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FedEx Freight | what do other drivers think!!

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imported_cocheesehead

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would like some answers here, the other day, I was making a right turn into a regular customers yard with one of the new volvos where the 5th wheel is set close to the cab, pulling a 48 ft van which is my daily route trl(tractor is also my regular tractor) anyway half way through turn when coming out of the usual dip between the street and the yd drive entrance, the top right corner of the trl hit the smoke stack pusing it in towards the center of the trk- cracked 2 brackets, gouged the top of the stack but did not bend the stack anywhere, also small dent in top right corner of trl, loaded heavy in the nose, thought the sound was the bottom of trl front hitting the frame of tractor which happenes on occasions on some of the dips, but was the trl hitting stack--stack is leaning about 6 inches off straight up position and aside from the 2 cracked brackets, no other damage, anyway, I was told by ops mngr that this has happened to other drivers at other terminals and they were all charged with preventable accident, I do not agree with this decision as driver cannot be held responsible for design flaw where 5th wheel is mounted to close to tractor and this should not be charged as a preventable, the only way in and out of this customer is through this entrance and have never had a problem here before, measured the distance between 5th wheels on new volvos and older volvos and it is quite a difference, almost twice the distance in older volvos, anyone have any thoughts on this?? would really like others opinions. thanks.
 
ok im confuuussseeeddd you said its your regular tractor and regular 48 no problems until this incident ,,,,, i would be on your side but you say this is all the same as you have everyday whats the deal... no disrespect please
 
I wasn't there, but I tend to side with the driver. But. I have a few questions for you! Does the fifth wheel slide? Is the kingpin on the 48ft trailer the same as a pup? Was it an old trlr or a new? Now onto the "=sshole" questions!!! Did you pre-trip? Could the damage be from previous shift? How fast were you going? Could or did you enter the customers from the correct direction? Was this your 1st stop? When did you notice and or report the incident? Too many missing blanks, wish you the best!
 
UH- the new Volvos have a sliding 5th.wheel. Maybe somebody moved it on you, it is for sure something was different.
 
We've had several stacks bent because someone slide the fifth wheel forward. That's the first thing I check when I hook to a van.
 
ok I will try to answer all your questions, the 5th wheel was all the way back, trl was loaded heavy in the nose and yes it is the same trl I pull everyday, the right turn is the way I always enter the cust. yard when coming from that direction, it is a sharper turn, almost a uturn so I always swing wide to clear the curb and trees at the beginning of the turn, it was my 3 stop on that ld that day(i run 2 trls aday to that area) and it was a newer 48ft van-one of the last that was purchased by Watkins before the buyout, I did pretrip and I am the one who was pulling the trl when damage occurred-I heard the noise but thought it was the weight causing the front of the 5th wheel to hit the frame of tractor so I did not notice the stack until the next morning- then we checked the trl and saw the small ding in the corner- no one except me pulls this unit unless I am out or running late on my first trl. I did measure the distance between back of cab with new volve and older volve-about 6 inchs more witholder volvos, and the kingpin is different on 48 ft vans then on pups I believe, I will fight because I have heard it has happened to other drivers at other terminals and maybe I can save someone a preventable in the future if the company is made to believe that the 5th wheel plates are mounted to close to back of cab on these new volvos, also today, I checked all my right hand turns and at two other stops I scrapped the stack on right turns and not at sharp angles either, just depends on the dip between road and drive at customers entrances. Drivers cannot control the mounting of the 5th wheel on these new volvos and i think the company is just using us as scapegoats to cover up this problem, but the way, I have been with National 2 yrs and 3 months and now stand to lose my safe driving record for this yr because of this, I have 22 years in tractor trl with about 17 years of those as P-d driver and had only 1 incident in those 22 yrs, so I consider myself a very very good driver and would like to keep my record intact. thanks again for all your input.
 
Yes, You are a good driver. Yes, You should fight this. I say non-preventable! I say there should be a driver review board, that management has to listen to, and has no say over them. In a perfect world, :biglaugh:, all managers would listen, trust and respect their drivers ! Good Luck Brother
 
I work in New England and also have a new volvo. I run Linehaul, but my day driver had the same problem. The fifth wheel is all the way back, which to me the whole frame is mounted to far forward. He was pulling a 53 and did what you did. going up over a sidewalk into someones yard. Amazingly all it did was bend cross bracket which inturn bent stack and it leans in about 6 inches.He reported as an incident and filled out proper paperwork, but to my knowledge, no chargeable
 
Andyboy, that is the exact same damage I had, the crossbracket bent in the middle and stack now points in about 6 inches, had to fill in paperwork showing an accident and ops manager said they had given other driver in CA a preventable and thought I would get the same, as I said before I plan to fight it and what you posted gives me something to use, thanks very much for the post!!! I will keep this updated although I go on vacation for 2 weeks starting tuesday the 19, so thinki I wont hear anything until after I get back.
 
[quote author=cocheesehead link=topic=82069.msg847630#msg847630 date=1279335163]
ok I will try to answer all your questions, the 5th wheel was all the way back, trl was loaded heavy in the nose and yes it is the same trl I pull everyday, the right turn is the way I always enter the cust. yard when coming from that direction, it is a sharper turn, almost a uturn so I always swing wide to clear the curb and trees at the beginning of the turn, it was my 3 stop on that ld that day(i run 2 trls aday to that area) and it was a newer 48ft van-one of the last that was purchased by Watkins before the buyout, I did pretrip and I am the one who was pulling the trl when damage occurred-I heard the noise but thought it was the weight causing the front of the 5th wheel to hit the frame of tractor so I did not notice the stack until the next morning- then we checked the trl and saw the small ding in the corner- no one except me pulls this unit unless I am out or running late on my first trl. I did measure the distance between back of cab with new volve and older volve-about 6 inchs more witholder volvos, and the kingpin is different on 48 ft vans then on pups I believe, I will fight because I have heard it has happened to other drivers at other terminals and maybe I can save someone a preventable in the future if the company is made to believe that the 5th wheel plates are mounted to close to back of cab on these new volvos, also today, I checked all my right hand turns and at two other stops I scrapped the stack on right turns and not at sharp angles either, just depends on the dip between road and drive at customers entrances. Drivers cannot control the mounting of the 5th wheel on these new volvos and i think the company is just using us as scapegoats to cover up this problem, but the way, I have been with National 2 yrs and 3 months and now stand to lose my safe driving record for this yr because of this, I have 22 years in tractor trl with about 17 years of those as P-d driver and had only 1 incident in those 22 yrs, so I consider myself a very very good driver and would like to keep my record intact. thanks again for all your input.
[/quote]We are having the same problem over at Freight, the newer Volvos have a Fixed fifth wheel that does not slide ( the brand new trucks do have sliding fifth wheels). We have quite a few vans with set back king pins, thats were the problems come in they sit so close to the back of the tractor that in some places you cannot make a right turn or back into a steep place. Our shop Mgr has said that it is a problem that needs to be corrected ( remove 8 bolts and slide the fifth wheel back) but it aint happening! We have had drivers do the same thing and get charged with accidents, they argue it but nothing happens. When I have that problem the only thing you can do is refuse to go in some were that you know is going to cause damage to the truck and trailer.
 
You should really call the hot line and say that it is a safety problem and then follow up in about 3 days. This is an outside company that will file a report with the pres and I think Mr. Smith. They will give you a case number to follow up with. And you can or cannot give your name.
 
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