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Drivers leaving landing gear crank sticking out...

Discussion in 'LTL and Local Delivery Trucking Forum' started by bp88, Nov 9, 2015.

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  1. Nov 9, 2015 #1
    bp88

    bp88 Light Load Member

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    Orange County, CA
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    Okay, first time this has happened to me in the two years I've been driving. Recently I started pulling LTL dry van after almost two years of local flatbed hauling steel so it took me a while to get accustomed to the tight quarters drop yards at this company. After about a couple weeks I got fairly comfortable backing into most of these tight spots between other trailers but tonight whoever dropped the trailer next to the spot I backed in to left the landing gear crank sticking all the way out in the locked position and sufficed to say it has a whole new bend in it now. The drop yard is pretty darn tight most of the time, especially around these holiday times, and not very well lit. I felt pretty stupid yet irritated at the same time that somebody would be that lazy. I could understand just leaving it dangling off the hook - but locked in the outward position? Maybe he or she just forgot, but boy did it make me feel bad. Is this a pretty common occurrence in the dry van world? I've never seen it happen before until tonight... Now I'm going to be keeping an eye out for such things. Now for my 50 lashes..
     
    bp88, Nov 9, 2015
    bp88, Nov 9, 2015
    #1
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  3. Nov 10, 2015 #2
    scottied67

    scottied67 Road Train Member

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    california norte
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    The people who leave them sticking out like that are just advertising to the world how stupid they are .
     
    scottied67, Nov 10, 2015
    scottied67, Nov 10, 2015
    #2
    LGarrison, Shaggy, redoctober83 and 2 others Thank this.
  4. Nov 10, 2015 #3
    TROOPER to TRUCKER

    TROOPER to TRUCKER Anything Is Possible

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    I always empty or loaded leave it a inch off the ground drop air bags and move on. I do it with empties so not to get complacent on it. Helps other not killing their back.
     
    TROOPER to TRUCKER, Nov 10, 2015
    TROOPER to TRUCKER, Nov 10, 2015
    #3
  5. Nov 10, 2015 #4
    tucker

    tucker Road Train Member

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    Don't tell anyone you bent it, your company might call it an accident.
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2015
    tucker, Nov 10, 2015
    tucker, Nov 10, 2015
    #4
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  7. Nov 10, 2015 #5
    bp88

    bp88 Light Load Member

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    Apr 20, 2013
    Orange County, CA
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    I won't. As much as I try to do the right thing I won't gamble with my livelihood. Almost 99% of the trailers in the yard are so banged up it's surprising they're still around. Many of them even have caulked up holes and tears.
     
    bp88, Nov 10, 2015
    bp88, Nov 10, 2015
    #5
    tucker Thanks this.
  8. Nov 10, 2015 #6
    Cranky Yankee

    Cranky Yankee Cranky old ######

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    so basically you rub off all the grease to pick up a trailer not the way i would do it but it is a brand new world
     
    Cranky Yankee, Nov 10, 2015
    Cranky Yankee, Nov 10, 2015
    #6
    Shaggy, truckon, jammer910Z and 1 other person Thank this.
  9. Nov 11, 2015 #7
    carramrod32

    carramrod32 Heavy Load Member

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    Laziness and ignorance seem to go hand in hand, pretty simple to put the handle in the down position. I mean you just cranked it down, finish the task at hand.
     
    carramrod32, Nov 11, 2015
    carramrod32, Nov 11, 2015
    #7
  10. Nov 11, 2015 #8
    special-k

    special-k Road Train Member

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    Southern Ontario Canada
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    Im with you cranky. I think its an empty/light van thing lol. Ive always done heavy work and my ### would have been chewed if i did that stunt when i was learning the ropes lol
     
    special-k, Nov 11, 2015
    special-k, Nov 11, 2015
    #8
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  11. Nov 11, 2015 #9
    Bob Dobalina

    Bob Dobalina Road Train Member

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    You are correct. It avoids the potential for a "high hook" situation. It is common practice to drop with the landing gear a little off the ground with a lighter van, and just touching the ground on a heavier one. This is because most trucks have air bag dump valves these days, unlike "back in his day". And no, you won't scrape all the grease off!

    To the original point, a crank handle left sticking out for someone else to hit is the epitome of laziness.
     
    Bob Dobalina, Nov 11, 2015
    Bob Dobalina, Nov 11, 2015
    #9
    scottied67 Thanks this.
  12. Nov 15, 2015 #10
    ChaoSS

    ChaoSS Road Train Member

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    Nothing wrong with dropping a trailer with the landing gear just off the ground, even with a heavily loaded trailer. Once you drop the bags you are setting the trailer down on the ground anyway, so you aren't actually dropping it on the landing gear. It may have been different before air bags, when you couldn't just dump them to drop a few inches, but with today's trucks that is the way you ought to be doing it.
     
    ChaoSS, Nov 15, 2015
    ChaoSS, Nov 15, 2015
    #10
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