Is it illegal to pull a trailer with a deflated suspension?

Here you go girls!

When in doubt ask your dispatcher. As the below quote you are allowed to head to the nearest shop if you can safely do so. This isn't something you ignore and run the whole trip. I wouldn't call a tow truck but find the nearest shop. Your dispatcher or breakdown can assist you in finding the nearest repair facility. I would also raise hell about the previous driver dropping a broke trailer and not writing it up. Then it's on the company whether they want to discipline him or not. Once you get to the shop you done everything you could. On to the next problem.

This is where common sense comes into play. You and only you have the final say whether you will pull a piece of equipment. If it scares you then declare the equipment out of service. You do have that power even though we are pions. Then it's on the company to have it repaired on the spot or towed. It's either that or a failed inspection by the DOT and placed OoS scaring your record and the company's record.

 

That is necessarily not true. Each individually feed off the trailer air tank reservoir. If the suspension system is not leaking air then the brakes will not be affected. In this case the height control valve is not letting the bags inflate. The tank pressure is where it should be. If he did have a major air leak the brakes would remain locked down due to loss of pressure.

The scenario of no brakes just won't happen.

 

Legal or not SHOULD NOT BE THE QUESTION HERE.....To the OP...you never , never compromise safety for any reason.....Period. Legal or not , satisfied customer or not ....You never do it. You really need to let that sink in.

 

Even if you could get away with it, you will damage the suspension and axles more pulling like that. I pulled a flatbed empty once with 4 broken bags do to shipper dropping 40,000 pounds of steel during the unload. power went our and elctro magnetic craine dropped. I only pulled it 40 miles to shop and it was bouncing all over. I had to fold and ziptie the air line to keep it from trying to fill the bags.

 

Condo,i didn't say no brakes,i said to little or to much.
Pls read my post correctly.

And the brakingsystem is affected by it.
You mention the supply off air coming from the tanks.It has nothing to with the airtanks.
The amount off airpressure to the airbags is measured and used to control how much airpressure is going to the brakechambers.

And then there is the fact that the weight isn't divided equal over the traileraxles.(most likely the last axle will have 70 to 85% off the weight on it)
Again this affects your braking.

Add to that the shocks that also cannot work as they are designed.
My guess is that they will not work at all.

 

What does "little" mean? You push on the brake and you keep going?

 

Cut throw all the BS and the short answer is do not pull it till it's repaired, If you do pull it take directly to the shop for repairs. If you are not trained and certified in suspensions do not touch it, ANd do not ask the dispatcher tell them it requires repair.

 

TO little
Can be anything from a loss off 3% to 90%.
If you have 38000lbs on 2 axles and those axles only have brakingforce for 36100lbs then have have to little by 5%.
To keep it simple lets say you normally need 300 feet to stop,it will now take you 315feet.
Then that little loss off braking might have a big effect.

As a great American once said.
All is relative.

 

What?!? This will be a shocker to me if you can specify any direct relationship between the amount of air pressure in the air bags being able to "control" the amount of air pressure being applied to the brake chambers. Are you saying the air bag pressure (or no-pressure condition) has equal or greater influence on air going to the brake chambers... than from the treadle valve (ie. brake pedal)???

 

KW Cajun,think about it.


But don't take my word for it.
http://inform.wabco-auto.com/intl/pdf/815/00/57/8150100573-16.pdf
Start reading on page 3.
States it quite clearly.