At least one trucker is for engine brakes. Spencer Reckart drives for Uphold Trucking in Morgantown. He lives by Big Bear Lake in Preston County. He came forward after Thursday's wreck. He said Roadway, Yellow, Overnight, Preston and other big trucking companies have no engine brakes on their 18-wheelers.
Engine brakes hold compression against the pistons and hold the truck back.
You can come clear down that mountain and only touch your brakes a few times. It's time we do something. The only time I don't use an engine brake down a hill is if I'm going down through Morgantown or a town because they do make noise. Reckart isn't the only innovative mind at work on the problem. Ivan Lehman, a resident with a background in mechanical engineering, suggested an alternative or an addition to the proposed mandatory brake-check stop after a wreck in 1994.