High-hooking A Trailer

Note, I have only seen this process done once to date. Hope I didnt miss anything!!!

Tug test???

they sent a terminal wide announcement/requirement that everyone leave the gap in the landing gear

Leaving the trailer low when you drop it might be worse. Now, instead of high-hooking, you'll have trailers sitting too low and drivers will be forced to crank the landing gear manually to lift the trailer. Have you spent much time trying to jack up 44,000 lbs by hand? It's no fun. I would much rather lower the trailer than lift it, wouldn't you?

Don't forget - trailers will often sink into gravel and mud. When you drop the trailer it might be fine. Two days later that 44,000-pound load has sunk into the mud and now the next driver has a nightmare to contend with.

Another problem is that tractors will often have varying heights. It can vary by as much as 6 inches. If your tractor happens to sit 4 inches lower than most you'll create a string of nightmares for other drivers.

The #1 cause of grief is that drivers are too lazy to get out and look. You simply must take a few moments to get out and look.

Id def say you nailed it with your final statement brett unfortunately by pure nature of the job truck driving seems to push people to a whole new level of lazy due to the lack of exercise time and ambition ive certainly had my moments mostly due to extreme weather but weve just gotta keep our heads about us and push to do the same things every single day till its not even a thought that we HAVE to get out of the truck for some things we HAVE to do thorough pre and post trips we have to check tire pressures (number one reason for flats) and we have to take ten seconds to inspect trailer heights before just backing under them and lets not forget to bend over and get your flashlight on those jaws to make sure they fully engage too ive seen plenty of trailers droped due to that lack of a 3second inspection

Marc Lee gently reminds:

Note, I have only seen this process done once to date. Hope I didnt miss anything!!!

Tug test???

There is a big fakeroony here. You back into the trailer, you hear a thump, switch the gear to forward and pull. "Good latch!" you say. Well, pardner, that was really the kingpin stuck on the wrong side of the fifth wheel!

You'd better notice that when you go back there to hook up the air lines. ("Gee, where did the catwalk go?")

Note, I have only seen this process done once to date. Hope I didnt miss anything!!!

Tug test???

Yes, we did the tug test with the trailer pre trip. Of course you have to make sure the trailer brakes work. I only commented on the coupling itself

Another problem encountered with a "low trailer" when approaching it is not every company has air bag dump capability. When I was at Knight, none of our trucks had this, believe it or not. Company saving money....

I have cranked up many more trailers than I've ever needed to lower. Absolutely no fun cranking up a 46,000 lb load in August in Atlanta at a drop yard where the asphalt has gone to liquid matter under the landing gear legs.

Errol, I did state in my 1st post that the height was checked before G reversed, then out of truck again to make sure pin was in hole, hook was latched and no daylight between 5th wheel and trailer. The thunk in my post was a clean/propper hook. Nothing was done blindly.

When I was at Knight, none of our trucks had this, believe it or not. Company saving money....

PackRat, you must have drawn the short straw while you were at Knight. Every truck I've had here has a dump valve.

Delco Dave points out:

Errol, I did state in my 1st post that the height was checked before G reversed, then out of truck again to make sure pin was in hole, hook was latched and no daylight between 5th wheel and trailer. The thunk in my post was a clean/propper hook. Nothing was done blindly.

No problem there, Dave. I was only adding to Marc Lee's suggestion about a tug test, that it could be a false result. And I spoke from personal experience. I thought it was in the hole, tugged once then noticed the catwalk had "disappeared"!

Yeah, since that incident I GOALed my trailer hooks. Only takes a second.

Gotcha Errol, thanks for clarification! I absorbed a ton of information that day. I was bound to miss something after 2 weeks. Repetition is key to learning in this career.