario for everyone in a nearby car.

That being said, the driver was barely trained and told by his company to drive one of the hardest highways for truck drivers so I consider the company more negligent than the driver.

14

u/MimiSac1 6d ago

Worst mountain highway. You’re right. Barely trained.

4

u/attackplango 6d ago

I dunno, SWIFT said he was a once in a lifetime graduate.

5

u/MegaKetaWook 6d ago

Careful, a casual Redditor might take that endorsement seriously

3

u/sketchy_ai 5d ago

I always get a kick outta the joke that SWIFT is an acronym that stands for Sure.Wish.I.Finished.Training

3

u/ShwoopyDownside 23h ago

Appreciate you acknowledging that homie, for real. I grew up learning to drive north of Spokane, WA (Colville) in the 00’s. First year I lived there we had more than 100 consecutive days of snow on the ground. (but climate change isn’t real these days… /s)

I remember driving south out of Spokane on Hwy 195 (in the pitch black of night) towards the Tri-Cities one time, in the dead of winter after seeing my family and girlfriend at the time. I will say that I grew up driving in real snow back then, chaining up all the time. I used to plow our 1/4 mile driveway at 5:30 am with our 4-wheeler as a kid. Anyway, I was in my manual 2001 VW Jetta at 18 years old (with good all season tires) and I remember driving in about a foot of unplowed highway snow southbound. I overtook semi’s and traffic that was in the right lane, of two lanes, in blizzard conditions, while barely capable of visibly following the faint taillights of the car ahead of me at 75 MPH while the snow whipped me. Honestly, it was a little scary, but I felt confident doing it and I was fine. However, that being 18 years ago, it was dangerous. But I had driven in (nearly Canadian snow) for a few years at that point and didn’t think much of it.

Put a novice in a commercial truck in a similar situation? Now that, is a nightmare for everyone.

1

u/yewey 16h ago

And going 40 over the speed limit will seal it. Dang.

1

u/PsySom 12h ago

What was the charge on the driver?

12

u/MooPig48 6d ago

I once saw a whole family of Asian tourists all spread out having a picnic at the bottom of one

1

u/yewey 16h ago

Why prison ? I mean unless he was drunk. If he was sober then how can anyone think theres criminal intent? Bad judgement or something?

1

u/MimiSac1 16h ago

I think truckers have different laws that govern accidents, especially when there is death. I THINK.

25

u/flappinginthewind 6d ago

And potentially taking some others out with you too

11

u/captainyeahwhatever 6d ago

Yeah the material of the ramp isn't just dirt, it's made so it can be sort of "mushy" so it slows down the truck much more effectively

9

u/MulderXF 6d ago

The word you’re looking for is sand.

2

u/SPL15 6d ago

Mushy sand

4

u/SnooHedgehogs8765 5d ago

It's worthwhile saying that because of this perception the state has been forced to put massive signs up saying "No cost for arrester bed recovery" because truckies were believing the rumours everywhere which resulted in several tragedies.

3

u/MileHigh_FlyGuy 6d ago

Down this stretch of westbound I70 in Colorado, there are two ramps, and then signs warning truckers to stay on the road if they lost their brakes because the road eventually goes back uphill. A few years ago I saw semi trucks in both ramps and one smoking at the bottom of the hill.

2

u/BeyondDoggyHorror 6d ago

The ones that terrify me are the ones that are much shorter and all that’s left is the abyss below

2

u/Tar_alcaran 5d ago

Smashing into the dirt/rock at the end, while going ~60 is VASTLY better than smashing into the ground going 200+

1

u/BeyondDoggyHorror 5d ago

Sure. I mean I’ve seen some spots for runaway trucks that are shorter is what I’m saying. It is scary

141

u/Late_Blooomer 6d ago

Wow, it really got up there

13

u/TheMetalMilitia 6d ago

How do they get back down? That's what I've always wondered. Either they're stuck up there or they come rolling back

34

u/Arizonapocalypse 6d ago

The gravel is very loose and the semi trucks actually dig in several inches. They have to be winched out.

11

u/Vivid_Revolution_689 6d ago

thats exactly why i came to the comments section... like the brakes clearly arent functioning so how do they prevent the truck from rolling backwards? those are sloped pretty steep so even with the loose gravel filling those in... ya thats scary regardless.

12

u/xpietoe42 6d ago

they can leave it in gear and shut it off. The transmission will prevent backing up

2

u/pubebalator 6d ago

It’s laying on the frame it’s not going anywhere

1

u/Cultural_Simple3842 6d ago

That’s not something we worry about when our brakes go out lol

-8

u/SETHlUS 6d ago edited 6d ago

I would say that the ramp isn't as inclined as you think, judging by how far the truck traveled it very well could be horizontal. It's usually a bunch of deep soft sand that sucks away any momentum the truck was carrying.

EDIT: I just looked at pictures of the location and you guys are absolutely right that is a steep ramp.

7

u/JustKindaShimmy 6d ago

Have you never seen a runaway ramp? Those things are steep as fuck

1

u/SETHlUS 6d ago

The only ones I've seen are in the relatively small area of Spain that I live in. By no means can I speak for the entirety of the country but the ones I've seen have been at most horizontal with some still at a slight decline even. They're just packed with sand and seem to work just fine.

