PRIME drivers...What's your 20?

OpenRoadDreamer · Aug 19, 2012

SLC at my 02. Drop in the AM, then head to Fresno for 03 I really hate Cali...

silenteagle · Aug 20, 2012

Sysco Indianapolis. Dock at 0600 and we will see what's next. FYI, here is the summary of my inspection:

silenteagle said: ↑

Outstanding feedback from everyone. I am sure that if you are reading this that you have read everyones methods and maybe have revised your daily inspection techniques. What prompted this post was a level 1 inspection that I had yesterday.
I "thought" I had it in the bag, but one brake was not working. With brake applied, the officer could pull his piece of paper out of the brake/drum assy. There was also a little evidence of rust (something nobody has mentioned so far) indicating that the brake hadn't worked in a while. Man, I was mad, hoppin' mad. First, at myself because I didn't catch it. Then at the company because it had just be inspected at a terminal and wasn't caught. (this is what prompted me to write this thread) I crawled under with a flashlight and looked at the drum, and it looked like a rusty drum that was partially rubbed clean... as if it was rusty and the brakes were kinda cleaning the rust off, but not engaging all the way. Slack adjuster was tight, so no problem there, right? Not out of service, so I get on down the road after a not so nice message to road assist and a call to the T/A to schedule a fix. I know ya'all are wonderin, so here goes: Upon picking up a trailer, I inspect the brakes, drums, hardware for damage, oil/grease, thickness, and slack adjuster play. I shine the light into the drums to see if there are leaks, cracks, and that pad thickness is good to go. Look for brake contact with drum, or a gap between when brakes are applied. Check hoses and wires, looking for anything chafed, broken, bent, or cracked. Push red button in and listen for air leaks. (found several leaking chambers last winter) Pump the brakes a few times while moving slow to see if the trailer brakes are working, and usually do this while backing up as it is more visible on air ride trailers. At the first stop after driving a while I check the hubs for heat that may indicate a brake not working. End of day is a visual check and heat check again. Pre-trips after initial inspection are just about the same.

Get to the T/A and have the brakes inspected. Brake that failed is moving 3/4 of an inch (enough to produce heat, but not braking action) and the push rod is measuring about 7 1/2 inches long. the other side measures 6 inches. Why is this significant? When the brake chamber was installed, the push rod was not trimmed to fit causing limited braking action. (new brake chamber was installed in May, yesterday was August 18th) The only way I could have detected this was to have the peice of paper while someone engaged the brakes (unreasonable) and to have measured the pushrods on all 4 brake assy to see if they were installed correctly. The mechanic cut 1 1/2 inches off the push rod, reinstalled components, adjusted the brakes and got me back on my way.

I am disappointed that our shop didn't catch this mistake, and will be more alert when even a little rust is present on the drums. I wouldn't expect many people to catch this, and can't fault the DOT. Their action caught this problem before it created a much bigger one. I hope that this thread helps everyone improve their inspection process, as this situation has definitely humbled me.
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olphart · Aug 20, 2012

ironpony said: ↑

I was going to stop for the night at the Snow Shoe rest area, but it was already full.

If you go right past the rest area to the Snow Shoe exit there's a diner on the north side with a huge parking lot. Thats what I usually shoot for.
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Carabello720 · Aug 20, 2012

Thanks SE for that, I too have found some issues with PRIME trailers @ least, none with my tractor. Just goes to show that daily....daily routine inspections will save ya...both $$$ & maybe your life.

Carabello720 · Aug 20, 2012

Steamer, how was he? Meet him @ SPRIMO b4 I headed out on my own truck. seemed to be pretty with it, good for him.

OpenRoadDreamer · Aug 20, 2012

SLC yard. Went to start the truck this morning.... nothing. Had to get jump started. So we'll get this fixed n roll.

Fat Damon · Aug 20, 2012

Easy Steamer THANKS A LOT! You have the patience of Job! But we did it.

ironpony · Aug 20, 2012

Fat Damon said: ↑

Easy Steamer THANKS A LOT! You have the patience of Job! But we did it.
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Congrats feller!

At the Petro in Bordentown NJ...

MikeyB. · Aug 20, 2012

Walmart in bedford, pa. Had a worker follow me around thinking i was going to steal cereal. Asked him to hold it for me while i took a 20 out.

da1 · Aug 20, 2012

rest area past petro I39/I90/I94 WI

ip dont know whats up with the east coast and accidents got stuck in traffic on I77in va last wk 2trucks ran into one another then const on I81n which wasnt that bad until 2trucks decided to ru into each other at the merge point

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