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RPing Around Semi-Trucks and Straight Trucks.

ericja

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2013
Messages
20
Location
Ontario, Canada.
Well, I dont believe this is done yet, and I do believe some folks out there desperately need to see this sort of thing. I spend a considerable amount of my "downtime" (when Im not engaged in RP) driving the trucks and some times the buses around and doing their respective side jobs. This guide is my first guide so any critical opinions and suggestions are VERY welcome. Thanks! Without further ado...

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PART 1: RPing Around Semi-Trucks and Straight-Trucks: Lets get started.

These large motor vehicles come on plenty of different shapes and sizes, with many weights, from your standard Ford E-Series van to heavy haulers akin to the iconic Peterbilts and Kenworths of the 70s and 80s

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images

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Above: 2008 Ford E-Series w/ Closed Cab, 2006 Isuzu FVR w/ Basic Cargo Box, 2001 Kenworth W900I

The most obvious thing one should know about these vehicles is that they are quite heavy by themselves, with no cargo of any sort. The E-Series would weigh around 5,000 lbs (although this isnt too much compared to the others), the Isuzu weighs around 16,000 lbs and the Kenworth weighs over 17,000 lbs. Bare in mind, one, these are curb weights without trailers or loads of any kind and two, the average car weighs around 3,000 lbs. Generally, standard vans are not much heavier than the E-Series I have listed here. Furthermore, more often than not, the older a vehicle is, the heavier it will be, in its class. trailers add extra weight, 99 percent of the time a basic trailer adds about 20,000lbs, and a reefer (a trailer with a refrigeration unit) will add 10K to the previous number.

The next thing you should know, is that these long vehicles, especially the Semi when it is towing a trailer take wide right turns. If you are at a stop light and see a truck pulling into the name oncoming to you, youd be well advised to back up several feet to give the driver room because as he/she turns into that lane, he/she will most likely need to use to full road to do so. This is again, especially true for a Semi with a trailer in tow.

Finally, When around them, expect them to drive a little slower, either right on or 5-some miles below the speed limit, especially in inhabited areas, and most definitely in all areas that are considered bounds for regular RP (Namely the countryside of San Andreas, Bone, Flint and Red County.) Now, contrary to this, you may find yourself being overtaken by trucks on the Freeways, Interstates and major roads (basically places with few turns and hazards). This is because operators have time limits (sort of) within which they are expected to have the load delivered by.

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PART 2: RPing Around Semi-Trucks and Straight-Trucks: Lets get specific.

Now onto the specifics. There will be two sections and a conclusion from here. The first will be for prospective operators, the second will be for any pedestrians who should end up in a situation involving these vehicles. The conclusion will be some final notes, suitable vehicles to RP the three trucks and one flatbed as, and some useful links.

Driving them trucks
As Merle Haggard said, "The white line is the lifeline to a nation!"

If your keen on driving trucks, and wish to do it as accurately as possible, you need to consider all the elements to driving. As I said above, your truck, when towing a full trailer, is immensely heavy, and is more or less a rolling battering ram. Over steer, under steer, rainy season, snowy season. How fast will this thing stop if some kid steps infront of me? What if some drunk drives straight into me? This warning, that warning. Whats that light there? Whys that gauge point there? Theres a hell of a lot you would need to watch out for, and a ton of things to remember. But anyone with a head for diesel and long hauls will probably find trucking a fulfilling and enjoyable RP experience. After all, your the king of the road. You got at least 25k lbs on any other vehicle short of your own class out there. Whats not to love there?

Truck_cab.JPG

View from within an International cab

What do you think of them apples?. Obviously, youl never see these details in the game, but its worth taking some time to know what they are (since they are all standard on trucks), so you can RPly use them in various ways. At the very least, its good to know what your dealing with.

So, top to bottom, starting at the left. (Not including MPH, RPM gauges, radios, AC units, warning bar to right of steering wheel.) Here we go:

Steering Column:
  • Lever: Aux. Trailer Brake.

Console:
  • Coolant Temp.
    Oil Pressure.
    Engine temp.
    primary Air
    Secondary Air.
    Fuel.

Center:
  • Trailer Interrupt (Briefly turns off rear trailer lights, spring switch.)
    Cruise Control Set.
    Interior Lighting.
    Cruise Control On/Off.
    Brake Select - Switches between high/low Jake brake.
    Panel lights.
    Power Mirror.
    Brake On/Off - Controls Jake bake.
    Windsheild Wiper Control.
    Diagnostics - Checks systems, warning lights will flash.
    Fridge - Sleeper fridge power.
    Heated Mirrors.

