Puller/pusher

Brakes work off the truck air system.

Big moves require a maintenance truck and sometimes even a bucket truck.

We use both CB and private band radio.

 

Most of what I've been involved in, the main truck controlled the trailer brakes. Yes, they talk on the CB a lot to know what to do. A good pusher driver can pretty much tell what to do without the main driver communicating verbally with him.

I did see a Perkins setup the other day and there were air lines coming from the front of the pusher truck to the trailer. I wonder if the main front truck controls the front axle group and the rear truck controls the rear axle group on that setup? Or it could have just been for more air supply and the front truck still controlled brake application.

Some trailers, as in long line Goldhofers, need to have a pony motor supplying on-board air to have enough air supply for all the axles.

 

The only time I've seen an air connection from the push truck it was the emergency/red line only for increased supply capacity. The service/blue line was blocked with a dead plugged glad hand. The electrical is connected because the push truck is the rearmost lighting, so lights, brakes, & signals are controlled from the main truck as any trailer combo would.