Dropping a Trailer Properly

When I went from Tractor trailers to straight trucks it was rather funny to the loader operators.
I would turn the wrong way all the time when backing because I was looking for the trailer.
They messed with me about it for months.
Now I do not even have to think about it. If I have a trailer I turn one way, and bobtail the other.

I think that schools are leaving out allot of the air bag info because it is not something you need to know to get your license. It is basically additional info that you should learn later, but it may confuse some people when they are just learning.
Plus many company's do not have air dumps for the tractors. It is optional equipment. My company only hires experienced drivers, and we do not have air dumps on any of our tractors.

 

Leaving out information.....you got that right! So you can understand my attachment to the straight truck and the resentment of the trailer?

They leaving it out or do they not know? I am sure they know...it all a part of trucking. What and Who let this industry get in this sorry state? Awwww....forget I asked that OK.

 

I think we were talking about dumping the air on the trailer....not the tractor.

 

did he just come out of the woods instead of the closet?

 

No actually the air dump works on the tractor, not the trailer. It is normally located near the axle lock or traction control valve. We were talking about the proper way to park and drop a trailer.

Now its different with a truck and trailer, and depends if the trailer has a dawg or a turn-table. If I'm dropping a trailer off the set or a straight truck then I doll.y down to where it just touches then pick it up about an inch, pull the dolly out just in front on the trailer before dropping the dolly. Same thing pretty much tough.But you don't want to pull away from a dolly still under a loaded trailer.

With a turntable trailer the tongue pivots, set the bar or landing gear on the tongue, tough to pick up off the ground.

 

i agree to not crank the landing gear all the way down because somebody could high hook or have to crank a heavy trailer with old rusty landing gear down

it sucks cuz my tractor doesnt have airbags, much less an airbag dump switch!

 

Cuss all you want. I could care less. I refuse to make the next person who actually has to drive the trailer break his or her back trying to run the landing gear into the right position. And I refuse to leave a trailer in a fashion that will damage the next driver's truck. I could give a rip less about your old yard mule.

 

yeah a $10,000 yard mule vs a $100,000 big rig. hmm what one would i care more about?

 

So it's OK for me to break my back having to crank up 30,000 lb loads of aluminum, but not for someone else to crank down the same load? Interesting......

And it's more like a $1000.00 yard mule, but the feeling is the same. As a student, go out in the yard, and try to raise a loaded trailer with the dolly crank, many which haven't been lubricated since they were new.

 

and you are #### right i would complain about a company taking fsc--unless they buy the fuel--then not one cent is theirs---that is why it is called fuel surcharge --its not called--brake pad replacement surcharge--and yes if it is company trailer i will use the spike more than if it was my trailer--i guess prime would be a good job for you since they dont put spikes in their trucks---
i suppose you would pay for the reefer fuel as well?
your wage is made up really by how much money you can save from the little bit you get---so why waste it if you dont have to?