Trailer hand brakes

I asked for skid pad time when I went through driver training.

They looked at me like I was crazy!!!

 

No bungie cords?

 

You know, it never occured to me to use one lol!

 

i mainly use it to check for air leaks.......its nice to have a trailer hand brake that is loaded to stay applied without having to hold it so you can release the trailer brakes and set the trailer handbrake and listen for air leaks, or check that the air is getting all the way through a set

 

The only time i had to use mine for stopping purposes was after i brake chamber on my tractor went and road repair replaced it only to find the mounting bracket broke. I was escorted back to the shop by tge rr tech via i87 i84 and us9 in ny. Did most slowing with jakes and down shifts n used the trolley to stop completely. Felt kinda weird. Other than that its to test for leaks and tug test.

Ok, maybe once in a empty snow covered parking lot at a receivers, but only at like 10mph. Everyone went to lunch after i was unloaded.

 

I use the Johnson bar to activate my brake lights during my PTI.

 

@ the fellow wanting skidpad training for new drivers.. got mine down in marshall michigan, at the eaton fuller test and research facility they taught us the one golden rule of skidding in an 18 wheeler NEVER EVER grab your handbrake, EVER. avoid it like the plauge. @ the fellow who said he used it in a jackknife situation... you got lucky bud way wrong idea to try that. this place routinely trains experienced truckers, thats more what they specialize in not so much students like i was back then, you NEVER pull ur hand brake while moving is more or less the rule of driving a truck.

 

wargames- 38 years experience

swiftey- 0-1 years experience (and with swift no less)


really swiftey? what other rules of driving a truck would you like to fill mr wargames in on while youre here and we have your attention?

 

A few months ago I was running REALLY tail-heavy in the rain in Chicago on the Dan friggin' Ryan. I had my tandems full forward and was probably WAY over 34 on the trailer, and probably upper 20's on the drives.

I hit a grease slick or something doing about 50, it was also windy as #### there. The truck started fish-tailing. I stepped on the clutch and counter-steered and it wasn't helping. So I hit the trailer brake lever and it IMMEDIATELY pulled the truck out of the fish-tail.

(BTW I had my tandems in the 12th hole for that trip, but stopped after the last scale on I-57 to run them forward because of the part of Chicago I was going to, I'd be running over curbs and sidewalks if I didn't.)