Does sliding the trailer tandem to the rear (for dock purposes) damage it?

We’ve all seen the messages from many shippers/receivers to slide the tandem to the rear, but can this damage the structure of the trailer? How about just sliding the tandem somewhere in between the rear and all the way forward?

I remember a few months ago reading in these forums that a trailer floor was damaged because the tandem was left all the way forward. By the way, it may help to point out that the floor structure may be a bit weaker now than on older trailers. My 2019 trailer has steel bars (?) (under the trailer stretching from side to side) as the foundation, but that’s only like 15 feet for the front of the trailer and another 15 for the rear. The center foundation has aluminum bars.

 

As far as I know most trailers have steel (light) crossmembers both front and rear over the substructure for both fifthwheel and tandems, with aluminum in the middle. It is the foundation of the trailer strength where it really takes a beating.
I do not see how sliding to the rear could damage it when loading, it just gives the rear a more solid foundation when heavy forklift loads hit it hard coming off the dock.

 

In some loading docks if you don't slide tandems all the way to the rear you're risking them breaking the lower hinges off the doors when they first enter the trailer on the forklift Typically the kind of facilities that open the trailer doors inside of the dock is where you run this risk of damage to your trailer without the axles slid back.

It shouldn't hurt the trailer having your tandems slid all the way to the rear while loading unless your equipment is not roadworthy. I do it as a habit every time I hit a dock to help keep the trailer deck level with the dock as opposed to being dropped down with the tandems forward. This will usually keep taller skids from ripping the chute down from the ceiling in a reefer trailer as the forklift driver does a Talladega 500 run into the trailer.

 

It would probably be worse to keep them forward. Since them propane jockeys dont care about your equipment and will drop that forklift and freight from the dock to the trailer at full speed.. Tandems under read of trailer would give it more strength to withstand that abuse in my opinion.

 

Good point. That explains how some mega fleet trailer doors have all sorts of damages.

 

Good points everyone. I always slide my tandem, but I was beginning to doubt myself. Some forklift drivers enter the trailer really fast, and it really does make sense to have the trailer suspension right at the entrance of the trailer to absorb the impact.

 

The only damage I've had is from poorly maintained trailer locks at a shipper's dock. Slide the tandems back, bump the lock and it should slide down but doesn't. I decide to bump it one more time and nothing. Then I go back and see a nice bow in my lower bumper. I was pissed.

 

Last time I hauled Rolls of paper, I watched the bottom of trailer, while unloading. I could hear the wood cracking. 8000 lb roll plus 12000 lb or more Machine. I could see the cross beams bending, Watch the bottom of Trailer, sometime, While being loaded or unloading, It takes a toll, Not long after, While loading aluminum ingots, the bow type cross members between the King pin and landing gear gave out, and bent,forklift wheel went through floor. Now it’s a storage Trailer. My new one, (08) has 8” spaced cross members, It’s stronger, but heavier. Sliding doesn’t hurt anything, Heavy Loads, usually require it, along with dollies up front, when dropping, to keep the trailer from tipping either way from all the weight. It’s the weight, product and machine that destroy a trailer. I don’t haul rolls or ingots any more. I also try to avoid bottled water. Some places load 4 pallets per lift. 8000 lb plus machine. Hard on an old Trailer.

 

Van trailers do not have the deck strength that flatbeds have. The tandems to the back takes the shock of Mr Motorman well enough.

The problem is that in my time we used to stay hooked to it to feed trailer airride to minimize the shock of Mr Fast Motor man slamming on. They can #### well take a minute to ease the thing on there. Even with tandems back.

Thats one of the reasons I really liked medicine loads. We don't have the worries for that kind of stuff. We dock, forklift comes on and off goes the meds. 40 minutes later stuffed full of bales. None of that hocus pocus tandem stuff.

 

I don't think anyone mentioned the possibility of a trailer completely lifting off the ground at the front if the tandems are slid too far forward and a heavily loaded forklift enters an empty trailer. It would be dangerous as well as fairly messy.