Fedex double

I pull doubles for Fedex also, first is double check your connections. Both hooking and unhooking. People rip there air lines off getting into a hurry unhooking.

Another would be teach yourself how to back a dolly using your mirrors. When it rains or snows the back window gets filthy and a lot of people struggle spotting their dolly.

 

1. don't go anywhere where you have to back up
2. Carry brake or contact cleaner.. it will remove the gobs of grease you will find everywhere.

 

haven’t pulled doubles in years, but I almost never backed a dolly, hook lead, hook dolly, back whole thing under kite all one shot, course the tractor I was assigned didn’t have a hitch

they do turn better then a 53’

 

Not super wide, but you'll see the difference pretty quick

 

You need to back your dolly behind truck to rear trailer. Unless you wanna wrestle the dolly across the parking lot.

 

Doubles (wiggle wagon) easy on the corners, catch my drift. Heavier box in the front.

 

Life will be much easier if your tractor has a pintle hook on the rear frame. If your truck doesn't have this you can hook to the lead trailer and use the pintle hook on the back of it.

When pulling doubles, go around corners like you only have the lead trailer behind you. Having pulled 53 ft trailers for so long your tendency will be to take corners much much wider because the combo is longer with 2 pup trailers. This will put the rear trailer over into the lane opposite the corner. For example if you are trying to swing to park or travel through a pull-thru parking spot, and you don't ignore the rear trailer as you should, you will swing far too wide and your rear trailer will not go through that pull-thru. It will hit the whatever is parked on the outside of your curve. The second trailer will go wherever the first trailer goes. It might off-track by an inch or two, at most.

All of the air valves between the tractor and the front of the rear trailer need to be open. There are valves at the back of the lead trailer (open them). There are valves in the converter dolly (open them). There are valves at the rear of the rear trailer (close them). When you are driving and apply brakes, there is a short delay between pressing the brake pedal and the brakes on combo taking affect. The rear trailer brakes come on first, and it's very easy to lock up a set of brakes in the combo. Drive like you are on ice, until you get used to it. If you see anything developing that MIGHT make you brake, let off the fuel early and let weight of the combo start to slow you down. When applying brake apply early and lightly. PANIC BRAKING is to be avoided ans one axle will likely lock and then skid. The main thing is corner like you are only pulling that lead trailer. I mean that literally.

 

Yes, that is exactly right, ignore the rear trailer when you make turns. It will go where the lead trailer goes. The sight of that long combination, compared to a 53 ft trailer, will tempt you to go around corners like you are driving a battleship. Ignore the rear trailer when you corner. It's ALMOST like you are going around corners bobtail.