Hard Braking Event

I'm gonna guess that he's either a troll or one of many many drivers that needs to leave this profession to the real professionals who pay attention, care about what they do and don't make excuses.

And he hasn't responded to any of this. NEVER be afraid to post your successes, screw ups and problem in this forum. We are all here to learn and teach. Just take responsibility for your actions. Don't lie.

Kinda funny that I log in and this is the most recent thread because I actually got a critical event today also (hard brake) , completely my fault though. Won't go into any details but I just made a bad decision. Anyway these things happen most of them being avoidable.

Kinda funny that I log in and this is the most recent thread because I actually got a critical event today also (hard brake) , completely my fault though. Won't go into any details but I just made a bad decision. Anyway these things happen most of them being avoidable.

You could give the details to help others. When we make mistakes and own them here, we get support. Stay safe.

Kinda funny that I log in and this is the most recent thread because I actually got a critical event today also (hard brake) , completely my fault though. Won't go into any details but I just made a bad decision. Anyway these things happen most of them being avoidable.

You could give the details to help others. When we make mistakes and own them here, we get support. Stay safe.

Basically what happened is I had just dropped my loaded trailer at the customer and was bobtailing to the tank wash to pick up a clean empty tank. I never ever bobtail anywhere so I was just kind of thrown off. I can't really explain it. Anyway I was driving down a 2 lane highway and was approaching a traffic light. The light was green at the time but just turned yellow. There was really no other traffic around and I was pretty close to the light. At this point I am debating if I want to hurry and try and stop in time or just go on through the light. Anyway I took way longer than I should of to make a decision and the light turned red. At this point for no reason I kinda panicked and hit my brake quickly to stop at the red light and triggered a hard braking event. Completely 100% my fault and avoidable.

So the lesson for newbies here is: slow down and expect all lights to turn soon. make a decision before the color change at which point would you stop. downshifting can take months to master. Dont be a hero. if you need to, slow down and put your hazards on when approaching lights if you are nervous. no one will know if you are new or having mechanical issues. At least the hazards give those around you a heads up.

Rainy said what I would have. When approaching a traffic light always plan on stopping when you see yellow. It is a rare instance when we should plow through. Remember botails can be harder to stop and can roll over easier.

This is true. I guess I kinda got too complacent with always pulling a trailer because we never ever bobtail in tanker it seems like. I realized my mistake after having to brake so hard just to stop, also I seen a red light camera so that kinda weighed on my mind. You both are correct though I have to make them decisions way further in advance.

This is true. I guess I kinda got too complacent with always pulling a trailer because we never ever bobtail in tanker it seems like. I realized my mistake after having to brake so hard just to stop, also I seen a red light camera so that kinda weighed on my mind. You both are correct though I have to make them decisions way further in advance.

It happens sometimes. I almost never bobtail either anymore, but I've had to brake pretty hard for some red lights as well, even with a trailer. I don't know if they counted as hard breaking events or not--my company doesn't call us in for them unless they start happening frequently. I typically go about 10 mph below the speed limit when approaching traffic signals, but sometimes it's just tough to get that timing just right. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless it happens all the time.

This is true. I guess I kinda got too complacent with always pulling a trailer because we never ever bobtail in tanker it seems like. I realized my mistake after having to brake so hard just to stop, also I seen a red light camera so that kinda weighed on my mind. You both are correct though I have to make them decisions way further in advance.

If you do see a red light camera, go for the hard brake. I was going through Hannibal MO with a heavy load, the light changed to yellow at exactly the wrong time. I didn't feel like I could safely stop in time, so I layed on the air horn and sure enough, light changed to red as soon as I hit the stop line. Camera flashed as soon as I was in the intersection. I'm still waiting for the citation to come in the mail, that was back in early Oct...