Everything to know about Doubles

Try and avoid sloped ground when hooking a set.
Reposition on flat ground if needed.

One of our drivers was crushed to death in Texas last year. I think he had hooked his last pup, and didn't set his tractor brake.

He went to the rear of first trailer, turned on the air, on sloped ground, set jackknifed crushing him.

All great advice here . . .

 

When breaking a set always remember to drain the air off your dolly. You don't want to leave the big "11s" for everybody to see next morning lol

IF you have a moderately new dolly it should have a button that drains the air immediately. If not, there should be a cable that hangs directly under the center of the dolly connected to air tank, keep pulling it and air should be completely off in about 30 seconds.

If cable is broken (and some dingleberry never reported it) you should still be able to drain the air by moving opening the valve yourself (bottom of the tank facing the pavement).

 

That's what I was gonna say, if somehow your pintle hook breaks/snaps,becomes free, your chains will be broken too..You can even roll down the road without closing the pintle hook if your"ram-rod" works..Nothing is more disturbing that doing a 450 mile trip and walking back there to break apart your set to see your pintle hook open,and thinking these chains would of done nothing to keep these traliers together..

 

thats why I never raise the back box landing gear until all hooking up & air flow is good..

 

I actually enjoy pulling doubles, although a van is nice on occasion

 

Biggest thing I would say is watch out for ground that isn't level when hooking or breaking and try to avoid if possible. Gravity will make those dollies a handful and potentially very dangerous.

 

Is it easy to manipulate that doubles if you are a first timer in trucking?

 

It's the easiest thing in the world. Think about it, doubles turn a lot better than a 53 footer because of articulation. Also, if you are pulling doubles chances are you are going from terminal to terminal, that means: no deliveries to tight places, no backing from the street, no having to actually find the place, chances are the terminal directions are easy as hell, you just pull in and drop em in the yard, or break em up and put em in a certain door, it's only 27 feet back there, it's a piece of cake. All highway driving city to city. To me pulling doubles is the easiest driving job I've ever had.

Compare that to delivering in Jersey City with a 53 foot trailer and a sleeper cab backing from a one way street.

 

Did that in brooklyn had 2 deliver off 39th street, it was a mother getting in there it took me 2 passes 2 figure out how 2 get in there then had 2 fight with city buses. I had 2 deliver 2 the menities grocery stores they unloaded my trailer with a fork lift a chain with a hook on the end. On my way out I got hung up down town look like I knocked alot of dust off those signs lol!!!

 

dont turn down a dead end street .....lol dont ask how i know this...