What would you do?

I would help my fellow driver out if they needed it and treat them with respect and dignity. God knows how many times I've needed help and have made the same mistakes multiple times. We are not perfect. We should all help each other and look out for one another. Luckily I've had great drivers of all types of backgrounds who have been incredibly helpful to me, instead of just taking pleasure in my mistakes.

 

I've helped before and will again.

Getting back in front of the pin is the easy part of course. Lowering a heavily loaded wagon can be a real struggle sometimes. I have blocks of hardwood for that and would make sure they could get it done.

I wouldn't offer any advice on not overshooting, that's too obvious. I would offer tips on the hard part though.

Second time I'd help but I'd have to rib 'em a bit.

 

It's the only way to get under a loaded tanker trailer on a dirt/gravel lot........

Unless you pull forward, stomp the throttle in reverse, get a running start and stop on a dime when you hit the pin.

I HAVE told a couple drivers that's not the way to hook up, but they already figured that out when their coffee, paperwork, and sunglasses came flying off the dashboard and hit them in the face.....

 

I wouldn't help the second time, and I would be plenty pissed I got soaking wet the first time helping a driver who is obviously too lazy to get out of their truck.

 

I would only help on Tuesday’s

 

There is no excuse for skipping the 5th wheel. Been thinking about this hard. Can't come up with one.

 

That's usually the opposite. Most of the time i can keep it in high gear lowering 40k. Trying to raise it is when you really get a work out in. A while back i helped a guy raise up 45k from the ground, middle of winter both of us were sweating like pigs by the time we got it back up. Surprised the landing gear didn't buckle after him dropping it

 

You've never picked up an empty 20' container chassis with a sleeper truck.

As an aside, the high trailers may not be the fault of the drivers or the yard dogs. I've encountered a phenomenon I call 'upcreep.' I drive the same tractor every day. I drop a 28' pup at the dock, practically empty, and drop it as normal. The next morning, it's loaded with freight--and it's higher than I dropped it. From what I can figure, the trailer bounces when forklifts are driven in and out, and that lets the landing gear extend, but apparently it doesn't retract as much. Over the course of loading, a trailer dropped at the perfect height can gain a couple of inches; I suspect the result would be magnified significantly on a long box.

 

I've been out of driving for about 10 years, 16 years OTR and about 5 running local. In a totally different industry now, but due to big company politics and downsizing, I may get back into it.

For me I'd show him once, maybe twice, depends on his attitude. If he is a know-it-all I'd pass on by and let him learn from his mistakes and hopefully he doesn't tear to much up.

These CDL mills pass these drivers just to fill the seats next class. Some shouldn't be on the roads. Just imagine the company guy that signed off on his road test ( even if that's still a thing).

 

You are correct. Never done a empty 20' chassis. You make it sound like it's such a chore that you just hope for the best? Find that hard to believe. I have found that there are countless bad things that can happen I have no control over in a days time. Hooking up to a trailer is not one of them. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I try not to F up the very few things I do have control over.