Comments By Matt M.

I haven't heard anything, but would definitely advise locking them up. People steal anything. They sell them at truck stops, but I haven't paid attention if they've been out of stock.

Jesus I hope Prime doesn't still do this (noticed this thread is from several years ago). I've never purchased a load lock except the initial two from when I first got out of training. I have something like sixteen at the house just in case I have to drop trailers getting back to our dedicated load (used to be a common occurrence). I find them in drop trailers all the time.

Both of my dispatchers at Prime have messaged me about charging me for load locks once, and I went into a tirade and never got bothered about it again. I remember my first year at Prime they had sent out some message they were "getting out of the load lock business". Yeah...well I'm out of that business too. On the same token I don't bother anybody when I drop trailers with load locks in them.

It helps to have extra, I've sold some at beer yards that require two load locks and guys show up without em.

"The test trailer was simply added to add weight for the test (only 4,500 lbs - hardly a load for an 18 wheeler), and the trailer braking system was not used."

They were tested at GVWR plus the 4500 lb axle weight of the unbraked trailer. GVWR happened to be 50,000 lbs on both of the tractors in the study.

Got put OOS today in Van Horn, TX. Several dps officers in the eastbound cmv pullout coming into town.

Got me for an abrasion on an airline, wasn't leaking. I told him I was going to donate to the defund the police movement and he laughed. At least he let me drive over to loves to replace the line.

First ticket in seven years, I don't suppose Prime will fire me.

Https://www.nhtsa.gov/document/class-8-truck-tractor-braking-performance-improvement-study-report-1-straight-line-stopping

For some reason hyperlink above isn't working for me so that's the address of the study. Sorry I'm not good with computers, that's why I drive a truck!

NHTSA Test (pdf)

Here's an actual test of different types of brakes on a couple of class 8 tractors in two configurations. They are tested at Light Load Vehicle Weight vs Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. LLVW was tested bobtail and GVWR was tested using an unbraked trailer.

The LLVW stopping distances were all considerably shorter than the GVWR (check page 8 for LLVW stopping distances and page 11 for GVWR stopping distances).

The peterbilt took 38% longer to stop at GVWR and the Volvo took 25% longer to stop when tested with s-cam drum brakes than at LLVW.

Maybe the handbook was written before ABS was prevalent?

My personal experience says an empty trailer stops sooner. I have locked up the brakes on a fully loaded trailer at 55 mph (construction zone where they had trucks run the left lane closer to the construction, dump truck whipped right out in front of me at 5 mph). I've never locked em on an empty trailer, but I have braked hard enough to make the trailer skip as some folks have pointed out. The empty definitely stopped sooner.

The formulas for braking distance referenced here make mass a wash (essentially they set the kinetic energy formula equal to the work done by braking formula and since both formulas contain mass they wind up cancelling each other out). What they don't account for is that the braking systems in use cannot supply enough force to match static frictional force.

Thus a formula 1 car stops faster than an escalade, which stops faster than a semi, which stops faster than a train.

That said I always want to be heavy in inclement weather.

If you ever park at the T/A or Loves in Troutdale, OR (east side of Portland) do yourself a favor and walk up the hill behind the outlet mall. There's a few neat places there, but Ristorante Di Pompello is some amazing italian food.

Used to hit it up everytime we ran fedex up there.

I've done three flower loads, one in training and then I've done two with my wife. If you pull up my truck in the system a message pops up everytime "per doctors orders flower allergy" or some such...we don't do them anymore.

All three were multiple stop driver unload. Trailer loaded floor to ceiling, front to back. One trailer some of the flowers were palletized, the other two no such luck. Felt like I was going to die by the end of each load, although we got several comments that we were much quicker than most Prime drivers, ha. I don't remember using load locks at all, not sure how you would as there are like 50 different sized boxes (gladiolus are the worst).

The physicality of these loads is a challenge, but the schedule of driving and unloading is I feel far more dangerous. The one I was in training for I was so tired behind the wheel I was hallucinating. It was like a 48 hour run with something like 13 stops. Both drivers up to unload, and it's hard to sleep when you are sweating your balls off. By the time I started nodding off, bam, another stop. Then it's my turn to drive. I almost got into a wreck and that adrenaline kept me up for the rest of the run.

The last one with my wife we were both exhausted by the end, started making mistakes. I ran over my foot with a loaded pallet jack. We were both beat to hell. I remember messaging dispatch when we got the load "I thought we were friends...".

By the way, good God the storage situation in these 2021 freightliners is awful. We don't even have space for all the stuff from our 2018. Not sure what we are going to do, glad I don't have to live out of the truck otr style anymore.

Really? The 2021's have less storage? I thought they were the same as the 2018-2020's. I haven't been inside a 2021 yet. I'm curious...What did they change?

Sorry, missed this.

In the sleeper the "pantry" cabinet is smaller, with open space on top. No more fridge cabinet, just open space to place a fridge. There is a microwave cabinet. More open space, less cabinet space.

Much smaller closet. Small storage cabinet on top of closet, again with open space on top. Pull out drawer no longer has storage, it's just a flat desk that pulls out. No more open storage area next to lower bunk for glasses, phone, etc...

Pull down ladder underneath top bunk because there's nowhere to step up anymore. Honestly the ladder is a pain in the ass.

The front is the worst. Very small side cabinet above each seat that I constantly hit my head on. Where the lower netted area was in front of each seat is a cabinet with door. The above area is really shallow width and oddly shaped, and not reachable while seated (and I'm 6'4"). No glove box. Door pockets are much smaller. There's no area in the dash to store things like pens, fuel cards, etc...so it all goes in the "glove box" that's in front of you above your head, so you just reach around till you feel what you need.

Whatever engineer designed this obviously never spent any time in a truck. I'm sure we will get used to it, but I don't like it at all. Wife is driving right now but if I think about it I'll snap a couple of photos tomorrow. Have to go to dealer on my day off because bay 21 set my speed as 58/58 :/. Last truck was 65/65, don't know what's going on at Prime lol (I am a company driver).

You can thank me for the snow. I was a smart ass about the weather to my fleet manager and without a doubt invoked that storm.

We were driving to Springfield to get a new truck, I hammered down through it with 10k of hazmat in the box. Since we run dedicated in the south I don't really get to drive through snow anymore. Definitely saw some wrecks. Tucumcari was the worst spot when we went through.

By the way, good God the storage situation in these 2021 freightliners is awful. We don't even have space for all the stuff from our 2018. Not sure what we are going to do, glad I don't have to live out of the truck otr style anymore.