Big Boom but nothing is wrong

Well, except that it is a 2019 Freightliner.

Driving east on I80 in IN just before the Ohio line heard (and felt) a big boom, sounded like a drive tire blowing. There was some serious vibration and then things settled out.

Hit the next ramp and took a look, only to find all the tires fine. Then I checked the air bags and shocks, then the cab suspension. Couldn't find a thing wrong so I went 70 miles up the road to where I wanted to overnight. Again, nothing apparently wrong but I uncoupled to get a better look at the suspension. Nothing obvious, but just before I recoupled I noticed the block underneath the fifth wheel was bent.



Company routed me into a Freightliner dealer who checked the 5th wheel and the suspension but couldn't find anything wrong.

Any clue as to what happened?

No, there was nothing in the road, and the potholes/patches were not that bad.

@91B20H8

 

Yep, cool enough for penguins in my truck.

 

It is VERY recent, nice and shiney with some metal shards on top of the "i just graduated mechanic school and was told to grease the 5th wheel so I used 206 gallons of lube" excess lube, just a bad picture.

 

Tandems locked, and it sounded like it came from the drives.

Personally I think the potholes/patches "tricked " the suspension into dumping one or more air bags for a brief moment, hitting a bump forced the air out quickly and the weight of the trailer forced the 5th wheel onto the block.