Anyone ever make this mistake?

Did it once. Picked trailer out of dirt yard went about my business of inspection thinking in the beginning don't forget. I go to pull off and I'm feeling a lot of feedback shrug my shoulders thinking trailer is heavier than they said as well as a dirt lot, moving along I'm looking in the mirror thinking that's to much dust being raised stop get out look. Sure enough I ploughed two straight furrows about 200 feet.

 

So there's a theme here.
Have a system/order that you do things. Don't get distracted by other people or events.
If you hear that little voice, GOAL.
Did I miss anything.

 

As has been said before...Process, process, process.

Check, Connect, Tug and Verify

 

My first week of training my trainer insisted on hurrying to hook a trailer and go. Guided me back and I locked in. He raised the gear and hooked up the air lines. We got a block down the street and dropped the trailer rounding the first corner. He didn't check the height and I high hooked the trailer. Fortunately it was empty and we jacked it back up and hooked the right way. The guy was a #######. After training was over and I was solo, he tried to pin it on me. Explained what happened to my DM and he got dinged for it, not me.

 

Landing gears can be a real problem sometimes!

 

Hauled food grade tanks years ago for this hot head owner. Long story short he hooked a set and when I got to the yard he said get in and go. I did. Drove 150 miles mty to a Creamery. Guy started loaded me and I did a VI. Holy #### it was high pinned. Anyway, got back to the yard and tore that owner a new ###. Never again! I do my own pretrip. Period.

 

Been there done that. I also, drove a trailer from customer to customer with landing gear still down, pulled away from a trailer without disconnecting airlines and electrical connection, dropped a trailer with landing gear still up, driven away with trailer doors open, driven to wrong customer in right city. I won't say how many times I've done those.

 

A week or so ago, I was leaving the Auburn, WA area headed back east on WA-18. Before it goes to 2 lane, a driver I guess had some sort of problem with the trailer. He barely got to the shoulder. The rear corner was right on the fog line and the front corner was maybe 2 feet inside the fog line.

I guess he got flustered in the process and forgot to lower the landing gear, and pulled out away from it and it dropped all the way down right there on the tight shoulder. When I went by he seemed to be in a great deal of distress trying to figure what to do. I felt bad for him. Just a tip, try to keep your cool when the situation goes to crap. It's easy to get flustered and make mistakes when you find yourself in a difficult and/or dangerous location.

 

Done that before. More than once.Lol