Additional:
  • Trailer Air Supply (Red) - Supplies trailer brakes with air.
    Parking Brake (Yellow).
    Power Divider Lock - Controls Differential (Drive Line related).

Pedals:
  • Clutch.
    Brake (Not Engine brake or Jake brake.)
    Gas.

Still with me? Damnit... Now I have to write more!

So, now you should have general idea of what sitting in the cab of a truck involves. I somehow doubt youl remember every single one of those elements, but Im sure your developing a new respect for those drivers out there already. ;)

Now, two things I discussed in the first part of this guide: One, driving speeds. Its important to drive very carefully. This shouldnt be such an issue, but in San Andreas, when turning at high speeds on, say, a highway, trailers tend to slip out a little. This is called over steer. It makes absolutely no sense that a loaded trailer would do this because over steer is something found in RWD vehicles. Not freaking trailers with no driving wheels at all. Im not going to explain this completely, but Il leave a good link at the bottom of the guide. This is something you could take into account in almost all vehicular RP. So dont say all I taught you was trucks. You can handle all of this by driving responsibly and carefully. Its easy, I swear! Now, this doesnt even mention the fact that your huge hunk of steel on wheels is bulky, big and hard to maneuver. That will be discussed just below...

And then theres those good old wide right turns Now these really arent that hard, when you get the idea down. You, sir, are driving the biggest thing out there. You are the king of the road. Whats the archetype of a king? Hes bulky, tough, hard to bring down. Is he always maneuverable? No. So what do you do? Well, when you come up to your turn, pull out as close as you can to the center of the road (or further, if you seriously have to) without endangering any people (dont worry about traffic, you have the right-of-way, just dont drive into other cars, obviously), then you have to judge when you turn. Early or late. You want to keep the truck in as tight as possible, but give the trailer as much room to sway as you can. Dont be afraid to use the oncoming lane. Expect that other drivers will back up to make room for you. again, you have the right of way. The goal is to keep from hitting the curb with your trailer, and of course, avoid hitting people too. Doing a wide right turn is easy. Given the gameplay mechanics of San Andreas, successful wide right turns as they are intended to be done in real life isnt that easy, so give your self some leeway, OOCly.

Freeways, Interstates and Residential zones.
On the road again.
Just cant wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is RPing trucking with my friends,
And I cant wait to get on the road again!


Trucks are generally expected to stay within the speed limit, as opposed to cars and vans, other small(er) motor vehicles in general which are usually allowed to go as much as 5 MPH above the speed limit. We have already discussed why trucks need to watch their speeds more than other vehicles, so I wont get into that, but I will discuss over taking and speeding a little. Since you are RPing a trucker, you have a deadline, people waiting for you. You dont get that load in on time, you screw up the loading docks entire day. I shit you not! So when its safe to do so, you rush a little to make up for lost time. When you feel its wise to do so, you need to consider the road your on, the weather your in, and any other hazards you can think of. Remember, that 30-40 thousand lbs of steel you got on wheels there wont stop on no dime, son!

2009_7_15_NoTrucks2.jpg

BTW! Dont be this guy.

Other Miscellaneous things worth putting here and not at the end.
Ol' Smokey's got them ears on and he's hot on your trail.
He aint gonna rest 'til you're in jail.
So you got to dodge him and you got to duck him,
You got to keep that diesel truckin'.
Just put that hammer down and give it hell.


1. A lot of trucks have radar detectors hidden away in them so they can get away with speeding easier. There is no such thing in RCRP, but it might be worth RPing.

2. If you are driving the trucks that are available for the /truck side job in Blueberry, you would be considered an operator working for a company, not a "Freelancer" or Owner-Operator. The same goes for Elite Trucking drivers. Sorry. Your only cool if you drive an owned truck. Trade off is your probably broke half the time.

3. Its probably worth noting that the CMD to do trucking side jobs at the depot in Blueberry is "/truck". :I

4. Some trucks have tons of gauges and very few operational switches and such. these trucks are simply more streamlined (some say its more "modern" -coughcoughBScough-) and have better on board computers capable of handling all these details.

5. Its well worth remembering that a semi gets, maybe, if your lucky, and I mean lucky as in Jesus himself is sitting in that cab with you kind of lucky, 8 MPG. On average, youl get 3-5 MPG. If your on a highway, maybe a little more.

6. The more weight your pulling, the more gas you consume.

7. If your truck is equipped with a lower displacement engine, it will ultimately use more gas when hauling heavy loads than a higher displacement engine will. This is because the lower displacement engine is working harder to pull the same weight with the same speed/torque/etc.

