Mentor Blues!

Well I'm sure not all mentors are like that, and I'll even bet that even if there was one that said the same thing (use the trailer brakes) and you refused, they might even listen.. This mentor you had not only wanted to do something that is stupid but he was hard headed about changing his mind as well.. Not a good combination of bad decisions and refusing to change.

 

Geeeee....I always thought it was a turn signal for reverse!

 

My mentor had me use it one time... once.

Then he told me, "Just wanted you to get the feel of it, but don't use it anymore during training."

I saw him use it every now and then, but it was only a quick tap to check his speed slightly.

 

OK this makes sense. Well, the first part. Tapping it to check your speed probably is not the brightest thing in the world to do. But having a student do it so he knows what it is like makes sense.

Just like when I was in training for driving bus in Denver, back in the dark ages. The instructor had me "stab through" the brakes, so that I would know that it can happen.

 

There are so many things that "used to be" okay in every industry that are no good anymore. The problem isn't with the changes in policies; the problem has been, continues to be, and will always be with those of us who cannot adapt well to change. This idiot mentor is one of those. Hopefully, Swift knows, too, and put the guy back in his own truck (if not down the road) where he can't teach his bad habits to anyone.

 

I have a newer truck, and the Trailer Brake is gone. Years ago I was taught to use it, and that was in bad weather. Was taught that when your trailer starts to slide sideways, along with getting off the throttle and pushing the clutch in, sometimes some lite taps on the trailer brake would help to straighten the trailer out

 

You did the right thing by reporting him. You may have saved thousands of lives by your action. Imagine, sleeping while he is driving down a steep mountain, burns up his trailer brakes and now has to use only the tractor brakes to slow down then loses them as well. Imagine if you had just 'sucked it up' and did it his way, he continues to teach other drivers this technique who go on to teach others and so on, you have nipped this in the bud.

Brakes only cost $200 bucks an axle I guarantee you it would cost a lot more if he ran over a little old grandma and her grandbabies or even crashed into the runaway truck ramp.

I've been hooking to a lot of trailers lately that the ABS light comes on intermittently, and thin brake linings. Makes me wonder if there are those Swifties out there using the trailer brakes only and overheating the sensors or at least caking it with beaucoup dust.

I've taken 3 different trailers into terminals recently due to ABS lights, thin brakes and expired inspection. All 3 needed new brakes and 1 needed new slack adjusters and the final one needed new drums as well. Sometimes a driver will want to get the trailer fixed up right, but is just trying to make a buck out here and the mentality is if we have to get every trailer fixed we'll never finish a load and therefore be paid.

You gotta figure most of these mentors are doing the teaching thing only to help pay their bills. That's kind of a clue right there to their business acumen or lack thereof. Very few derive joy, fulfillment and enlightenment from teaching.

 

I remember one windy day, and I mean windy year's ago when I hauled van's, I was empty coming up Whitewater westbound Hi-10 just west of palm springs, ca., when a GUST of wind hit me, I look in my mirror's and could see the trailer starting to tip over, I quickly grab the TRAILER BRAKE VALVE and applied enough pressure and MASHED my MOTOR, Trailer came back down, and kept trucking. It good practice to get a feel on the trailer brake valve so you will know someday how much pressure to apply in case of an EMERGENCY.

 

I'm sorry, but the trainee is correct here. The mentor was trying to force an unsafe practice on the student. It's a terrible idea to use it to "save the truck brakes".

Yes, it is a good idea to use the trailer brake to know it's effect like the one trainer stated. Yes, I've used it to straighten a skid.

Mostly, I use it to A: help me move tandems or B: Lock my 5th wheel so no one can pull the release as a joke*.

* A dirty trick some jerks play is to pull the 5th wheel release on a truck while it's parked. To prevent this, after parked set the trailer brake (knob or handle) and pull gently forward. Now set tractor brake. This lock the pin against the 5th wheel jaw and prevents the handle from being pulled. Good tip to keep in your back pocket (for the real newbies, you experienced guys know this).