Brake Light Question

Wheel chocking is usually reserved for fuel delivery vehicles. Not so much for tractor trailers. If the brakes have been adjusted correctly, an 18 wheeler wont be moving. Granted if the truck is on ice, no amount of chocking will help (short of using salted sand)

 

Here's the deal about parking brakes and cold weather.

If you've been on the highway in snow or freezing rain and you pull off for a break or a sleep, park on reasonably flat ground and don't set the brakes on the trailer, only the tractor, pull the yellow knob, not the red one.

Give your wheels and drums a chance to cool down to outside temperature before you discharge the trailer, this way they won't freeze up, or won't freeze up as bad.

The tractor is not as big a deal.
The torque of the drive axles will break the tractor wheels free if they are frozen, about 95% of the time.

Something else to do is slow down before you get to the truck stop, drive slow and let the tires loose some heat and cool down before you park, this way the tires won't melt as deep into the ice or snow as a hot tire would.

 

I try to plan ahead and drag the brakes to heat them and dry them. Have had drive brakes stick so tight that was afraid of doing damage to my drive line. Also have set brakes, then in couple hrs or so, start trk, and move it a few feet to see how the situation. Sometimes if on level just put trk in gear. Think that may have been mentioned.

 

There is one facility at Rockville Fuel and Feed where the gradient to the silo is steep enough so that if you set parking brakes and they are out of adjustment enough, the whole thing will roll down that way. Chocks a million might hold it. Otherwise put a block on the service brake until you are empty. We used to have the engine stall out and quit when you are where you needed to be at the silo there also. Its that steep.

 

Also make a bed of that accumulating snow several times in the day or night while you are sleeping. Pack that snow down while its coming down by rolling back and forth a few times. Have the space partly downhill so you can get out. Which means you will be selective in picking a truckstop that has a hill for the lot. Exit 3 in PA I-80 comes to mind. Milesburg is another. Etc.

 

Yes, it is operated by air, both of them, if you have trailer brake handle, there are 2 switches.

That is the jake switch on the pedal, brake light switches are on the air manifold.

I have had to fix many busted axles from guys trying to do this, if you screw up and let your brakes freeze, smack them with a hammer,.
Even if you try to power them loose with the engine, unless you have 4 way lockers it will only break one loose on each axle with the interlock in, which ever one is actually locked up will still slide even on dry pavement, I have seen many guys drag the tires till half the tire was gone.

 

Find it helps to try and rock the truck forwards and backwards to loosen a frozen brake. Nice and easy, just let up on the clutch enough to put some light torque to the wheels. Depending on how the brake camshafts are oriented, sometimes the bottom shoe will pull in tighter going forwards, making it harder to break it loose. If you nudge the truck nice and easy the opposite direction, the rotation of the drum helps pull the shoe away.

 

Guess I should have elaborated.

After the truck has sat for an hour or so, when most of the heat has dissipated from the drums, release the tractor brake to make sure they're not frozen, roll ahead and back for confirmation, then apply it again before you jump in the bunk, but leave the trailer charged.

Best advice is, get in the habit and don't leave the parking lot unless you know all your wheels are rolling freely, that's what mirrors are for.
I pulled trains for a lot of years, had 8 axles and 30 wheels to worry about.
In more than 30 years of driving I never destroyed a tire by dragging it, or busted an axle when froze up, or any other situation.

Hammers, steel bars, chains, sand, kitty litter, pine boughs, alcohol and propane torches are your best friends during winter!

 

Is it the type of parking brake you pull up on the handle? Or is it a floor style push in pedal?