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PART 3: RPing Around Semi-Trucks and Straight-Trucks: Lets get sitting around at Monty Park and hale stones at trucks as they drive by!.
Along came a Spider!
Picked up a rider!
Took him on the road to eternity!


So youve read this far and decided that RP trucking isnt for you huh? Figures. ;p

Well, if thats how your gonna be about it, at least I can teach you a thing or two about being around them truckers and their rides. If you read the things above, you know that those trucks are big, bulky, heavy and will kill you if you get into a frontal high speed collision with one. Like thats a solid fact, I dont think anyone has survived a head on collision with a truck at even moderate speeds without extensive surgery and at least one missing limb.

Picture-of-semi-vs-car-ax-in-Warren.jpg

You feeling lucky, punk?

Actually, in the image above, I believe the driver of the minivan survived. But you bet your ass that was a true to the bone act of cheating death. Suffice to say, if, under any circumstances, you get rammed by a truck with speed and velocity, your vehicle will be disabled, no ifs ands and buts. (depending on the sort of vehicle, ie another truck, you could possibly disable the truck that hit you too.) and you will, no doubt, be RPing injuries up the wazoo. Probably literally. Its likely that the trucker will be RPing injuries as well, though far more mild injuries in most cases.

To this effect, when trying to dictate the sort of injuries you should display, you need to consider the weight of the truck (plus its trailer, if it has one. That trailer is a big boon to its velocity) and the speed of the truck. Remember, it doesnt take much of anything to cause real injury in these cases, and its incredibly easy to disable a vehicle in this manor too, at almost all speeds. After all, a truck with a lot of weight behind it isnt gonna stop when it hits your bumper. its gonna keep going til the tension building in your partially squished car makes it so it cant push any further.

Now, we all know you could get rammed by anything in San Andreas and then drive off like it was nothing. However, this here RCRP is a heavy RP server, so I think it goes without saying, you should abide by the guidelines above if you are in this situation.

Turbo-Diesel, Bitches.
0908_8l_12_z%2B75_chromes_2009_pride_and_polish%2B18_wheeler_engine.jpg

Older model Peterbilt, chromed up like it should be, custom engine, definitely Diesel.

Now, when your in the area of a running truck, you should remember that the engines in these things are clunky, noisy, dirty, polluting diesel engines. Sure, Coal Rollers kick ass, but only if your driving it. It annoys the crap out of everyone else and tends to get you citations for littering.

If your right around one, you should RP the smell, the loud sound, the general clatter of the engine as the vehicle sits at a red light. The squeaks and grinds of the axles, creaking of hookups, the dark soot rising from the stacks.

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Gentlemen. Before you stands a genuine Cummins Diesel Coal Roller.
(Also, the trucks should smoke that much unless
something is wrong with the exhaust.)


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PART 3: RPing Around Semi-Trucks and Straight-Trucks: Lets get done with this really long guide already!.

Im surprised youve even read this far. here Il leave links for truckers and people RPing around truckers alike. I hope youve learnt some stuff from this guide, and I hope it helps you improve your RP skills. If you have any suggestions, comments, questions, concerns, etc. Please, feel free to leave them below. Other than that, if youve read the whole guide, please tell me what you thought of it. Ive wanted to do this for a while, but only gotten around to it now. I think Il try my hand at writing a few more guides in the future too!

CB language: http://www.thetruckersreport.com/trucke ... dio-lingo/

Understeer and Oversteer: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013 ... explained/

If you dont know anything about backing up trailers right, read this: http://www.wikihow.com/Back-a-Trailer

And this is all about them tight right turns: http://www.ehow.com/how_5464030_turn-tr ... truck.html

Some trucks you might want to RP the three San Andreas trucks as, with respect to their body styles:

Linerunner -
- Kenworth W900L
- Peterbilt 389
- Freightliner Coronado (Mid 2000 + Earlier)
- Frieghtliner Classic

Tanker -
- Most early 2000 + Earlier Macks
- Ford L9000

Roadtrain -
- Western Star 6900
- Mack Granite
- Mack Titan

Its also worth noting that a lot of truckers are bikers when they arent on the road. ;)

Thats all I have for now, will update if I get good suggestions of think of anything else important to add. Thanks for reading, feel free to ask questions in the replies, I might respond to them, now get out there and put the pedal to the metal! ;)
 

lord etz

Silver Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2014
Messages
821
This is sick, Elite Truckers need to start reading this right away.
 

Rvcboy

Retired Admin
Joined
Sep 29, 2015
Messages
906
Location
Estonia
I have seen a guide in our ET archive about driving a semi-truck, but this here just gives me more information about that how one American semi-truck looks like and what it has.
 
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