Unlocking a fifth wheel that has accidentally tripped shut......

I'd rather you drop it high than low. It's much easier to lower 60k lbs than raise it.

 

Yep

My issue was I was dropping a heavy load. My injury cam from getting the landing gear where it should be and pop goes the shoulder muscle.

 

A trailer suspension is never unable to be bled down. If nothing else a guy can get under and open the pitcock on the tanks. Not dumping the suspension on an air ride trailer is a sure fire way to bend landng gear.

We've all had those trailers that the dolleys fight you all the way up. Thank your fellow drivers for dropping loaded trailers without dumping the trailer suspension.

 

My bad shoulder is from being young and dumb. Basically thinking i was invincible. Got a very painful reminder just how fragile the human body is.

 

Thing is some tractors sit just enough higher that if you don't sit the landing gear down until you hear the airbags release air then drop the bags, the next tractor that's higher can't slide under. That driver then has to crank up the gear in order for slides to get under trailer.

 

I learned early on that there will never be a perfect situation when it comes to working behind another. I have had to pick up loaded trailers with flat tires, reefers throwing codes because of running out of fuel, etc etc. I never minded much it the trailer was left high or low. My biggest concern was will the trailer pass my pretrip and can I put it on the road. Nothing will piss a driver off more then having to slip a delivery appointment because you are spending 2 or 3 hours (or longer) waiting on road service to come fix something and/or getting into a pissing match with your company because you refuse to put the trailer on the road even to get it to a shop. I started my retirement process because one of my companies (ace) drivers left a piece of crap at General Mills in Tenn and the reefer would not get below about 50 degrees. General Mills was in one ear making threats to unload the trailer and my company was in the other with leave the property and we will solve the problem. Only problem with that was there was NO registration in the pouch and one of the tires was slicker then a babies butt. The company blamed me for the load loss (General Mills unloaded it) and made me sit and wait for several days before I got a preplan. I told my FM that afternoon I was retiring very soon.

 

When I was a company driver I never had any problems and I drove a Volvo, shaker and crapnational.

 

Not trying to be super trucker here, but you have to always get out and look at the trailer to ensure that it is not too high before backing under. Just good driver technique.