about to start my journey

I slide tires times 8 when I tug test trailers. If it aint coming off then it wont ever.

Oh wait, scratch the ever. She'll come off if it has a mind to do it too.

If anything in trucking you probably know this already, Im writing this to scare the newbies a little bit.. he he...

Murphy was once a driver. (Murphy's Law...)

 

Always tug test.
But ya know? I’m gonna up that..
When I dropped. I couldn’t get through a light. Incline and ice. Three times I backed and went forward trying to make it. Third time it dropped. No damage to a fully loaded trailer.
Ever since then. My tug test is both directions.
Would still like some elaboration on sight inspection

 

Well like I said my Holland air release looks like a grasshoppers face when locked.
Always check the handle position as well, make sure it's in all the way.
One nice thing about the air release, NOBODY, not even Arnold, is gonna mess with your lock when you're not around trying to pull against that piston.

 

I'm dropping & hooking right now at The Evil Empire, evil for those that don't pull this freight, I always lube ( Liquid Wrench) big bolt in front, and linkage underneath, grease the top.
Never mess with the jaws. When I do PM ( 20,000 miles ), wrench puts just a small dab of grease on jaws.

 

Now eat lasagne!!!

 

The king pin is a huge notch. The #### thing is so big around. But the 5th wheel has a one hell of a Jaw that rotates around the kingpin from "Behind" and secures it. It aint going anywhere. The truck will break first at the frame before the 5th wheel and pin breaks. If you know how the 5th wheel works inside you can be durn tooting that it's locked.

The one thing I seriously raged at in my time was a 5th wheel that got lazy and sloppy. There is your trailer beating on the wheel banging back and forth every time you made a shift. Companies say aww it's fine run it.

I do anything to dispose of that tractor and get another that does not bang. Whoops the shaft got bent wonder how that happened boss...

 

Sorry I don’t have a picture, but here is a little tip. When you check that bar that goes across, look for a “clean” spot on the end of it. You will know it if/when you see it. If the end is cleaner than the rest of the bar, then it isn’t locked properly (the clean spot on the end is supposed to be seated in the 5th wheel out of view and that is why it stays cleaner than the rest of the bar). Release and re-hook until it seats in all the way.

 

Condoms and ear plugs , on a more serious note spare food, water, change of clothes, cleaning materials, a travel bag, soap shampoo toothbrush comb boots nail clippers etc etc

 

Well take a picture when you look at it when you hook up. If you don’t drop it or hear any crazy sounds back there you will know your properly coupled.

 

-Pens, paper clips
-Truckers Atlas
-Chalk(to mark pin locations when sliding tandems)
-Electrical tape
-Toolbox/hand tools/hammer
I do the kingpin visual inspection just before connecting the air lines/electric right after coupling. You’ll learn to group together certain pre-trip checks to work efficiently as a driver.