Feeders - Proper coupling/uncoupling procedure?

[Mugarolla]

The way I was trained was to wrap the airline around the pintle hook so that if the glad hand.comes loose.you aren't dragging it down the interstate for a few hundred miles.

When you pretrip your front box you should be checking the pintle hook's action as well as the grommets on the glad hands, since you have everything already open you can then route the hose up and around so that when/if you yap the dolly nothing gets pinched.

Same when you pretrip the dolly, you check the glad hand grommet then route the line so that it won't get pinched.

Personally, when I drop my back trailer and post trip it I open up the pintle and route the line so that the guy behind me is already to go, same with my lead after I drop the dolly.

I agree that when you pre-trip the front box, you can make sure the hose is not wrapped around the front of the pintle hook. But here is a scenario.

Both trailers are on doors for sort down. You have spotted your dolly in front of the rear trailer and pre-tripped it. You are hooked to the front box and inside waiting on the door to close.

When you verify the door has been closed and latched, you go to your tractor and pull it off the door. Yes, you can pull it off a few feet and then pre-trip it checking for the hose wrapped around the pintle hook.

Or you could pull it off and spot it in front of the dolly. Now you can pre-trip the front, checking the lights as you throw the dolly on the pintle hook.

If the hose was wrapped, and you misjudged the distance, you could puncture the hose if you tap the dolly while backing the front to the dolly.

While we are paid by the hour, I don't know many drivers who want the extra step of pulling the trailer off the door, getting out and checking the rear, then getting back in and moving it to the front of the dolly and then getting out again.

Even if you wrap the hose around the pintle hook, it is still going to drag on the ground if it comes off the trailer glad hand. There is more distance between the trailer glad hand and the pintle hook than there is between the pintle hook and the ground.

I am glad to see that you set it up for the next guy, running the hose up and over the top rather than wrapping it around the pintle hook.

 

[Mugarolla]

Another issue with wrapping the hose around the pintle hook is that you are putting extra stress on that hose weakening it.

A loose wrap is not so bad. But I have seen far too many wrapped so tightly, due to a slightly shorter hose, that I could barely get the glad hand off to unwrap the hose.

You do not want this hose weakened in any way.

I have blown three of them locking up the dolly and rear box. It can go bad real fasr. With the dolly tires skidding, they are no longer steering the back box.

Two of the times were uneventful. The third time the dolly and back box started coming around. By the time I stopped, the dolly and back box were at a 30 degree angle to the front box, off the shoulder into the grass.

If the back box caught an uneven transition from the highway to the shoulder, or if there was a hill right off the shoulder, the back box was flipping.

And while it may not have been the cause, it could have blown due to a weakened hose from the yayhoos wrapping it around the pintle hook, time and again, weakening the hose.

 

[Johney]

All this talk of bumping the front box on the dolly, what about marking the rear of your tractor tires with something to line up the front box tires too so as not to hit the dolly? I was trained to drop a glove but after leaving half my set of gloves too many times as a rookie I found something better.

 

[1pocket73]

All this talk of bumping the front box on the dolly, what about marking the rear of your tractor tires with something to line up the front box tires too so as not to hit the dolly? I was trained to drop a glove but after leaving half my set of gloves too many times as a rookie I found something better.

Thats fine for those who are doing long runs.But I am doing 8-10 doubles runs a day.Thats a lot of building and breaking down.The marker method just takes way too long.

 

[Dracula]

All this talk of bumping the front box on the dolly, what about marking the rear of your tractor tires with something to line up the front box tires too so as not to hit the dolly? I was trained to drop a glove but after leaving half my set of gloves too many times as a rookie I found something better.

They tell you that in training, but when you get going, that just adds an unnecessary step.

 

[Johney]

They tell you that in training, but when you get going, that just adds an unnecessary step.

Doesn't sound like it. I still do it.

 

[olroadbeech]

The way I was trained was to wrap the airline around the pintle hook so that if the glad hand.comes loose.you aren't dragging it down the interstate for a few hundred miles.

When you pretrip your front box you should be checking the pintle hook's action as well as the grommets on the glad hands, since you have everything already open you can then route the hose up and around so that when/if you yap the dolly nothing gets pinched.

Same when you pretrip the dolly, you check the glad hand grommet then route the line so that it won't get pinched.

Personally, when I drop my back trailer and post trip it I open up the pintle and route the line so that the guy behind me is already to go, same with my lead after I drop the dolly.

good point. i have pretripped many many trailers that the previous driver hasn't clicked the gladhand in right because they were in a hurry to break up a set.

i have always assumed that no one before me has post tripped their tractor or trailers. seems to be right 50% of the time or more.

