What's new

FedEx Freight | Pre/Post Trip Inspections

Diggger86 said:
When I hook my set at a dock door I usually tug test it all the way to the parking spot across from the dock. :encouragement::grin:

But all joking aside this thread has made me realize I’ve been slacking at checking out my brakes very throughly. I am doing more than my quick visual now though. Oh and I’m pretty sure I’m the only guy at my terminal that does a pretrip. I have been watching these guys and it’s all hook and book. But I do see the city guys looking over their equipment in the morning.
Click to expand...

A tug is ok, but it still may not save your butt, a hundred years ago, I picked up a 45' in Atl. it was already hooked (real line drivers don't drop or hook) I stopped at our tire bank in Greer S C, toe tapped my tires and next stop was Kings Mt. N C.
Don't know why, but looked under trailer and found the kingpin sitting on top of the 5th wheel jaws.
To this day I don't know why I didn't lose the trailer, a visual is always best, make sure jaws are locked around kingpin.
Back in the A50 Mack and L200 IHC days our company stopped the tugging, because switchers were breaking axles going and coming.
I can see where this is going, since Red learned to post pics.
BTW No charge for my wisdom
 
Diggger86 said:
When I hook my set at a dock door I usually tug test it all the way to the parking spot across from the dock. :encouragement::grin:

But all joking aside this thread has made me realize I’ve been slacking at checking out my brakes very throughly. I am doing more than my quick visual now though. Oh and I’m pretty sure I’m the only guy at my terminal that does a pretrip. I have been watching these guys and it’s all hook and book. But I do see the city guys looking over their equipment in the morning.
Click to expand...
Awesome...if this thread can convince one person to do just a little more on their pre/post trip then it was successful...although we’d prefer everyone take notice!!
 
seabreeze said:
A tug is ok, but it still may not save your butt, a hundred years ago, I picked up a 45' in Atl. it was already hooked (real line drivers don't drop or hook) I stopped at our tire bank in Greer S C, toe tapped my tires and next stop was Kings Mt. N C.
Don't know why, but looked under trailer and found the kingpin sitting on top of the 5th wheel jaws.
To this day I don't know why I didn't lose the trailer, a visual is always best, make sure jaws are locked around kingpin.
Back in the A50 Mack and L200 IHC days our company stopped the tugging, because switchers were breaking axles going and coming.
I can see where this is going, since Red learned to post pics.
BTW No charge for my wisdom
Click to expand...
Agreed wholeheartedly...a simple “tug” by itself isn’t the answer, always visually check the jaws/kingpin before moving. In my case, the tug was just near the beginning of many steps to come.

We had a driver who pulled at set from CLT to Villa Rica, Ga with zero issues, at the top of the ramp in Ga he was making his left towards the truck stop and the rear trailer came off the dolly...how does that happen??
 
Redracer3136 said:
Agreed wholeheartedly...a simple “tug” by itself isn’t the answer, always visually check the jaws/kingpin before moving. In my case, the tug was just near the beginning of many steps to come.

We had a driver who pulled at set from CLT to Villa Rica, Ga with zero issues, at the top of the ramp in Ga he was making his left towards the truck stop and the rear trailer came off the dolly...how does that happen??
Click to expand...

That's the classic "high hook". The jaws close on the flared bottom of the pin. It'll pass a tug test all day long, usually a left bend pulls it right out the top of the plate and away it goes. That's the major reason to check for zero gap between the surfaces.

But how about the awful silver eagle spring top jiffs - hook properly, drain the air to the trailers, then go back and look at it. As the air settles on the lead, a huge gap opens at the front of the plate below the kite. Scared me bad the first time I saw it. Eeek, I hi hooked and just pulled that!! Nope, but I did post trip without air to the set...
 
dEIxdUk.jpg

Don’t know how well you can see it, but the spring has broken and shifted inside the brake pod.
 
Last edited:
What have you seen on equipment that would put it out of service before going on the street or after a stop in route. 1 turn signal not working is OOS. 1 tail light not working is not. Yea you are suppose to fix these problems BEFORE you start your run. SO, before or during your run what specific problems have you found that qualifies for OOS? And, did you correct the problem, or run it in? von.
 
truckingBORED said:
That's the classic "high hook". The jaws close on the flared bottom of the pin. It'll pass a tug test all day long, usually a left bend pulls it right out the top of the plate and away it goes. That's the major reason to check for zero gap between the surfaces.

But how about the awful silver eagle spring top jiffs - hook properly, drain the air to the trailers, then go back and look at it. As the air settles on the lead, a huge gap opens at the front of the plate below the kite. Scared me bad the first time I saw it. Eeek, I hi hooked and just pulled that!! Nope, but I did post trip without air to the set...
Click to expand...
It still amazes me when I see someone dropping a trailer,and when the pads hit the ground they push the handle into low gear,and crank till there is daylight between the plates. All I see is them setting up the next guy for a high hook. I leave my pads an inch off the ground,drop the air bags,then pull out. Like it when I hear the 5th wheel snap against the plate sound when hooking,or unhooking.....
 
Richard Cranium said:
The best Silver Eagle gear that I’ve ever seen was the one peaking out of the scrap dumpster after meeting a “blue tip wrench” at its retirement party.
Click to expand...
I hated those bloody things. Uncomfortable to drive with and terrifying to use. I ran one of the heaviest hunks of metal I could find, nobody ever wanted to steal it off me and it rode like a dream. I didn't do switches so I could get away with it.
 
BIG R GUY said:
It still amazes me when I see someone dropping a trailer,and when the pads hit the ground they push the handle into low gear,and crank till there is daylight between the plates. All I see is them setting up the next guy for a high hook. I leave my pads an inch off the ground,drop the air bags,then pull out. Like it when I hear the 5th wheel snap against the plate sound when hooking,or unhooking.....
Click to expand...
Agreed 100%!!!

I was taught that the nose of a trailer should raise slightly when you back under so common sense should tell these idiots that it must also slightly lower when you pull out from under it...I’m guessing the idiots that drop trailers to high have zero common sense!!!
 
Redracer3136 said:
Agreed 100%!!!

I was taught that the nose of a trailer should raise slightly when you back under so common sense should tell these idiots that it must also slightly lower when you pull out from under it...I’m guessing the idiots that drop trailers to high have zero common sense!!!
Click to expand...
Big Dave always told me he would set his hat on the ground next to where he was dropping, and make sure the nose was even with the top of his hat to ensure no high hooks.
 
Big Dave said:
6qXu8cZ.jpg


Red got a little carried away with the low nose thing....
Click to expand...
The only way this happens is if you pull out from under the trailer like a yahoo instead of doing it slowly. If you got it hooked in the first place it's not so nose heavy that it should dive.

Momentum is a bitch, and it's your job to make sure it doesn't happen. I even went the extra mile with loaded 289's and emptied the air tanks before pulling away. If the trailer rides the dolly frame, you should probably crank it up a bit. Which is another reason the Silver Eagles are terrible.
 
Canadian Flyer said:
The only way this happens is if you pull out from under the trailer like a yahoo instead of doing it slowly. If you got it hooked in the first place it's not so nose heavy that it should dive.

Momentum is a bitch, and it's your job to make sure it doesn't happen. I even went the extra mile with loaded 289's and emptied the air tanks before pulling away. If the trailer rides the dolly frame, you should probably crank it up a bit. Which is another reason the Silver Eagles are terrible.
Click to expand...
If it is your route trailer and you come back with just a nose load, this isn’t so far far fetched.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top