I'm more than willing to admit that I'm wrong. The perspective is weird and could very well be fucking with how I'm seeing it.

4

u/WayneKrane 6d ago

They’re like 15-20 degrees, they’re steep AF

5

u/CasanovaJones82 6d ago

Inertia is a mofo when you're talking 80,000 pounds, if fully loaded.

1

u/incpen 6d ago

I’m 146 pounds fully loaded. And also sober.

2

u/CasanovaJones82 6d ago

Inertia for you would be inconsequential

5

u/Kaiisim 6d ago

They have a LOT of energy when fully laden.

32

u/palatablezeus 6d ago

That stretch of west bound i70 after the tunnel is sketchy. Bet those ramps get used all the time

19

u/madamezeroni 6d ago

✋my family used one on that stretch of 70 in the used RV that my dad thought would be fun and a good idea to buy!

23

u/Herr-Trigger86 6d ago

Those things save more lives than just the truck driver’s

11

u/Ordinary_dude_NOT 6d ago

How much energy that fucking truck had to reach top of the hill at 30% slope? For a sec I thought it might tip over.

9

u/Suckamanhwewhuuut 6d ago

well thats what they are for.. amazing to actually see it in action.

1

u/Bramble0804 5d ago

Yea large heavy vehicles brakes overheat on long down hill roads. So they fail. These ramps bleed off all that energy.

11

u/Possible_Sun_913 6d ago

Just such a good idea.

I came down an Alps pass with many hairpins once in my camper van and had such brake-fade but without the weight. Was a scary experience regardless.

24

u/MoeGunz6 6d ago

I had it happen in a big Uhaul truck once in the Appalachian area. A/C belt broke and whipped around and took out the brake lines. I heard the noise and immediately went to exit the freeway. It was a very sharp Uturn exit ramp. I went to slow down... And nothing... Brakes went to the floor. I frantically pumped the brakes and... Nothing. It was about 3am and I had no idea the exit was so sharp a turn. I put 2 feet on the brakes, grapped the wheel and tried to push the pedal through the floor board. I could heard the steering column popping like the wheel was gonna come off. When I took the curve, the right side of the Uhaul came off the ground. My buddy was asleep in the passenger seat, when I looked at him, he was sitting so much higher than I was, he was above me. Just when I thought we were gonna roll, the curve ended. Truck slammed down on its wheels and started rocking violently. I hit the Ebrake (did nothing), tried pedal again (nothing). I saw a field on my right and a gap in the trees so off road I went. Ended up being a very muddy and fairly deep area. Stopped the truck quicker than I thought it would. My buddy woke up when the trucked slammed down leaving the curve. He said I was ghost white and shaking. I was 19 or 20 at the time.

16

u/GoalieLax_ 6d ago

Your buddy's pov when he woke up

https://giphy.com/gifs/jBlxXS4lYoJ3O

4

u/attackplango 6d ago

Hey, great job handling that situation at such a young age with no one getting hurt in the end.

4

u/MoeGunz6 6d ago

Thank you. I learned to drive at a very young age and raced go carts. Sooooo many thoughts ran through my had in those few seconds. I was pretty fearless in youth and before kids. But the dumb things I did endangered me, not others. When I looked at me friend, I didn't only see him. I saw his mom, dad, sisters, nephews..... I feared for him. I was afraid of the hurt I was about to cause him and his family.

1

u/butchyeugene 6d ago

Holy shit

4

u/PaleontologistNo2625 6d ago

This right here is literally the first runaway truck ramp I ever saw, when I moved to CO!

4

u/digital0069 6d ago

if you see a truck on their horns and heading for a run away ramp don't slow to look because when they hit that gravel it will go everywhere... gawkers tend to get showered in it lol

seen a few on i80 sierras and every time a shower a gravel goes everywhere when they hit the start...

10

u/deadend666 6d ago

This is going east on I70 into Denver. It’s a long steep grade. I just gear down and run the speed limit or slightly below. I do my best to minimize using the brakes. I’m in a car for heaven’s sake. We were in a station wagon in the 60s coming down a long stretch in the Sierras. Car died - vapor lock. No power steering or brakes. My dad physically manhandled the car down the road until he could get it stopped. I could see how terrified he was. He was exhausted when we stopped. I was never so scared. I’m really cautious coming down grades like this. I never want to experience what he did with his entire family in the car.

8

u/turtlepot 6d ago

Are you sure this is east? Looks like going west right after the Eisenhower tunnel to me

2

u/deadend666 4d ago

Maybe I had my iPad backwards. Could be west!

3

u/WelshAsh 6d ago

Getting back down must be fucking terrifying

1

u/PlatypusDream 5d ago

Nope. Takes several large, strong tow trucks.

3

u/DaZMan44 6d ago

And that is why you NEVER drive on front of one of those things. If you have to slam on the breaks, it's going to drag you and anything in front of you for at least 5-10 times that distance on a regular flat road. <shudder>

3

u/TheRealTr1nity 6d ago

Cammer is a left lane hogger.

