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ODFL | Trailers droped to high

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Snowmann

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Why is it that so many trailers in certain terminals are always to high dropped?
They are so high that your 5th wheel doesn’t even touch the apron.
If the trailer is now loaded very heavy and the gearbox is not the best,
You have a hard time to lover them.
I learned from an old driver to drop the landing gear always so that you have about 1 to1 ½ inches between the leg and pavement.
:chairshot: :Bondage:
 
the people who drive the yard jockey mule donkey dog what ever you call it do not check the height when they drop them at the dock or yard.we have had this problem too,if you do not have one of these at your dock then you can probably narrow it down to a specific driver.
 
Snowmann said:
Why is it that so many trailers in certain terminals are always to high dropped?
They are so high that your 5th wheel doesn’t even touch the apron.
If the trailer is now loaded very heavy and the gearbox is not the best,
You have a hard time to lover them.
I learned from an old driver to drop the landing gear always so that you have about 1 to1 ½ inches between the leg and pavement.
:chairshot: :Bondage:
Click to expand...

That happens at our terminals too.

There are a few reasons why this is.
1. it could have been dropped somewhere where the landing gear was in a low spot...such as in a rain water runoff area.
2. some tractors have higher fifth wheel plates, especially with twin screws.
3. I have seen guys wind gear down to where it touches the ground and then give it two or three more cranks...which makes no sense to me unless they have issues with pulling the pin without doing so.

then once the jockey moves it to level ground it is too high.

I have had the reverse happen many times also where it must have been drooped on a high spot and the trailer is too low to get under...which really sucks if the gears are bad and its heavy. Then ya wait for a jockey to come by.

I generally do the same...leave an inch or so, then drop the air bags and pull out...but I always check to see if it is in a high spot or low spot and wind gear accordingly.
 
dmtorl said:
the people who drive the yard jockey mule donkey dog what ever you call it do not check the height when they drop them at the dock or yard.we have had this problem too,if you do not have one of these at your dock then you can probably narrow it down to a specific driver.
Click to expand...

Most of the times, on big terminals you can blame the switcher. On smaller ones the switcher takes them like they are dropped and put them that way to the docks.
I still remember from my truck driving school, they teach you to drop the landing gear and then give them 2 to 3 cranks more. Just to relive the pressure, and that’s wrong.
 
Watch those high top gears to with the springs sideways under the fifth wheel. if you lower the landing gear all the way you drop the trailer to high. Watch out when hooking them if the pup is to low you will put two shiny new holes right in the nose of the trailer when you try to back that gear under them.
 
Snowmann said:
Most of the times, on big terminals you can blame the switcher. On smaller ones the switcher takes them like they are dropped and put them that way to the docks.
I still remember from my truck driving school, they teach you to drop the landing gear and then give them 2 to 3 cranks more. Just to relive the pressure, and that’s wrong.
Click to expand...
Pressure? That sounds too much like work to me.I have personally seen old timers dropping out giving them legs a few extra turns "trying to be he men" or something.Why do they do this? I asked one once and he told me so he wouldn't have to drop his air bags!Now there was a smart feller, gee wiz.Told him all that was un called for and he just shrugged it off.Sparky is right about those 841 dollies,they do make the trailers sit up higher than other dollies.Those crappy things do factor in a trailers height along with hercules.
 
sparky said:
Watch those high top gears to with the springs sideways under the fifth wheel. if you lower the landing gear all the way you drop the trailer to high. Watch out when hooking them if the pup is to low you will put two shiny new holes right in the nose of the trailer when you try to back that gear under them.
Click to expand...

the 884 dollies from uw and priority are the same way there the ones with the spare tire under them they pull good but i leave the landing gear a inch or two off the ground when dropping make it easyer for the next guy was in des once seen the jocky raising trailor with truck as high as they would go and cranking the landing gear down he said it was for the dock to be able to unload faster when asked about the drivers trying to hook them he said it was not his problem and he did not have to help drivers pull them out by order of t/m this practice is not right and des is not the only one doing it
 
I have always tried to lower the landing gear to almost touching the ground(about 1 to 1 1/2 inches). Then I drop the air bags. I have never had any complaints yet.
 
I don't have air bags on my old VOLVO.
But heres my method.
I lower the legs so the pad hits the ground,then give it two complete cranks up,and pull out.
Now heres another thing about my method.
We are at an old Hall's Motor transit terminal built back in the 60's when trailers were only 96" wide.
Now they are 102",so our dock bays are narrow.
When you back our pups into our docks its better to lower the legs, back it in,pull out the pin release arm,and pull out from under.

