cachsux
Wah
The boxes will be fine. You'll never see these chassis. They stay in our area. I'm just telling what to look for when the containers get dropped on your chassis on your end.
Feeder Drivers, Beware of 53' Containers
- Thread starter cachsux
- Start date
The boxes will be fine. You'll never see these chassis. They stay in our area. I'm just telling what to look for when the containers get dropped on your chassis on your end.
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
Say what you just said here, to a feeder sup. Make him show you with a member of the safety committee or a union steward.
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
The point is, I won't leave with a bulb out either. By Chum, I'm referring to a mechanic who gives me crap about the license plate bulb, or a sup who tells me to go.
cachsux
Wah
LEARN what is correct. And when mgmt makes a statement make them show you and call them out on what is unacceptable.
ive learned that this is pretty simply a "go-no go" situation. Correct will roll, incorrect will be a chassis swap/repair.
I spoke to one of our rookies on my way out yest and he said he had a trailer he was to pick up at the Burlington rail yard. Knowing what to look for now he found a bad front retainer. He called mgmt and took it to the Burlington repair shop. There the mech told him that the retainer was acceptable. Our guy held his ground, said nfw, and made them repair it. I was really proud of the kid.
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
Any driver that leaves a railyard with a container like this deserves to get fired. It means that driver does a half-assed pretrip, worries that he doesn't want to anger anybody by holding things up, or worst of all, doesn't even do a pre-trip. We all know drivers like this. They have no place along side us.
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
We don't have enough drivers like this. So many come back here with the package car mentality. I anger the mechanics frequently because I seem to be one of handful who take all problems to the shop. So many drivers now simply drop off their loads and equipment and act like they don't know how to fill out a red tag. Just pass it along to the next driver.
cachsux
Wah
Drac, I'm not saying you're not correct. You are. ALL the things on trailers should be correct for safety. My statement was in reflection if a burned out license plate bulb was the only thing you find at the rail yard, while a DOT requirement, you're really not going to endanger yourself or the public if you brought it back. Common sense prevails. Ever pick up a trailer on March 1st that had a Feb FHWA sticker that expired hours before,etc? Yes technically the trailer is in violation. But if you find it perfect in your pretrip is it unsafe? If you had picked it up 12 hours before you would have rolled.
Im just trying to get guys up to speed on the container problem that has caused boxes to fall off. If you'll notice I haven't even brought up whether the rest of the chassis, tires ,lights, stickers, etc, is up to spec. This is a discussion on pins and retainers. Please feel free to start an educational thread on everything to look for on any given trailer. I'll support you 100% on it.
cachsux
Wah
I was told that a safety committee driver was sent around the yard to see if he found any container/chassis that had the box sitting on top of just the front pin. He didn't get out and inspect the rears. He found 5. All had come from the rail yard next door. All had been moved by 22.3 shifters. Needless to say that did not go over well with the ft drivers who don't like the fact that the 22.3 drivers don't have CDLs, don't take drug tests, couldn't take a trl on the street 6" if needed. But they're allowed to move our equipment on property.
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UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
cach, suppose you do pick up a trailer at 9pm on 2/28 with a FHWA sticker that expires 3/1 and do not drop it off until 3am on 3/1? Would that technically be a violation even though the trailer was legal when you began the run? What would happen if you went through a DOT checkpoint or weigh station? Could they impound the trailer?
I agree with you that a burned out license plate bulb pales in comparison to a major safety violation and that common sense should prevail.
I agree with you that a burned out license plate bulb pales in comparison to a major safety violation and that common sense should prevail.
cachsux
Wah
In that hypothetical situation yes you would be illegal at the end of the run. UPS does a decent job on our end to make sure trailers with less than a week or so of life on the sticker do not get loaded into. It's a shifters responsibility when he spots an empty to check the date and notify mgmt if its close. Do trailers slip through? Sometimes. IF you were pinched at a checkpoint then there's a chance of a ticket. It depends on the officer. They're not dumb and after going over the trailer and finding it in good condition otherwise may just give out a warning and send you on the way. Impounding usually occurs for more serious stuff but could they? Anythings possible. I will say that in 17 years of feeder I have NEVER been waved into an inspection or had an officer pull me over for a random check. I think they look at the fact that were pretty professional and well maintained and the work needed to find a violation worthy of their time is slim when hundreds of easy pickens semi-trucks are rolling by at the same time.
Consider the overnight expiration of the FHWA as similar to forgetting to renew your drivers license on your bday. You're illegal but are you suddenly unsafe? No.
I will say though managment will be aware before I roll with anything less than a correct trailer. CYA at all times.
outta hours
Well-Known Member
The thing about those container trailers is they never even cover the locking pins in training. We have lots of newer drivers who had no idea that they even had locking pins on them. Much less that they need to be checked.
104Feeder
Phoenix Feeder
I think we have some of the same chassis here. Usually it's TSFZ's but some odd black ones with LSFZ or other identifiers. I'll have to check. I had one the other day with a broken locking latch and had them switch it out. Most of the TSFZ chassis they are using are 2011 or 2012 models because they bought a ton of them when we switched to LC's. Before us it was mostly just JB Hunt and they have their own chassis.
cachsux
Wah
They are the tan containers from China number ,here, 60XXXX. The containers aren't the problem. It's been the chassis.
There's many prefix's I've seen. The two that dropped their box were on black chassis. I've found and tagged both black and orange chassis. The majority were black ones so far. Irregardless of color make sure those retainers are correct and straight, parallel to the guide bar in front. In the rear make sure they lock the pin handle in the correct place and in doing so lock the pin in the correct 90* turned position, NOT on an angle that only allows the corners of the pin to lock the box in place. It may look like its locking the container down but with the reduced amount of surface area of the pin holding the container down it's no where near as strong. 70k lbs of container is a lot of weight to be held in place by just two corners.
cachsux
Wah
Something that was learned. If you redtag one of these trailers give both the 60xxxx container number on the box but also the chassis number. The chassis number is forwarded to the railyard ,who here are responsible for there repairs, but at our building they are kept track of so that if a driver is dispatched to retrieve a container from the railyard and it shows being on that chassis number the driver can be given a heads up of it's prior redtag and be old to make sure that repairs were made. If not, make them swap it out again and notify mgmt so they can hold the railyard accountable for not repairing/reloading the bad chassis.
Covemastah
Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
Great info Cach !! I have encountered these problems a lot, especially from Containers coming up from ProRi,lots of guys I spoke to had no idea.. I red tagged a few while shifting during peak !! thanks for bringing this out for all to see !! even if your not sure,,BRING TO The shop !!
outta hours
Well-Known Member
Great point Cove. When in doubt stop by the shop
cachsux
Wah
But, does your shop know better? We had a rookie that went to the RR shop with bent retainers and they tried to tell him they were ok. Thankfully he said no and stood his ground.
Know for yourselves.
Fronts: straight and parallel to the guide bar. Must engage the pin handle without pulling the pin out to meet it.
Rears: must lock the pin while its at 90' to the chassis. Must hold the pin handle with plenty of surrounding material.
Know for yourselves.
Fronts: straight and parallel to the guide bar. Must engage the pin handle without pulling the pin out to meet it.
Rears: must lock the pin while its at 90' to the chassis. Must hold the pin handle with plenty of surrounding material.
QKRSTKR
Well-Known Member
Covemastah
Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
Yes,the mechanic in Boston is very good, I showed him the arm that holds the pin was broke in half, couldn't zip tie, so he made a new one!! ( of UPS didn't have replacement arm anywhere in our region) Big surprise right !!!