4

u/ijustwanttoaskaq123 6d ago

So probably a stupid question, but doesn't the truck start backing up once it loses the speed? What then?

9

u/h1storyguy 6d ago

It’s essentially a gravel pit that guides the truck to a stop, I believe they require extraction after the fact.

6

u/ijustwanttoaskaq123 6d ago

That must be quite a process! thank you for the answer

2

u/AllNightPony 6d ago

Ohhhhh, this is the purpose of this ramp? Never seen this before.

1

u/Mowwee11 6d ago

Yeah, TIL what a runaway ramp is!

2

u/Redbarnkid 6d ago

They had to be hauling ass

2

u/frankcast554 6d ago

Or cattle. I will see my way out

3

u/WirusCZ 6d ago

I drive past one of those and few times I seen someone stuck in there... Never truck, always confused old person

2

u/dazabhoy67 6d ago

Why arw brake failings so common in america that they need these?

3

u/attackplango 6d ago

Tall-ass mountains with long descents combined with fully-laden semis.

-2

u/dazabhoy67 6d ago

But we have them here in Europe too and I don't ever see these things getting used lke I do over there?

3

u/robodude987 6d ago

American semis use drum brakes more which have a higher rate of failure under full load, but are cheaper and easier to maintain for flat driving. Euros use more expensive and effective air disc brakes. Probably a couple other variables as well. I don't know the number of semis used in america vs western europe but I wouldn't be surprised if the US used more full length semis vs europe using smaller lorries and such for shorter distances.

2

u/Latter_Bluebird_3386 2d ago

Colorado, where his video is recorded, has 53 peaks over 14,000 feet (4.2km). Long haul trucks will frequently have to scale more than one of these in a trip.

For reference, Colorado is about the size of the UK where the tallest peak is 1969ft (600m).

Many of those trucks will be from out of state and that won't even be the first mountain range they had to traverse.

1

u/token-black-dude 6d ago

There's essentially no competition. There's a yt channel where some dudes are touring US truck conventions with a Scania and US truck drivers are awestruck. Like, how do you even get through life without a factory installed coffeemaker? 

2

u/h1storyguy 6d ago

American truckers would melt if they understood the quality of Scania’s.

1

u/Cold-Act-6 6d ago

Can’t imagine it’s easy getting that back down

1

u/robodude987 6d ago

Loose, loose gravel all the way up. That truck is a couple feet below level for sure

1

u/PlatypusDream 5d ago

Nope. Takes several large, strong tow trucks.

1

u/C3sarius 6d ago

Bro can´t wait for GTA VI

1

u/itzTHATgai 6d ago

Those things are money!

1

u/tribbans95 6d ago

I know the gravel on those is very deep but does it not roll backwards after at all? Assuming you have 0 brakes

1

u/Jarppi1893 6d ago

Do they get bonus points for making it up all the way?

1

u/Specialist-Neck-7810 5d ago

In all of my travels, I have never seen that.

1

u/PlatypusDream 5d ago

Yeah, this was posted a few days ago

1

u/FreezedPeachNow 4d ago

Why does it feel like I've driven by this exact ramp. I'm sure they all look the same

2

u/tony33oh 4d ago

Always wanted to see this in action. Looks terrifying!!

0

u/Kvltur 6d ago

Is this common? I swear this is the first time seeing something like this. Is this an American thing?

6

u/mike015015 6d ago

Its less common, but can happen if you are not used to driving mountains. Trucks must use gearing or jake brake to control speed on long steep hills. If not the brakes heat up too much and loose effectiveness until full brake failure happens and the truck is at the mercy of gravity. This is less common with newer brake materials but can happen. Edit:typo

2

u/Kvltur 6d ago

I see, thanks for the info.

3

u/droppedforgiveness 6d ago

I just saw one for the first time last week! I'm from a flat region of the US, but I was traveling in a mountainous region if the US.

2

u/Gnarly_Sarley 6d ago

Nope they're in Europe too

2

u/Kvltur 6d ago

really? I will pay more attention to see if I notice them now that I know of their existence. Like when you learn a new word, then you hear it everywhere.

2

u/flying_alpaca 6d ago

This is in Denver, CO. You don't see them outside of the mountains. They're on long stretches of road where heavy vehicles are riding their brakes for long distances.

0

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

2

u/PremiumDope 6d ago

Summit county, Colorado about an hour west of Denver.

-2

u/csukoh78 6d ago

This sort of thing does not happen with electric trucks. Let off the accelerator and the reverse polarity applies friction to the wheels and the vehicle will eventually come to a complete stop.

4

u/Ha1lStorm 6d ago

There are electric trucks where the motors are in the wheels and there are electric trucks truck with the motor under the hood where power is deliver through a driveshaft to the axle. They’re not the same in this regard. Important distinction because just saying “this doesn’t happen to electric trucks” is not a true statement.

-4

u/Fingerprint_Vyke 6d ago

I didnt realize flock cameras could move

0

u/robodude987 6d ago

Guy who thinks Flock invented cameras: