LCV for Beginners Part 2. Hooking Doubles

LCV for Beginners Part 2. Hooking Doubles/Triples
by road_runner​

Index:
Part 1. Foreword & Introduction to Converter Dolly & Safety
Part 2. Hooking Doubles
Part 3. Jackknife Hooking
Part 4. Advance Techniques

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Part 2. Hooking Doubles

The following threads are made specifically for TTR members that are interested in the LTL (Less-than-Truckload) field. I am creating this with the understanding that the viewer (you) has already obtained a CDL and has a general understanding of a proper pre-trip, backing, and proper coupling/uncoupling of a tractor/trailer combo. I will dumb this down as much as I can, but I will omit some of the basic material that is common within the "Class A" community to save all of us time. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to PM me or just voice it by replying. This entire thread is educational in nature so please limit your responses to professional opinions and not personal rants. If you do respond to something specific I stated, please quote only excerpts and not the entire thread.

WARNING:

1. The following series of threads are for educational/reference purposes only! ALWAYS follow proper company guidance/safety standards and consult your Safety Office for company regulations
2. Always wear gloves to avoid personal injury when working with converter dollies!
3. Attention to detail and a full safety consciousness can help prevent most accidents!
4. Before you start, ALWAYS complete a FULL pre-trip inspection of all your trailers/converter dolly! There is no point of investing time to utilize equipment if it does not meet basic safety standards!


Before Starting

1. Complete a FULL pretrip of all your trailers/equipment
2. Check the weight of your trailers! The lightest trailer will ALWAYS be in the back! The trailer weight on your manifest will give you this information.
3. Give yourself plenty of room to work with! If you are in a congested area, move your trailers to an isolated area where you have plenty of room to work with!
4. When in doubt, ask around! Ask a coworker if you are new. They will almost always assist you! You can also pose questions on this thread or PM for more information!

Definitions:
Lead box: Your front most trailer
Centre box: Your middle trailer (when pulling triples)
Rear box: Your rear most trailer
Con: Converter dolly (or gear) that connects your lead to your centre/rear box.
GOAL: Get Out and Look

Step 1.

1. Back your converter dolly to your rear trailer. (fig 1.)
2. The trailer apron (nose) of your rear most trailer should be about 1/3 to 1/2 lower than the top of your fifth-wheel of your converter dolly. This position will help with the following:
A. It will help prevent you from “high-hitching” or overshooting your fifth-wheel
B. Once hooked, it will raise the landing gear of your rear trailer and prevent it from dragging against the ground when you perform a pull or tug test
C. It will make it easier for you to raise the landing gear since most/all the weight will be off of the ground
3. Secure your dolly from movement. You can do this by placing one of the dolly's glad hands infront of the tires. You can also use the electrical cord or a mid size rock



Step 2.

1. With hazard lights flashing, back your lead trailer towards your converter dolly (fig 2.)
2. Stop about one ft short of the front most facing portion of your dolly (the eye of your dolly) before it hits the back of your trailer*
3. GOAL. Ensure the pintle hook of your lead trailer is reasonably aligned with the eye of the pintle hook of your dolly
4. Move your dolly to the pintle hook and secure it by latching the locking device**
5. Secure your safety chains
6. Raise your dolly support (if applicable)
7. Remove any temporary wheel checks to your dolly (i.e. electrical cable, large rocks)



* Not bumping your trailer against the eye of your pintle hook can prevent you from accidentally damaging your electrical dust cover or other components of your rear trailer
** Never move your dolly by the "eye of the pintle hook" Doing so may cause severe injury to your hand if the dolly starts moving past your ability to control its movement!

Step 3.

1. Get back in your cab and back both trailer/dolly towards your rear box
2. Keep your window down and radio/CB off. Listen to an audible latching sound*
3. Try pulling forward. If you didn't overshoot your fifth wheel and are properly latched, you should be able to move forward a few feet (several feet if you are pulling a light/empty rear trailer). You should focus on the left tires of your rear box and see them drag**. This will be your initial tug test.
4. GOAL. Make sure your fifth wheel is properly locked! Did you avoid high-hitching your fifth wheel on your dolly? Are your locking jaws properly latched?***

*An audible sound does NOT always mean a proper latch! Other mechanical sounds throughout your work environment may give you a sense of proper hook.
** Initial trailer drag along with your rear trailer tires NOT moving also lets you know that your rear box trailer parking/emergency brakes are working properly
***Get Out And Look. Get underneath your back box and visually ensure your rear box is properly latched!


