Pre trip mistake

I seen a guy dragging his liftgate"digging into the asphalt" Couldnt believe he didnt have a clue!

 

Just started driving about a year total now.

Missed a broken leaf and a flat tire on 2 different trailers. 1 was because it was dark (5am) the other because the trailer was parked in 5” of mud. They were both picked up just down the street from the yard when getting the trailers loaded as the rack has lights. I now check over the trailers a lot more closer even if I have to hook up to it to pull it out of the mud. I also have a lot better flash light now too.

Not PTI the other thing I did was left my rubber mallet on the trailer fender (LP tanker) after doing a drop at a farm, remembered it 5 miles down the road with no place to turn around. At the time I was thinking I should just put it in the truck and don’t set it down. Guess what I will be doing from now on?
Dave ----

 

I thought maybe you were into arts 'n crafts while out on the road lol.

 

Not a pre trip thing but I once left a job site with my service truck crane elevated about a foot or so off the perch. Was late in the day and wanted to get home. Didn't notice until the next morning before I went to work.

 

Been there...done that. Had a streak of oil all down the drivers side of my shiny red Pete. 4 Blue Beacons later and I finally got it all off.

 

Gotta scare the #### out of you when you stop and your hood pops open

 

Check your hook visually. A tug test is not enough. Some fifth wheels are iffy, especially in the winter time. It takes a lot less time to look at the hook around the kingpin than it does to have 3 forklifts lift the front of the trailer off your frame at 2am in 0 degree weather (if you are lucky to drop it on the frame, and not the ground).

Don't ask me how I came up with that very specific scenario...!

 

I once forgot to shut my hood. Drove for 500 miles like that. Didnt notice it till the meth wore off.

 

I picked up the wrong trailer once. Got to a shipper late at night with probably 10 minutes left on my 14. I planned to hookup then just go street park outside the gate. About 8am a driver from the same company i worked for at the time is banging on my door. Tells me i have the wrong trailer #, it wasnt even close, lol. Shipper was about to call the police and report it stolen because they had searched the yard and it wasnt there. They werent even mad at me, they were going to fire the guard at the checkout gate for not checking seals;if she had checked i wouldnt have gotten out the gate. They said she was lazy and had not caught errors with seals/trailers several times.