Why use runaway truck ramps?
Also called runaway truck arresters, perhaps ramps are the most important fixtures on today’s highways that have helped reduce the number of road accidents involving heavy trucks to almost zero. Compared to pick up trucks and other lighter trucks, the stopping distance of the big rigs is longer and therefore it would be hard for a driver of an eighteen-wheeler to stop on time once he comes across a road accident or when he approaches a black spot. The deceleration rate of a big truck from a high speed to stopping speed takes longer than that of smaller vehicles. It would be detrimental for a driver of such to clash through the gears say from number nine to gear number two without doing some damage to the truck.
Stepping on the emergency brakes at a high speed would send the trailer flying over the tractor. Due to excessive working on the brakes, they at times overheat and become faulty. This applies to the clutch too, whose lining may damaged by excess stress. This is where the runaway truck ramp comes in handy because the driver can simply drive their truck on to the gently inclined slope whose gradient will gradually work against the speed of the truck and enable him/her to bring it to a neat stop.