R&L | Reverse Pups Argument

Ted Decker trk

When things are FUBAR, FIDO!
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So I am a city guy now but started off in linehaul. I have experience pulling pups for R&L as well as one other non LTL outfit.

An argument started in the drivers room the other day while waiting on loads and paperwork.

What are your personal experiences and opinions about pulling pups with lead lighter than tail. Is it never ok? Is it sometimes ok depending on weight differential, operational efficiencies. Would you refuse to pull it or give it a try?

Their was lots of discussion and opinions. I'm curious what you all think. Also curious about level of experience pulling doubles. My personal experience all in is about 2 years pulling sets, 31 years tractor trailer.
 
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I've pulled 6 or 8k lighter on the lead with no problem, on another set, same deal was so uncomfortable, I stopped and switched them.
Maybe the way they were loaded.
There’s also unmanifested freight and shipments billed with extra digits in the weight, thanks to billin bein outsourced to the curry festival in Bangalore.

That’s why I scale every set every time and if weights don’t read smaller from front to back, they get switched regardless of whats on paper.
 
Back a long time ago, I would run a retail run out to long island. The two stores were about 10 miles apart. After I would do the first store, I would put the set back together with the empty in the lead to go to the second store so I wouldn't have to break the entire set at the second store. That was the only time I would run the heavy on tail but its certainly doable as long as your careful.
 
There’s also unmanifested freight and shipments billed with extra digits in the weight, thanks to billin bein outsourced to the curry festival in Bangalore.

That’s why I scale every set every time and if weights don’t read smaller from front to back, they get switched regardless of whats on paper.

Our switchers in Charl were very good about proper hooking, if a set came through wrong, most would reverse it after they scaled it.
Only time we hooked a set, was at a satellite terminal that had no scales.
 
21 years pulling pups on LH. Did it all the time, so my rear pup could be dropped in yard and lead in door, no matter what the weight was. Just like a couple people stated already...Just depends on how they feel to you. Some pull better backwards than if they were in order due to crappy loading. 2 of the biggest "watchouts" I always looked for pulling them backwards was, 1. the heavier rear can cause your drivers to sway back and forth due to the rear manipulating the front pup. 2. some curves on the road were to sharp to go flying into , so I would kill cruise and coast around them. I've pulled sets in order and they have been loaded so badly I had to slow to 55 around every curve. felt like the whole thing was going to tip over.
 
If you ever get I to an accident and DOT finds out you were hauling the heavy pup as the rear you might open yourself up to even more liability.
 
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