The Brakes Went Out

It was a miracle no one was hurt

It was in the late 90’s when I was driving a semi-truck for a living.

I was traveling with a heavy load through the state of New York. It was winter. The roads were clear but there was white on the ground everywhere.

The road I was cruising on looked like an interstate with four lanes. It had a median in between them. I cannot remember exactly which road it was.

My tractor pulled the heavy load slowly up a hill. As I went over the top and started to descend; I noticed that cars in the other 2 lanes heading the opposite direction as me, were flashing their headlights.

At this point the road curved downward around a giant stone hill. The bottom of the hill and road was blocked from view because of it.

The flashing lights were a warning, so I started covering my brakes to slow the heavy truck down.

As I rounded the hillside, I could see that all the traffic below me was at a dead stop.

I began to apply the brakes to get the truck stopped as well. But, the load was pretty heavy and was pushing the truck down the hill.

When you are braking a semi- truck, you have to make sure you don’t burn up the brakes, and make sure that you don’t run out of air on the air brakes. That’s the goal.

So, you apply the brakes at an even steady rate, so it will slow you and stop you but still have time for the air to catch up with your usage. If not, you lose brakes.

So, I’m apply the brakes and the truck is slowing. But over time, the brakes are feeling sluggish and the air is running out.

The length of the down hill grade and the weight I was carrying fought against the brakes.

I wasn’t sure if I could get the truck stopped, so I made a decision to wreck the truck into the median rather than hurt anyone. I switched to the left hand lane and kept applying the brakes.

I finally got to the bottom of the hill and was slowly approaching the cars stopped below.

The air in the brakes was gone and I was still not totally stopped. I was waiting for the air to rebuild but it was not fast enough. The truck rolled toward a car with a family in it.

So, I decided to drive the rolling truck into the median. Remember I’m in the left hand lane so I turn the wheel slightly and the truck started to roll out into the median.

But, at the very last second, some thing took over. It was not me.

I whipped the steering wheel back to the right, which sent the truck traveling along the shoulder instead of out into the median. Then, I whipped it again to the right, which turned the truck back into where the cars were sitting, and applied my brakes which were now full of air again.

The truck stopped; sitting perfectly in the left hand lane. I had somehow veered the truck in a “C” shape around three parked cars, drove along the shoulder and whipped back into the lane perfectly.

Right after I got stopped, a man came running up to the truck and beat on the door. I opened it and he yelled,

“I bet you need some toilet paper! That was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen!”

And it was crazy.

It wasn’t me.

But, it was just one of the many times God has protected me and others in my life.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

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