In-Cab 5th Wheel Release.... DANGEROUS?

How Do and Good Evening. I drive for a company that has Volvos 2008-2012 and Internationals 2008-2012. Both makes have the In-Cab 5th Wheel release switches. Since I have been with the company (Feb of 2011) I have been in Both. Started out in a Volvo, 4 months later went into a new International and due to Mechanical probs with the regen unit a few months later went into a 2010 Volvo. I noticed that the in-cab 5th wheel release buttons in both were located on the dash but in different areas. In the Volvo it is Located right next to the Engine brake button. And with the dash lights in the Volvo not being real bright, If you reach for your Engine brake at night and are not paying attention that could result in one helluva boo boo.

being in both trucks I noticed that these 5th wheel release switches only worked part of the time. and sometimes they would actually cause the 5th wheel release bar to either jam up or only slide it out about 4 inches. Now I am no dummy. I have been out here for 14 yrs and I know that pressure makes up alot in the gravity law in trucking. I would lower my dollies down to the point that I would hear air escaping from the 5th wheel or drives. I would try pressing the button to release the 5th wheel but it wouldn't release, yet I could get out and pull the release arm itself and it would slide out with ease.

Is this in-cab release button failing or causing the 5th wheel to jam up a common thing?

On June 18th I was at our drop yard doing a trlr switch. I was under an empty trlr. I backed into a hole with a trlr next to me on the driver side. as a matter of fact it was a trlr I was suppose to be hooking up to. I got out and did my walk around. Everything was fine. I lowered my dollies untill I heard the air escaping from the 5th wheel/drives. unhooked my air lines and electrical line and put all in their holsters. I got up in the truck and pressed the in-cab release button and held it untill the tone started beeping. I pulled forward alittle and it was still hooked. So I repeated everything. On the 6th attempt I heard the air pushing the kingpin release arm out. I tried pulling forward and I was still hooked. I got out and looked and the release arm was out maybe 4". I stepped in between the 2 trlrs, grabbed the kingpin handle and pushed. It wouldnt go. I pushed hard the second time and felt a slight pinch in my right shoulder. I pulled the release arm out. I had to pull hard because it felt like it was in a bind and I knew it wasnt because I made the neccesary adjustments after each tug to pull out to keep it from binding. Once I got the release arm fully extended the pain in my right shoulder was mind blowing. bad enought hat I dropped to my knees. 2 wks later I was in my Othropedic Doctors office listening him tell me that I had to have surgery because I tore the Labrum (which is the rim of the cup that the ball of the shoulder sets in) half way around. I have screws and anchors holding it in place. I had the surgery on Aug 3rd of this year and Im gonna be lucky to be back at work by April of next year. I have done my passive ROM therapy. Now I have to go through 5 months of strengthening and rebuilding therapy...

Just the other day a friend of mine who drives a Volvo with the same in-cab 5th wheel release button said that he hit his button twice, it wouldnt release, so he got out, reached in to pull the kingpin arm and it shot out at him and #### near broke his finger.

Any information on this is greatly appreciated.....

 

So from the way I am taking it in your post that in the last 8 trucks you have not gotten out to release your 5th wheel from your trlr so you havent inspected your 5th wheel after unhooking from a trlr. And YES you can disconnect your trlr from your tractor going down the road by engaging this button. Hence the warning label that, oddly enough. is located on the sunvisor. DO NOT ENGAGE WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. I saw it happen at a scale house in Etown, KY on the North bound side when it was open. Driver was in a Volvo pulling up on the scale and thought he had shut off his Jake Brakes. He stopped on the scale and when he took off he dropped his trlr on the scale. He engaged his 5th wheel release not shut off his Jakes. I was the next truck behind him.

 

According to my Ortho Doc, who has an impecable reputation and he is the Ortho Doc that the Colts, indy Ice Hockey, Purdue Boiler Makers, Notre Dame Players and if its bad enough Chicago Bears send there players to this man, He said that the injury was due to this. He said that even though I used the proper body Mechanics to Pull the pin, with the pin being hard to pull as it was my shoulder had actually rolled out and back in.

 

Thats just it... I didnt pull with my arm. I pulled with my back hips legs and arms. If you will reread the post I said that I had to forecably push the release arm back in and thats when I felt the first pinch. My Ortho doc said that thats when my shoulder had rolled out a little bit and when I pulled it roilled out and snapped back in in the blink of an eye.

 

Yeah pretty soon they are gonna put automatic pilots on these things, they are gonna invent away that you can fax your paper work into your cutomer when you arrive and they will invent a mechanism that all you have to do is ingage it when you are lined up with your dock doors and your trailer doors open for you. Its getting rediculous.