Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ

[Dracula]

That's long but very informative. Keep it up, someone needs to.

No problem. I'm no know-it-all. I just know what I know. I've just remembered from my mistakes. Cause I made a lot of them. I've filed a lot of grievances and just been a general pain in their side, so I knew I had to do things by the book. But more importantly, it's just the safe way to go about my business.

 

[olroadbeech]

No problem. I'm no know-it-all. I just know what I know. I've just remembered from my mistakes. Cause I made a lot of them. I've filed a lot of grievances and just been a general pain in their side, so I knew I had to do things by the book. But more importantly, it's just the safe way to go about my business.

You are right on about making mistakes. You hope they won't cause accident on injury and the main thing is to learn from them . When there was an accident somewhere in feeder I would always aske questions about it; the causes , if it could have been avoided, the weather conditions, driver error , or anything that will help me learn from it.

Always listen to the old timers. I learned much more from them than I did from training. Experience is usually the best teacher but you can learn something from EVERYONE, mechanics and rookies included.

when I first became a commercial driver, an old timer told me that if ever a day came around where I thought I knew everything about truck driving , that should be the day you hang it up. TRUE.

Try to learn something new every day.

 

[Brown Now]

is there anything you can spray on the break pads to help release them??? Do you bang on the sides of the pads or on top of them?? I've also had it when the snubber won't release after I've made a trip and I'm breaking up a set...tried to get the crowbar in there to help it release but it didn't help, i don't remember how i finally got it to release

Isolate the trailer from the rest of the set, pull the emergency brakes(trailer) and go out to the trailer and pull on the air cord until its empty. Snubber should disengage.

 

[Brown Now]

So did you drive with the middle box unsnubbed??? Is it required by the dot, could you get fined at the scales??

No, it would only disengage if I pulled the trailer brakes. I only park with the tractor brakes so it wasn't an issue. As far as D. O. T. rules, the snubber is for quote "driver comfort". If it's not operating properly you could always make it your rear in a set of doubles or, just roll with it and red tag it at its destination.

 

[Brown Now]

How are you suppose to get in there to check the break pads and airlines into the break chambers.. It's almost impossible..

You don't.

 

[olroadbeech]

No, it would only disengage if I pulled the trailer brakes. I only park with the tractor brakes so it wasn't an issue. As far as D. O. T. rules, the snubber is for quote "driver comfort". If it's not operating properly you could always make it your rear in a set of doubles or, just roll with it and red tag it at its destination.

sometimes the air pressure is not all the way built up and the snubber will not stay engaged. sometimes dirt keeps it from staying engaged. what usually worked for me is build up air pressure to max and then hit the snubber button hard and keep the button in with hand pressure for 5-10 extra seconds. if you are lucky it will stay engaged.

 

[trickpony1]

As far as D. O. T. rules, the snubber is for quote "driver comfort".

Could you give us the exact location (page number) in the Federal Motor Carrier handbook so we can reference this? Thanks.

 

[olroadbeech]

I never understood why the D.O.T. did not make the snubber operation mandatory. It keeps the trailers more in line and less swinging of the rear trailer. you would think this would come under safety.

 

[Brown Now]

Could you give us the exact location (page number) in the Federal Motor Carrier handbook so we can reference this? Thanks.

I can not tell you where to find that rule at, but I can tell you I know drivers from other carriers that have been told the same thing. "Write it up and it'll be addressed when emptied". It's not just a UPS issue.

 

[Dracula]

Good luck taking a set to the shop with a plunger that won't stick. Generally, they're not getting under anything that isn't required. I've never noticed the back box swinging that much due to a plunger not being engaged. I only notice my annoyance. I notice the swinging when the back box is heavier than the front more than the plunger problems.

 

[trickpony1]

I'm sorry but I don't believe "driver comfort" is the reason the OEM built the snubber into the pintle hook.

The older pintle hooks didn't have the safety pin securing the tongue. There's a reason pintle hooks now have that pin.

Could it be the continual hammering of the donut on the hook if the snubber is released could cause breakage and release the dolly and rear trailer(s)?

In my opinion, if it's OEM it has to work.

 

[olroadbeech]

Good luck taking a set to the shop with a plunger that won't stick. Generally, they're not getting under anything that isn't required. I've never noticed the back box swinging that much due to a plunger not being engaged. I only notice my annoyance. I notice the swinging when the back box is heavier than the front more than the plunger problems.

when I first started driving doubles the wiggling of the rear trailer worried me so the instructor told me "don't look in the mirrors." he was only joking. yes , it is irritating when the dolly has too much slack when the plunger is not engaged. if the trailers are both 100 % or close I will take the time to change them around instead of putting up with it for 200 plus miles.

 

[Dracula]

I'm sorry but I don't believe "driver comfort" is the reason the OEM built the snubber into the pintle hook.

The older pintle hooks didn't have the safety pin securing the tongue. There's a reason pintle hooks now have that pin.

Could it be the continual hammering of the donut on the hook if the snubber is released could cause breakage and release the dolly and rear trailer(s)?

In my opinion, if it's OEM it has to work.

Maybe, but I'm pretty sure it isn't required by the DOT.

 

[pickup]

Maybe, but I'm pretty sure it isn't required by the DOT.

I don't think it is required either. I've seen plenty of doubles run by other companies where their trailers has no snubber at all. That's why(hmm) , haven't seen them in a while, Conway transportation's double sets are always wiggling around on the interstate. The other reasons they are wiggling is because they are loaded by inexperienced or uncaring loaders who will double stack pallets with freight and its 50/50 which is the heavier one on top. Drivers for Conway also tend to drive balls to the walls.

 

[Mugarolla]

Could it be the continual hammering of the donut on the hook if the snubber is released could cause breakage and release the dolly and rear trailer(s)?

No. The snubber is not there to keep parts from breaking, the snubber is there to reduce wear on the pintle hook.

 

[Brown Now]

Back in the day, a large freight carrier I worked for had snubbers/plungers on the dolly as well as the trailer. Those were nice. In the late 90's they stopped that. It was only on the trailers. It was nice to have redundancy.

 

[Brown Now]

Another item that was nice was that the snubbers were automatically activated. Once you put air to the trailers, the plungers would automatically activate. You would have to set the brakes in order to drop the dolly out.

 

[olroadbeech]

when you in the snow and ice you want those snubbers working. our mechanics were great. they would do anything possible to make them work for you. if not, I would switch them. most of my sets were 100% or close to each other in percentage.

 

[TTIMMAAYY]

Can I renew my class a permit before exp. without having to re-take the DMV written test all over again? Local sort #439 Stockton,Ca p/t 10yrs

 

[Dracula]

when you in the snow and ice you want those snubbers working. our mechanics were great. they would do anything possible to make them work for you. if not, I would switch them. most of my sets were 100% or close to each other in percentage.

Yeah, well, the mechanics have changed from those days.