2 of 4 Trailer breaks out of adjustment - Take Load ?

Come on ... most company trailers go through an inspection lane manned by mechanics paid $25 hour to look for out-of-spec slack adjusters twice a month, and have the facilities, parts, tools, and manpower to correct these issues. If they are not capable, qualified, or otherwise trained to detect these deficiencies, then do you honestly expect a trucker with a 15 minute inspection window in a rest area, in the rain, and/or who drops/hooks 5 times a week, to find these bad slack adjusters? ... are you trying to tell me YOU mark and measure your trailer every morning? ... seriously? If you're talking about a driver pulling the same trailer every day for 30 days, Ok, I'll give you that, but that is not the real world today for 98% of the members here.

Yes, When you're heavy and you have to roll down the grapevine or cabbage, and you're not familiar with the trailer you have, you need to somehow know you have adequate brakes to safely get down, by whatever means necessary to make this determination.

 

To measure and mark properly, it is a 2 person job...usually you and a dot member...
I really hope your school teaches you how to adjust slack adjusters...even if you are not "certified" to do it by your carrier, seeing how it is done is an important part of understanding how slack adjusters work.....they readjust (auto) when the brakes are applied wjen backing...simply having the brakes on a dropped trailer being out of adjustment does not make it is defective....was the prior driver driving in hilly areas, with heavy braking, maybe mo jake...and perhaps used s few pull through parking spots...maybe finessed his/her drop, not using brakes enough to readjust them all...(2 did, but maybe the others a slightly sticky)...then maybe the yard jockey only connected the red line to move the trailer...common...
you should be 100% certain you have an issue before you cry wolf...heck it might have neen a great trip, the trip home, or the trip to a good trip....heck you are paid to get a job done, find a way to get it done. Some things are a pain, but welcome to the world of truck driving...
parking lots are often very stinky...trailers sometimes parked in 3 inches of water, trash, or other junk...but YOU CAN CHECK PUSHROD TRAVEL alone without climbing under the trailer...an old timer showed me how to do it with you pin puller...simple, fast, easy.
Drivers have had to MANUALLY ADJUST SLACK ADJUSTERS as part of their job till the last decade or so...most trailers now have auto adjusters....but there is lots of old trailers at some companies...

 

Dumb Question? Not at all. But you ain't gonna like the answer.

Try doing a pre-trip.

Performing a proper pre-trip eliminates this issue. Unless it's a faulty slack adjuster. Or an exceedingly old trailer.

 

Are you asking for advise or are you trying to make the world safe by informing us of our jobs?!
For a student who should be listening and learning, you are full of stats...
Tip...
Listen to your trainer...tip 2,listen to your instructor.
Check your brakes, be safe.
Next understand in an imperfect world, everything is not what it seems sometimes...
not saying everybody is not trying to do their jobs 100%, but lets face it, 5% of the folks can cause 90% of the issues. The whole purpose os CSA was (basicly) to weed out that 5%....the guys who dodge the scales, and when inspected have one legal tire, 3 logbooks, and maybe 2 or 3 brakes in adjustment with a 5000 lb overweight load...they are out there, but most of us are just doing our jobs, a hard job, busting our buts to makean HONEST living....

 

Well, first I learn how to spell brakes vs. breaks. One will stop your truck, the other will get you a sandwhich and a cup of coffee.

Then, I go with B and bad order the equipment.

 

Slavery is legal/honest in this day an age ????

 

option y....adjust the brakes myself

 

usually any time i hook to a new trailer i crawl under it, check for air leaks....apply trailer brake via johnson bar and check for air leaks/brake chamber leaks...then pop the red button and adjust the brakes...then lights etc

 

Back to the OP. Why didn't he mention another option, like adjust the brake yourself ? What did the school teach you, or your trainer, or mentor ? I had a steering holder nieghbor teach me how to drive and he only checked the light's and tire's. Long story short, When I went out on my own, I would alway's watch, listen, and ask question's about anything mechanical on the truck. BRAKE'S was the first thing I LEARNED !!! And to top it of, the first truck I drove had "WEDGE BRAKE'S" back in the 70's and was suppose to be the first self adjusting brake's. I learn real fast that they were junk and hardly work, and to adjust wedge brakes was a project, but I learned regardless.