Yep don't worry most of us have done this... many just won't admit it lol. I never broke the lines but I made a set straight as a board and dropped a light load trailer on my frame luckily it wasn't to heavy still took 30 mins to jack up lol.now I always check to make sure the 5th wheel is locked by going under it and always double check the connections... live and learn. If they list that as a preventable I would protest it for sure.
RogerThat72, After readin' your post I had a lot to say, until I read all the posts to this point. What I wanted to tell you has already been told, and well said. That you feel bad, is good. If you didn't care, you wouldn't. That impresses me positively. 1 2 3 Good Advice.
Chances are you will do it again. I've done it a few times myself. Go to the truckstop, get new airlines, and fix it yourself. Takes less than an hour and like $60. (You do have a toolbox right?l No need to report anything... Heck, now he company got NEW airlines for free!
In this months Land Line Magazine, the Chrome Shop Mafia guys recommend carrying two extra air hoses. They need to be replaced once in a while. Now, where you made your mistake is calling safety or dispatch. The call should gone like this. "Dispatch, I have a problem with my air lines. The hoses have developed a leak and I cannot get the brakes to release. I think I can get going again if I can get a couple of hose brought out." If you did not hit anything, then there is no accident. What happen is equal to having a headlight go out. You cannot drive until fixed but it is normal wear and tear. Always tell the truth, but if you not on with Bill O'Reilly, you are allowed to spin it.
It's a mistake learn from it I use a similar 1, 2, 3 but the 5th wheel is always the last thing I disconnect the lines go first then the gear but whatever way you do it do it the same way everytime. I heard somewhere that if you repeat the same procedure the same way 2500 times it becomes "muscle memory" so it's automatic even if your not wholly thinking about unhooking habit takes over and you automatically do it in the same order. Any safety thing you do, do it the same way everytime. Heck I've done so many pretrips even if I switch trailers in the middle of the day I usually find myself doing a full pretrip even on my truck. Good habits is what you want. **edited for clarity