Spotters (yard tractors)

I yard dogged for about 6 months on/off.I rarely ever touched landing gear.
Every once,and a while a loader will come out and crank landing gear up,so
as not to drive downhill,or to level out dock plate.
I did help raise up trlrs for drivers that needed help,but really couldn't imagine
sabotage of a trailer.
You hop in and out 60 plus times a night,so playin games wasn't an issue

 

As a former yard jockey, we didn't EVER touch landing gear unless it's too low for us to get under it. I had 200 doors to contend with, and production lines that stopped if I didn't keep up. There's no time for pranking some outside carrier like that. Besides, like jdchet said, if you break the landing gear shaft winding it down then you're in our way that much longer.

Best way to deal with yard jockeys is not to be an egotistical prat who thinks all we do is drive around in circles. Ask us for help if you need it, then make your exit in a timely fashion. That way you're out of our way, and you don't have to go gripe about yard jockeys meddling with stuff they have no time to even think about.

 

Speaking of yard spotters, once while unloading at a grocery warehouse, a rookie climbed into an Ottawa to move a trailer and was unfamiliar with air release 5th wheel, backed under a loaded wagon, like a regular truck, raised it up, and took off. We hear this BAM, EEEEEEE. We all ran outside, this guy made it about 100 feet and lost the wagon. I couldn't believe the landing gear on the trailer didn't fold under.

 

Well what did you think was going to happen when you put over 40,000 lbs in a trailer? The suspension compresses lowering the rear of the trailer and raising the nose! Air ride trailer with suspension dump? Many won't drop down due to the brakes being locked until you put some weight on them. Then they walk forward and jamming the landing gear! Why would us "lazy" yard jockeys screw with landing gear???????? Geez!

JD

 

Hey JD, kind of defeats the purpose of the hydraulic lift.

 

The total lack of practical knowledge regarding the vehicle these "drivers" are in command of is astounding!
And scary!
JD

 

Awww... admit the conspiracy of yard dawgs to confound 'n perplex road drivers!

 

Without road "drivers" us yard jockeys would lose our most important source of "free entertainment"!

JD

 

When I hauled RR cans out of Chicago, there was a yard on the South side, and their yard horse was a Mack R model with no hood and what this guy did to that truck, should have been a commercial for Mack trucks. It didn't have a lift, and the guy would hook on to a wagon, hook up the red line and take off dragging the landing gear. Same when he dropped them, it had a high 5th wheel, and he'd pull the pin, and BAM, literally, "drop the wagon".

 

We should start a TV called Road Dawgs vs Yard Jockeys...It would be just as much of a hit as ice road truckers, and have just as much substance to it.