Tractor-Trailer Combinations

Occasionally long-haul companies will pull each other's trailers because of loading mistakes. I happened to be in a dispatch office one day while it was hammered out. One of our drivers showed up to pick up a loaded trailer at a customer. After he couldn't find it, they realized that the freight had accidentally been put on a different carrier's trailer. Our dispatch office simply called that of the other carrier and asked if it was ok if we just pulled the trailer to the destination (it was a drop and hook). I asked if it happened often and the dispatcher said that yes, they end up having to do that a few times a year. (it was a large company with over 1000 trucks)

 

I just wonder if anyone at the terminal would notice. When I was pulling triple trailers I almost hooked a fourth box right around the corner from the terminal to see if any one would notice right away. But I chickened out. Besides how would you explain that ticket??

 

Neither have I. Must be a "out west" thing.

 

I got these from a US DOT site. Give you an idea of a triple. The middle one looks the scariest... like a train almost!

 

Apparently my trainer did that one night... was late, and he would have had to make two trips back to the terminal with 4 pups... so hooked them all together, and hauled them in! That was decades ago mind you!

 

Nope Ducks, not me, but they are all around this part of the world. We get doubles into our terminal (and out again). I think the triples (and double 53's) are only allowed on specific routes (obviously!).

 

A more scary pic from a Roadtrain website from Australia...