 

[olroadbeech]

Thats fine for those who are doing long runs.But I am doing 8-10 doubles runs a day.Thats a lot of building and breaking down.The marker method just takes way too long.

the marker method? you mean putting a rag or your gloves down to know where to stop? if you are building that many sets a day you probably can come within inches before hitting the dolly.

i would not skip any safety steps no matter how many sets i build. if it takes too long then dispatch needs to change the run.

 

[Johney]

Thats fine for those who are doing long runs.But I am doing 8-10 doubles runs a day.Thats a lot of building and breaking down.The marker method just takes way too long.

Seriously? I have my marker in the door pouch, drop it when I get out to unhook my dolly, pick it up after I hook up my dolly to lead and walk back to hook up the rear, takes all of 4 seconds to do it.

 

[UPS4Life]

All this talk of bumping the front box on the dolly, what about marking the rear of your tractor tires with something to line up the front box tires too so as not to hit the dolly? I was trained to drop a glove but after leaving half my set of gloves too many times as a rookie I found something better.

This is how I was taught as well. The problem though is drivers these days are lazy and it's easier to just back up until you bump the dolly then pull forward a foot. I'm not saying that's everybody but I see more and more drivers everyday backing up until they bump then pulling forward.

 

[1pocket73]

This is how I was taught as well. The problem though is drivers these days are lazy and it's easier to just back up until you bump the dolly then pull forward a foot. I'm not saying that's everybody but I see more and more drivers everyday backing up until they bump then pulling forward.

It's not a problem if you lay the service hose up into the basket.Problem solved......
I don't touch the dolly anymore because I'm doing 8-10 sets a day.Get within 2 feet and stop with my eyes closed.Lightly bumping the dolly is not a problem as long as the service hose is out of harm's way.

 

[olroadbeech]

This is how I was taught as well. The problem though is drivers these days are lazy and it's easier to just back up until you bump the dolly then pull forward a foot. I'm not saying that's everybody but I see more and more drivers everyday backing up until they bump then pulling forward.

monkey see monkey do

 

[Johney]

It's not a problem if you lay the service hose up into the basket.Problem solved......
I don't touch the dolly anymore because I'm doing 8-10 sets a day.Get within 2 feet and stop with my eyes closed.Lightly bumping the dolly is not a problem as long as the service hose is out of harm's way.

Yes that's true if it's out of the way. When I have to build a set both trailers are on doors so it's impossible to see let alone fix a screwed up hose.Yes I can pull it off the door,get out and check it,but you speak of extra steps by putting something down as a marker well getting out and checking the hose is just that an extra step. 8-10 sets a day we would all be flawless some may only build a few a week if that. And on that note, 8-10 sets a day? What are you doing bringing them a block away and dropping them? That's a lot of sets in a week.

 

[1pocket73]

Yes that's true if it's out of the way. When I have to build a set both trailers are on doors so it's impossible to see let alone fix a screwed up hose.Yes I can pull it off the door,get out and check it,but you speak of extra steps by putting something down as a marker well getting out and checking the hose is just that an extra step. 8-10 sets a day we would all be flawless some may only build a few a week if that. And on that note, 8-10 sets a day? What are you doing bringing them a block away and dropping them? That's a lot of sets in a week.

Short run to a warehouse that does massive volume.Running 4-5 full sets and bringing back the same amount of empties.16-20 trailers a day total.Pretty grueling actually.

 

[Johney]

Short run to a warehouse that does massive volume.Running 4-5 full sets and bringing back the same amount of empties.16-20 trailers a day total.Pretty grueling actually.

I'm curious why so many pups? Not enough room for long boxes?

 

[barnyard]

I'm curious why so many pups? Not enough room for long boxes?

We had a shipper that preferred short boxes. The only time they did long boxes is during peak.

 

[1pocket73]

I'm curious why so many pups? Not enough room for long boxes?

Our facility isn't that big.I wish we could run 53's out of there.It would make life much easier!

P.S.----- Still better than driving package car.....hahaha!!!

 

[olroadbeech]

being retired and getting paid about a grand a week is better than feeder or package , hahaha

 

[1pocket73]

being retired and getting paid about a grand a week is better than feeder or package , hahaha

Love it!!!!!

 

[Mugarolla]

This is how I was taught as well. The problem though is drivers these days are lazy and it's easier to just back up until you bump the dolly then pull forward a foot. I'm not saying that's everybody but I see more and more drivers everyday backing up until they bump then pulling forward.

Bump and roll.