Tips for new drivers (things to do)

Notarps already explained what the tractor protection valve is, but I just wanted to add that you probably won't hear it called that once you get out of school. Most times you'll just hear someone say "Set your brakes."

As an after thought, a wise driver will never set his/her trailer brakes when it's below freezing, especially if there's been any kind of moisture on the road. Setting your trailer brakes when you stop for the night at a truck stop with moisture in the drums will likely require some heat (torch) before you can leave in the morning. While your tractor brakes aren't immune to this same thing, they will be far more likely to release once you try to move than trailer brakes are.

 

Another tip is to let your tires cool before you bump the dock in snow and ice. Or if you are stopping in the truck stop for the night sit there a few and pull up and back up until the tires cool. Otherwise you will be glued to the ground when the tires melt the ice and then it refreezes around your tires.

 

that was the rule long ago before maxi brakes was to hook up the air lines and apply the brakes but now if you back under a trailer and it moves because the wheels turn it means the spring brakes are broken are are no good and it should be placed out of service for new brake chambers

 

Years ago, trailer parking brakes were applied with air pressure as opposed to coiled spring canisters. Wedge brakes, on the other hand, are a style of hardware to expand the brake shoes against the drums. The brake chamber pushes a short rod with a wedge that goes between small rollers on the brake shoes.

A more effective method of expanding the brake shoes is the cam brake. The brake rod pushes the slack adjuster which turns an "S" cam against the rollers. The force of the pancake against the brake rod is multiplied by the leverage of the slack adjuster. Cam brakes are easy to adjust. Wedge brakes are lighter and take less space.

The link reports an accident in 1981. I drove for this company during the summer of 1968, and for the same tractor owner at another company in 1983. Other transcripts revealed that the driver had attempted to adjust his brakes. At the time, I thought the driver had trouble adjusting the wedge brakes on the tractor, but reading the accident report, I see that the problem was with the trailer.

http://ntlsearch.bts.gov/tris/record/tris/00349822.html

 

if the trailer is gonna slide on ice...i dont think my airlines are gonna stop it. probably do some damage to them. i have never hooked up the air lines prior to hooking to a trailer...just dump some air and gently slide up under her, and set the hook.

 

very informative thread........

 

You are in school and this would be a good question to ask in class. There are so many valves: parking brake valve, tractor protection valve, quick release valve, relay valve, etc. I am not a mechanic. In my opinion, the red button is the trailer supply or pilot relay valve in the dash, but the tractor protection valve is generally located outside beneath the rear of the cab.

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/cdl_htm/sec5_a.htm

 

Another good thing for these new guys is to carry a bottle of rubbing alcohol in tha truck. You can pour a capful into the gladhands ( remove the rubber gaskets first ) that will aid in keeping moisture out of your airbrake lines during the winter. Also put some rubbing alcohol in your windshield washer fluid( keep it from freezing).
Another point is the defroster. In my T-600 I could not run the defroster during the winter on any kind of heat setting. If I did I would end up with Ice building up on my windshield. But in my 9400I intn'l I had to run the defroster. I don't know if it was the design of the truck or what but it sure did tick me off when my windshield iced up in West Virginia in a ice/snow storm.

 

Sorry but not me. I've always hooked the airlines up before backing under. There's a big difference between convenience and streamlining. I can drop and hook in 15 minutes and still do a good pre-trip. You'll get to be the same way. The trick is not to change your routine. Once you get a certain way of doing things you'll stay with that and you'll be able to know something is wrong when it's out of place or not right.

My tip; use a flashlight even in the day time to do your inspections. I carried a belt size maglite which could light up any area on the truck. Also take a good extra look for oil at the seals around your turbo. They go out and you could have a fire.

 

Alot of experience on this thread!!!!! Keep it rolling guys... Now i see why local companies wont hire yu out of schooll cuz there is so much to learn and yu can only gain that thru experience.