Step 4.

1. Connect your airlines to your respective trailers. If you are not sure, refer back to the Introduction to Converter Dollies to figure out what goes where!
2. Charge your air system! Keep your tractor brakes ON and release your trailer brakes! If you have a Johnson Bar/Independent Trailer Brake lever/Trolly Valve; go ahead and pull it DOWN to charge your service brakes
3. Turn your engine OFF
4. Complete a full walk-around inspection. With your engine off, you will be able to hear any significant air leaks! Check each and every gland hand connection!
5. Walk to your rear box and open up the glad hand covers (or twist the shut-off levers/valves). If your system is properly charged, you will hear/feel an audible air drain*

* Do not place your face directly into the path of the air drain. You may cause injury to your eyes from any debris that is blown from valves

Step 5.

1. Plug in your electrical. Ensure ALL lights are properly working. At this point, you should have your independent trailer brakes set and your hazard light flashing*
2. Raise your landing gear (trailer supports)
3. Complete final 360 degree walkaround and ensure ALL safety items are completed!

*If you are having issues with one or more lighting fixtures, please refer to the Advance Guide

Step 6.

1. Repeat steps 1-5 if you are hooking an additional trailer. Keep in mind your HEAVIEST trailer will ALWAYS be in the FRONT

Important Visual Side Notes:



Improper hooked king-pin. Washer must be flush against fifth wheel



Improper latched king-pin. Locking jaws MUST be properly latched



Improper connected airline! Both airlines to your rear box should be INSIDE your A-Frame and not on the outside! If your lines are wrapped on your OUTSIDE you will risk ripping out an airline on your first sharp turn!

Final Personal Notes:

You are now moving along. All air lines are now properly latched. Your electrical lines are secured and all your lights are working. The landing gears to your front, centre, and rear box are up. Your pintle hook(s) are locked in and your safety chains are also locked in properly. As you drive along, at some point as being a new LTL driver you will get your doubts. Something may seem out of place as you are pulling out of your yard. This is normal. This is also where your "spidey senses are tingling".

Maybe everything is right and you did everything the way you were taught. But underneath this sense of confidence, there is something you missed. Something you may have over looked. You MUST find a safe place to pull over and recheck your work. It takes about three minutes to do this process. Run through your checklists, then make sure you are safe to carry on. An improper hooked LCV will cause severe damaged if you lose a trailer... not to forget to mention the potential of seriously hurting someone as you move along down the highway/interstate.

Develop your own system of mental checklists when you start out. Do each step the same way each time. When in doubt, pull over and make sure you did everything right!

NOTE: Ignore the below thumbnails. I can't get rid of them.

 

So yeah... I got some issues with this series I am working on. I wanted to create this series with all original content, all which was created/photographed, and edited by me. I did receive a lot of quality input from some of our other LTL guys that frequent TTR. Unfortunately, any thread that I open will automatically lock down after 24 hours, and I can't edit my OP. This is a default system limitation that I can't control. This setting is kinda frustrating since as soon as the 24 hour period expires, we got members logging on to TTR going: "You should add this, and you forgot that! And how about this idea". I am currently trying to get this issue resolved with the help of one of the admins. Once all the lesson plans are completed (and I have enough input from everyone for post editing purposes) we will probably release an actual finalized version of all the parts.

Second issue I am having is you will note I am missing at least one or two photos. Problem is I am losing daylight hours like crazy (about 3 minutes per day) and it is pretty difficult to take any more pictures since all my shifts happen over night. I am trying to figure out how to finish this project, but I am guessing I will end up incorporating CGI/hand-drawn diagrams.

I want to thank everyone for their input and help. I also want to thank Sam (TTR owner) for allowing me to share my series with everyone else by providing the server space/bandwidth. This project is taking waaaaay longer than I've expected, but I feel that if it is something that could help someone out, it would be worth the time and effort.

 

Your legal weight limit for a single axle dolly is 20K. 34K for tandems. The pintle itself is a solid piece of iron that will take on a huge amount of weight. If anything, the mounting bolts that hold it in place will fail first.