Tandem slide damage

That rail did that because it rode high and was probably loaded like that while it sat on top of the pins. You have a safety issue on your hands, and that rail needs to be fixed. That’s pin engaged in the picture could easily pop back in if you turned down a sloping road to the right or hit a decent bump. My main concern would be them popping back in and the load shifting. It can lay a truck over in the right scenario, trust me.

 

I'd be calling the shop and wanting a diff trailer. Even if your dropping and hooking I wouldn't feel safe with that. Who knows what else could be wrong with it

 

Switch out the trailer. Not worth your life or somebody else's.

 

And replace the tire,its going bald.

 

Three pins is ok. This, however, is not.

 

THAT is not a run today. It's straight to the shop with that damage. Period.

I don't care about the regs. 4 pins 4 good pins and all is well on the rails. Three and a bad pin? Nuh uh, no siree.

I just don't tolerate that kind of risk anymore. It's going to the shop. They can (And will... ) fire me first. I physically refuse to deal with it until after it's fixed proper. I don't particularly like the firing when they do it, but Its makes it clear to me that this company and I are not of a same like mind in fixing broken stuff and keep people safe.

 

I'm glad somebody else noticed. That would be the first thing that will put you out of service.

The rail needs to be replaced or repaired. Perhaps it would be possible to hammer it out with a 2-3 lb sledgehammer. All truckers should carry such a hammer.

 

Yea and if that pin is under pressure when you take that last whopper of a swing. St Peter will wake you up up there at the Pearly Gates possibly with a little something for your splitting headache after that pin has gone through you.

Ive always been afraid of those #### pins. I have never let my wife handle them back there. But she did good sliding them with the tractor when it had to be done. I hate to say that I am afraid of something once in a while. But those #### pins yea that's another item.

 

The trick is to relieve the pressure on the pin. Easier said than done. Going solo when trying to pull the pins it was necessary to back into it, set the brakes, then dump the air bags on the tractor and sprint back to pull the lever just when pressure was relieved. Too late and you have to repeat the process.