DOT Inspectiond

In Lewiston Id the other day hit the weigh station for a level1. Passed with flying colors no hits. -4 points on CSA. DL was thrilled. Pick up a new trailer, head out of town, different weigh station. Tail lights work but brake lights do not. There goes my -4 CSA back to zero in less than 2 hours. Figured out how to check my brake lights by myself. Hang a bag of garbage on your johnson bar and always check all of your lights!! $67.00 lesson!! S

For those of you who don't know, a Johnson bar is basically a handle you press down and it engages only the trailer brakes. It's on the opposite side of the turn indicator stick. It only engages the trailer brakes.

Bart, I go through that area quite a bit. Glad they never pulled me in!

Mine is on my dash above my air brakes knobs and besides my dash mounted 5th wheel release.

I have a 2 foot crowbar that I use. I stick it between the seat and the brake pedal and it works great. Also allows me to check that or brakes as well.

Good to know. Although I had assumed that the trailer hand valve could in some way be put in an engaged position without having to manually hold onto it - for the purpose of checking brake lights! From what I've studied I know the purpose of it is to check your trailer service brakes, just assumed it could also be used to check your tail lights w/o having to Macgyver it.

Apparently there were numerous trucks hitting the runaways so they were mostly checking brakes.

I have no trolley valve. I sit my kingpin lock on the foot pedal or try to back up to something reflective like a t/s window.