Corrected entry: When Patrick Swayze is shown the truck he is told that it has a Caterpillar engine in it but when it is started up it has the sound of a two cycle Detroit.
Corrected entry: To move the truck, you have to push both the truck and trailer brake release buttons. Swayze only pushes one of them, and causes the engine to shut down. But then he pulls away without pushing the other brake release button.
Correction: The red button (valve) is for the trailer, the yellow is for the tractor brakes. The yellow valve was already depressed, meaning he only had to push in the red button to be able to move. The tractor brakes were already released.]
Corrected entry: When the motorcycle rider in the rebel flag jacket gets on the truck behind the sleeper he starts pulling off the air lines. Anytime a part of the braking system on a truck fails, spring loaded braking occurs, thus stopping the truck. Of course, Swayze somehow manages to continue on down the road...
Correction: You are correct about the spring brakes engaging if the brake system fails, but there are two scenarios that might make this possible. First, if only the service gladhand is removed, the supply line will still supply air to the trailer and not engage the brakes. Second, if the trailer was manufactured before 1976, the spring brakes do not operate the same way as newer systems. If the trailer is before the CVSS requirements, it is possible for the brakes not to engage if the brake pots have no air in them. A leaking air supply line, or brake chamber may allow the wheels to still turn in this instance. Finally, while illegal to operate a trailer this way, the trailer brakes may have been caged, which would leave the trailer with no brakes at all. And, the tractor has a separate system, with a trailer protection valve, allowing it to move whether the gladhands are connected or not.
Corrected entry: Biker disconnected the red (emergency) line which governs the trailer spring brakes. As soon as that glad hand came off the trailer the trailer brakes should have applied, fully bringing that rig to a stop.
Correction: You are correct about the spring brakes engaging if the supply line gladhand is removed, but there are a couple of things that might make this possible. If the trailer was manufactured before 1976, the spring brakes do not operate the same way as newer systems. If the trailer is before the CVSS requirements, it is possible for the brakes to not apply, because they were not spring loaded. Also, the trailer brakes could have been caged, which would leave the trailer with no brakes at all. The trailer protection valve would still allow the tractor to move once it closed when the air pressure dropped far enough.
Corrected entry: When Swayze first starts the truck, he turns on all of the switches for his lights. When he pulls away, they aren't on. (00:20:40)
Correction: He could have been doing his pre-trip walk around to make sure everything is working and in proper order to be on the roadway. Standard operating procedure for any commercial driver. When done he'd turn them off.
I'm a truck driver and before I take one out on the road it's my responsibility to check all the lights work. One of the first things I do is check them, but I turn them all off again once I know they work.
Correction: The smaller 2 stroke GM's were used in heaps of trucks running highways over the years.