Trucking question

I recently got hired as a yard jockey the past two months,everything was going fairly well wasen;t really properly trained or anything.. i am a holder of a cdl a.... ive had a few minor scuffs with trailers here and there... But recently i backed under a trailer heard the locking jaws lock and i did a tug test and it seemed fine.. But once i took off got about 10 feet ahead the locking jaws let go and the trailer smashed on the ground.the so called mechanics who don't keep up the equipment atall and the yard truck is 30+ years old.. after all this happened one of the mechanics tried the locking jaws and got them to function again.. and another driver used it for the rest of the day with no problems.. this is all on company property...i wasent fired for this, i do believe there's something wrong with the locking jaws but me being new they dont take my word for it... they want to put me in another department aside from driving but i just cant do that atleast for this company.. what are your thoughts???will this hinder my record atall?

 

You weren't fired, so the company must want you to stay.

What is your location; city/state?

 

It should have no effect on your chances to be hired by a trucking company. You have no experience driving a semi. The insurance company may have reported it but it was not something that could be put on you. The locking jaws are hydraulic and a failure in the line could have opened them.

It would not be considered an accident as a yard dog is not street legal.

 

How does a trailer "smash to the ground"?

IIRC, yard horses have a fifth wheel that lifts the trailer about 8-10", not enough to do much damage if it drops.

 

For the time being, you may want to build up a job history, ranging from 3 years to 10 years. You can always go back for either a refresher course or full retraining as a driver. In the mean time, be EXTREMELY THANKFUL that you are currently working and receiving a paycheck. Jobs are quite difficult to find, all over.

Good luck to you!

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

Being that he said its 30 years old, the yard dog is probably just an old truck with no special lift.

TO OP:

If you ever want to drive on the road, "a few minor scuffs with trailers here and there." is not OK. Prob need to be more careful. Just cuz other driver zip around the yard and never get out and look doesn't mean you shouldn't. Not sure what the senaro was, but generally its a good idea to visually check the fith is locked. U understand this might not be practical for a yard dog, but if its 30 years also you should. Also you need to verify your not high hooking it. If you dont have a lifting fith its easy to do.

 

As far as the jaws not locking not sure when this happened or where you are located but the company I work sent out reminders all winter about making sure the fifth wheel didn't have snow on it before backing under a trailer cause the snow could keep the jaws from fully locking in place.

 

OP... and you're absolutely, 100% positive you didn't err in any way at all? Not trying to be hard on you here, but I can understand their skepticism. Is it just an old truck they use for that purpose, or is it an actual hostler, with the hydraulically locking fifth wheel? Because those are actuated by a hydraulic pump, and to unlock, the direction of fluid flow has to be changed.. an electric solenoid would make for a good culprit, except it's much more likely to be a lever in the case of a vehicle that old...

 

You should check with a flashlight every hook. You can not rely on sound or feeling because they sometimes make all that noise and are not hooked.

 

Even a yard jockey truck can "high hook" a trailer that at one point had the legs extended WAY down when dropped due to irregular surface or pot holes. What you may have felt was the king pin holding at the front of the fifth wheel, then later rolled around and off