How do some people get a CDL? This is why you do a tug-test. just wow

Careful who you call an f in goof!!!!
I have every right to call him a goof. who hooks and runs without checking to see if there's a gap between the tailer plate and the 5th wheel, a tug test on the spring brakes, a visual check to see if the jaws are closed, and a final tug test on the spike? the goof proved he's a goof. *drops the gabble* lol
 
I have every right to call him a goof. who hooks and runs without checking to see if there's a gap between the tailer plate and the 5th wheel, a tug test on the spring brakes, a visual check to see if the jaws are closed, and a final tug test on the spike? the goof proved he's a goof. *drops the gabble* lol


Ok...name calling doesn't teach anyone anything. Help him by example, show him what he should be doing and looking for when hooking a trailer. Make a video of the correct procedures, not a video to ridicule and degrade a fellow Driver. Put yourself in his shoes, someone showed you, you have an obligation to help others, for the safety of everyone on the road.
:shift:
 
Ok...name calling doesn't teach anyone anything. Help him by example, show him what he should be doing and looking for when hooking a trailer. Make a video of the correct procedures, not a video to ridicule and degrade a fellow Driver. Put yourself in his shoes, someone showed you, you have an obligation to help others, for the safety of everyone on the road.
:shift:

I tried to help the guy- because I'd be a goof to sit there and mock him on camera. i felt bad for the guy until i realized he was a goof. Though i thoroughly explained how to check and tug test, he still didnt listen. he left without doing a tug test and still didnt know if his trailer was connected. he didnt learn which is an example of stupidity. I should call the guy stupid but goof is more of a fun word. I explained in the vid of the proper procedure. and i show what a pro does and showed what a goof does. the moral of the vid is: Dont be a goof." The lesson is: Learn from this goofs mistakes or you may kill someone. this is a serious mistake on his part. The vid is all about turning a negative situation into a positive one. ,y whole channel is about turning negatives into positives.
 
The real goofs are some of these employers putting drivers on the road before they are ready.

I work in LTL and I see guys get hired on who take 15 minutes to position his 53' trailer on a dock with no trucks around him.

What happens when he is at a major account and has to split between two other trailers?

So many on the road that just haven't been shown the ropes.
 
The real goofs are some of these employers putting drivers on the road before they are ready.

I work in LTL and I see guys get hired on who take 15 minutes to position his 53' trailer on a dock with no trucks around him.

What happens when he is at a major account and has to split between two other trailers?

So many on the road that just haven't been shown the ropes.
again yr 100% correct. who hires these people? like i say: You get what you pay for in this industry
 
Don't think for a minute that the "tugging" method is foolproof. I have witnessed several trailers being dropped after the driver "tugged" on it. Also, I know of a case where the driver "tugged" and then got under the trailer and looked at the "jaws", pulled away from the dock and "BANG", trailer hit the ground, it can happen. Years ago, Overnite had a MB Mack in Waynesboro that the 5th wheel would stay hooked for several weeks and then the thing would come unhooked without any apparent reason. So, don' t call the driver "dumb", it could happen to you.

Yes you are correct. So many guys just pull to test connection. That is not enough.....anyone ever heard of an incomplete latch? Happens, especially in cold weather. You hook, do a tug test and it seems all is fine, you have the trailer. This is where you MUST get out and visibly check every time. Sometimes the 5th wheel doesn't 100% close. It will pass the tug test but you are probably going to lose the trailer at some point. In my opinion this is the problem with 99.9% of break aways. Jaw failure my ass. I won't say it can't happen but that is so few and far between. Break aways that happen while en route on a public roadway are due to incomplete latches....the drivers that DO the tug test but not get out a visibly look to verify the 5th wheel is 100% closed.
 
Up here in Northern NY State our roads are treated with salt to melt the snow.
Well believe me that salt does accumulate on 5th wheels,a tug test will feel like you are hooked & ready to go.
However by simply looking at the pin release arm you can see it is secure or not.
So pull it the rest of the way to take another shot at it & look at the jaws.
You can see where the salt build up hadn't allowed the jaws to close all the way.
Sometime by hitting the jaws a few times it may hook,where other times you have to dig the salt out & re-hook.

Being retired there is a lot about trucking I don't miss,especially during the winters.
 
Being retired there is a lot about trucking I don't miss,especially during the winters

I say every Oct. that I am not going thru another winter, but here I am, still doing it @ 79 years old. Should have my head examine.
 
It is hard to give up a job that has good pay & you do enjoy it even if you don't want to admit it,The Best.

The only reason I retired at 63 was a Jack knife crash I had in a blinding snow storm the first week of Dec 2007.
I had 45 years of city driving & had no plans to retire at that time.
However the crash got my attention that I figured God was telling me time to get out boy before you are carried out.
After that crash I was soured on winter driving & could not wait to hang it up.

All righty then that is my story & I'm sticking to it,you all be safe,& keep America moving.
Happy Thanksgiving Apostolic your Accident Forum Moderator.
 
I hooked to a trailer years ago and gave the tug test. Pulled it 90 miles to the terminal where I was going to lay over. TM called me next morning and told me the kingpin was riding on top of the jaws and they had to get a wrecker to lift it off. Maybe the heavy load I had saved it from bouncing off and creating a possible disaster. I had never heard of this before or after and thankfully I made it 40 years without one coming off.
 
I have seen trailers high hooked & pulled for many miles. The trailers were probably loaded heavy especially in the nose & didn't cross railroad tracks or any especially rough roads. If the driver would have backed up against the trailer & pulled forward he would have noticed what would have seemed to be a HUGE amount of slack in the 5th wheel. Also after leaving the tractor check the 5th wheel again in the event somebody unlatched the 5th wheel while you were away. I remember sometime back some wildcat truckers were mad at "Freight Haulers" & routinely unlatched 5th wheels at truck stops.
 
I have seen trailers high hooked & pulled for many miles. The trailers were probably loaded heavy especially in the nose & didn't cross railroad tracks or any especially rough roads. If the driver would have backed up against the trailer & pulled forward he would have noticed what would have seemed to be a HUGE amount of slack in the 5th wheel. Also after leaving the tractor check the 5th wheel again in the event somebody unlatched the 5th wheel while you were away. I remember sometime back some wildcat truckers were mad at "Freight Haulers" & routinely unlatched 5th wheels at truck stops.

You're absolutely correct about those days of bad guys "pulling the pin" on you. I still have the habit of checking the pin after making a stop. Old habits I guess.
 
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