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Land_Yachters's avatar
Land_Yachters
Explorer
Oct 13, 2019

First Diesel Pusher Drive

OK, I consider myself a good and experienced driver. Being a salesman and driving 35-40K miles a year (only in a car), but having driven Class b and some good sized trucks, (box trucks and 10 wheel dumps over the years), I knew driving a DP would be "weird" but doable. I drove a Tiffin 33aa and WOW it was very difficult. I understand the physics of front/rear wheel tracking etc. but it was much tougher than I thought it would be. Stopping a 34,000 lb vehicle even with air brakes was not easy even allowing a lot or room.

I see myself spending many hours in parking lots, but can you folks tell me best way to get acclimated?

Appreciate it. And yes, I bought the coach. 2018 Tiffen 33aa.
  • noteven's avatar
    noteven
    Explorer III
    Oct 14, 2019
    Taking an air brake course, even if not “required” in your license jurisdiction, is a great way to learn how your brakes work. Perhaps you could find one more directed to buses and coaches vs heavy trucks pulling trailers.

    You must allow for system “take up” time (approx 5/8 second) when braking / following too close...
  • janstey58's avatar
    janstey58
    Explorer
    Oct 14, 2019
    I too had trouble acclimating to the air brakes on my DP when I jumped into it. It just took some time, and it gets better with experience. For the short term just give yourself more room to brake.
  • Horsedoc's avatar
    Horsedoc
    Explorer II
    Oct 14, 2019
    Wow! I went from a diesel to gasser and liked the air brakes much better. Don't be afraid to get on them if you get caught by a stale green light and it changes before you anticipated. Our diesel was 40 feet with ceramic tile floors towing a 4 dr Jeep. Don't know the weight, but the air brakes would stop in quickly.
    This much lighter gasser will stop, but I am not nearly as confident as I was with the diesel
  • jplante4's avatar
    jplante4
    Explorer II
    Oct 14, 2019
    One adjustment I had to make was to anticipate light changes a little better. Most of my panic stops involved red lights. Now when I see a green light, I assume it will be red when I get there and adjust my speed accordingly. Believe me, it is an adjustment. I'm one of those drivers that got annoyed when people slowed down for a light, yelling "Green means go!!!".

    Some lights have a pedestrian walk lights that start flashing 5-10 seconds before the light changes. It's a good indicator to look for.
  • craig7h's avatar
    craig7h
    Nomad II
    Oct 14, 2019
    To me the hardest part to get used to was the air brakes. To me they work so much different that the conventional brakes. I have always left a lot of room to brake but it seems with air brakes you need just a little bit more. You need to plan ahead more also, for braking and turning. Like you said its parking lot time, work on those right hand 90 turns. I have found that my 38' DP turns better than my old 30' gas.
  • DrewE's avatar
    DrewE
    Explorer II
    Oct 14, 2019
    Land Yachters wrote:
    Actually the idea of a Class A or B license in PA was news to me, but as it turns out, there is a very clear exception for RVs where it is used exclusively for personal use. I may take the test just to make myself a better driver though.


    The requirements for a commercial driver's license (of any class) do not include RVs. In Pennsylvania, however, a non-commercial class B license is required for a motorhome over 26,000 pounds. See this page from PennDOT:

    "CLASS B (minimum age 18): Required to operate any single vehicle rated in excess of 26,000 pounds. Example: Motor homes rated at 26,001 pounds or more."
  • Land_Yachters's avatar
    Land_Yachters
    Explorer
    Oct 13, 2019
    Actually the idea of a Class A or B license in PA was news to me, but as it turns out, there is a very clear exception for RVs where it is used exclusively for personal use. I may take the test just to make myself a better driver though.
  • Second_Chance's avatar
    Second_Chance
    Explorer II
    Oct 13, 2019
    Land Yachters wrote:
    ... Stopping a 34,000 lb vehicle even with air brakes was not easy even allowing a lot or room.


    You are aware that PA requires a class A or B non-commercial license for anything over 26,000 lbs., right?

    Rob
  • DrewE's avatar
    DrewE
    Explorer II
    Oct 13, 2019
    Practice is the best way I know of.

    Needless to say, it's essential to give yourself more room to accelerate, to turn, and to slow down. A DP simply will not stop as quickly as a car, no matter what you do; that's just plain physics.

    One thing that may be helpful, particularly if you're having trouble with keeping lane position, is to look further down the road. There's a tendency to want to look more or less immediately in front of you, and that that often leads to overcorrections. Keeping the point farther down the lane helps to even that out; likewise, making smaller corrections and waiting a bit longer for them to take effect helps.

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