Drive it like you own it

It bugs me when I see guys SLAM into the kingpin with their company issued trucks like they're trying to knock it off.

 

I watch a guy doing a trailer swap at a pilot a few weeks back (company trucks) and this guy was hitting the king pin so hard it was moving the trailer back every time he slammed it. He did it at least ten times, it just wouldn't lock. After watching that display I can guess why it wouldn't lock. He didn't graduate to hitting it harder after it wouldn't latch, his very first try got my attention because I thought there was an accident in the lot. guess there kinda was, then it traveled down the road.

 

Probably didn't realize the jaws were closed before coupling...

 

If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer.

 

Maybe. I've been meaning to ask how to hook gently with an automatic tranny. I TRY and I TRY to feather feather feather, but it almost always feathers just a bit too much, then bang!. I've tried one foot on brake, one foot on gas, and try to feather both. There are quite a few situations I WISH I had a clutch.

I was madder than a wet hen last week. I loaded the load on purpose placing more weight on the drive axles (flatbed, closed tandems that would slide, like a van). Scaled. I needed to move the 5th wheel, and the tandems. No prob, slid the tandems fine. 5th wheel, feather feather feather, BANG!!! all the way forward. Go the other way, feather feather feather, BANG!!! all the way back. I tried that a couple times feeling foolish hoping no-one was watching. I left it all the way forward, scaled, and ran the load. Dadgummit I was some mad. To me there is no excuse to be that rough, but I don't know what else to do in both situations.

 

Some of the automatics out there slam the #### out of it with no control over it from the driver.

Just wanted to note that as alot of carriers have moved to them.

 

Yeah I hate slamming into the kingpin, with a manal I can ease on it and hear it click nicely. But wth an automatic, I have no control and sometimes it slam in there

 

Yeh I drove my buddie's Prostar for a few weeks and I finally realized why all the slam bang drivers are out there!

Why couldn't the engineers make a dash switch to engage the clutch in low speed hooking and docking duties instead of leaving it up to the same control that runs the throttle? College edumacated idiots!