forgetting to lowering landing gear...

Although I can easily see how this can happen I can honestly say in over 30 years it is never happened to me.
With that being said though , I have been an owner operator for most of the 30 plus years and my truck and trailer stay together 100 percent of the time except for maintenance.
Now that I put this in writing let’s see what tomorrow brings...
If anyone hears a loud bang and bunch of profanity don’t be alarmed it’s just me and karma lol

 

You just need to knock on wood and you are free and clear from jinxing yourself.

 

When I am disconnecting I lower the landing gear first.

When I am connecting I check the locking bar visually every time with a flashlight. Then I double-check everything.

that's what has worked for me so far. Hopefully I don't have any issues.

I tend to check when I wake up the morning after being parked at a truck lot. Usually if I have the choice I'll park out by myself so anyone that choses to park next to me know what they are getting into before they settle in, hopefully reducing the chance someone tries to turn off my reefer.

I dont like parking next to other trucks, especially the quiet ones.

 

OP I have a little write up for my drivers on how to create a habit through a check list.

It starts with a list of steps written down, post it somewhere that you can see it all the time. I have a few for fueling and a walk around, laminated them and handed out.

Here is the thing, building a habit takes about two to three weeks of practice and then reinforced after a few times reading the check list.

What habits do is lower the risk of an accident or incident.

 

I worked at Schneider Bulk (back when it was bulk and National, now all just Schneider) and they had Pal-Lap, and on winter training in Garden City, Ga (Great place for snow and ice training hah) The guy who went to Houston for bulk training in the same class was an OSR.
He asked if I had a trailer, told him, Yes.
He made me go shave to be able to do the training.
So we was on great footing from the start.
He ‘wrote me up’ for hooking my way, and luckily the ‘Assistant Director of Bulk Operations’ was there, because I had to explain why.
My reply was simple.
Your way PAL. Pin, Airlines if you forget you just snagged and bent dolly legs, or hung up like the one guy on the tracks at Reserve, LA.
Other way LAP Was fine.
He agreed and told the OSR not to write me up for minus points on winter training, because the system worked as long as I had nonproblems and used a light to pin check.

Then during the drive, I still had a manual 10 speed, I took off slow and easy going from Quala to the redlight.
He said, “Hurry it up, I dont got all day.”
Which was what I wanted to hear, because I didn’t tell him I was loaded.
(He didnt ask)
So I slung him around the round abouts, and all over Savannah Ga before returning him to the terminal.
He didnt do anymore ride alongs that day..

 

All the trucks and trailers I have are old school spec. They have the pin release and dolly crank on the curbside (passenger side) this keeps you off of the roadside out of traffic and puts you on the left side of a unit parked next to you on your right side instead of someones blind side when backing. This also insures that you have to walk around the trailer to crank and release as well as do a visual on jaws and everything else bolted to, strapped, or lit up on the trailer. That was the original thinking behind that back then.
My routine steps are
Pin
Hook lines
Charge air on trailer turn on lights.
Check left side drive tires.
Check pin, jaws, and plate gap with flashlight
Walk around trailer listening for air leaks and checking lights, tires, rear plate.
Crank dolly and check release handle is in.
Check right side drive tires.
Walk around truck checking right side tank, steps and right steer tire, lights, headlights left steer tire.
All this checking only take less than 5 minutes.
Do the same thing in reverse order when unhook. Just go counterclockwise when hook. Clockwise when un hook.

 

Happened to me at our terminal right in front of the office, but it was real early in the morning and nobody saw me, so I cranked it back up and hauled ###.

 

Next time, push back under the trailer to lower the legs and not leave it suspiciously low ...LoL

 

Nope, never done it with 43k in scrap paper in the box.