Simply because theres not always room next to the pup to crank the handle when your backed to the dock.

I'm at a very small terminal we don't have a jokey,we all do our own drop,and hooks.

So when our line haul drivers pull them out its the same,they hook them,pull them ahead and crank the legs up.
 
It annoys me when they do not put the permanently attached trailers stands up a few inches before they slide the pin in. Than the non thinking moron goes and loads a 22000 pound trailer and leaves it for the line haul driver. The things are designed so that it would not be difficult but the guy because of his stupidity and or f*** the other guy attitude leaves it for you. It only takes a second to do your job right. Thats probably why a good half of them are bent from annoyed linehaul drivers bending them so they wont have to mess with them anymore.
I usually lower a landing gear to the ground or a inch or two off depending on the height of the fifth wheel if I am going to rehook I will leave it real low why work or make work hard. And some of those L/Gs are real hard to crank when they have weight on them.
 
OK then heres my 2 cents on the trailer stands.
Get the shop to take them out if you have a shop.
Or get your supervisor in on the fun of getting them out.
In a very short time a memo will be posted to everyone to do what they are being paid to do.
Getting others involved that don't have time,or don't want to help gets the TM's attention to correct problems like this.

If its addressed by the managment,and continues anyone there after will be spoken to,writen up,or whatever it takes to get everyone on the same page,using fourthsight,into what I can do to help out the next person.

But if you whine,about this,and keep on doing it by yourself,you'll never see anything change.
 
Apostolic said:
OK then heres my 2 cents on the trailer stands.
Get the shop to take them out if you have a shop.
Or get your supervisor in on the fun of getting them out.
In a very short time a memo will be posted to everyone to do what they are being paid to do.
Getting others involved that don't have time,or don't want to help gets the TM's attention to correct problems like this.

If its addressed by the managment,and continues anyone there after will be spoken to,writen up,or whatever it takes to get everyone on the same page,using fourthsight,into what I can do to help out the next person.

But if you whine,about this,and keep on doing it by yourself,you'll never see anything change.
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Ha Ha thats funny. Although getting the supervisor in on it can help. The rest is not always the best way to work things out here though. Hey but I will be sure to Tell my T/M how it works at your barn and suggest he start doing it that way.
 
Answer to problem, poor training and even poorer communication added to you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Read the accident reports and see how many dropped trailers there are.
 
If you're on an O.D. yard that you always have problems on and it is not a dark terminal all you got to do is turn your cell phone on.It is no problem to get the dispatch extension,dock extension,or t/m number and keep them on your phone.If you are refused help,get the man's name or switcher number.Give it to your t/m and see if he's got any c***k****i* in him.If it's a dark terminal you are the Lone Ranger,no help,no where.I have always thought driving a truck was enough for a man to have to do without all the hooking and unhooking thrown in.
 
I'm a UPS Freight safety trainer,and the main thing I'm forever telling my co-workers is.

Be safe,if in your opinon you don't think you can do something safe,than don't do it at all.
Whenever you go beyond your judgment,and something negative comes of it.
All the blame goes to you,for doing something unsafe,when you knew better.

Now this is very good advice in my opinion,being the safety guy at my terminal as well as working in my 44th year driving truck.

This advice is like any that I post,for all who reads it.
You can either take it or leave it.
It doesn't really matter to me what you do with it.
I just try to help with all I can given my many years of jamming the gears,and turning the wheel.
 
JIM BOB said:
If you're on an O.D. yard that you always have problems on and it is not a dark terminal all you got to do is turn your cell phone on.It is no problem to get the dispatch extension,dock extension,or t/m number and keep them on your phone.If you are refused help,get the man's name or switcher number.Give it to your t/m and see if he's got any c***k****i* in him.If it's a dark terminal you are the Lone Ranger,no help,no where.I have always thought driving a truck was enough for a man to have to do without all the hooking and unhooking thrown in.
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Been a while since you've driven. Ask a switcher or even a mechanic to do something for you at some yards and you compound the aggravation. Many times you're better off finding your own solution. I've also had to help a switcher get out of the complex mess he created when I asked something as simple as pulling a trailer out for me because it was in an impossible place to hook as a rear trailer. Complain to their superior if you're from another terminal and you're cutting your own throat if you ever have to return to that terminal.
 
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