TP60 Package Car Trailers Coming "Unhitched"

[Union Power]

Wouldn't this be a LARGE accident waiting to happen? Does DOT check the hitches or would that be something that Osha would handle? OF course, if people have to ride with tires that are far gone - this doesn't really surprise me. You would think with Abney being a former driver - he would be more in tune on the driving end of it. Of course I know making nine million a year - keeps you busy trying to spend it. UPS forgets there is always Karma.

PUCO has jurisdiction.

 

[Union Power]

Subsection "O":
The chains should have spring loaded clips to stop them from coming off during an uncouple issue. The ebrake system often fails because it's never tested and upon an unexpected uncouple it's too late.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Had a driver in my Local recently, who had a TP60 trailer come unhitched while traveling at 65 mph on the highway, breaking the chains, landing it in a hillside along the highway.

Driver wasn't charged with an accident, just told to "be careful" after hitching up subsequently, which sent up a "red flag" in my mind.

Over the weekend, with the help of a Facebook Group exclusively for the UPSer's in my Local, we have uncovered 6 separate instances of run away TP60 trailers being pulled by modified package cars in recent years.

Is this just an uncanny frequency of independent anomalies that we are experiencing here, or is this a regular occurrence across the country???

I'm sure very little training was involved.
Read 5 pages of DIAD training and you are an expert....

 

[Bubblehead]

Much like a Uhaul trailer, 60% of the load weight should be in front of axle.

But what happens in the preload?

The bulk gets stacked out and the irregs and over 70's come down at the end of the sort.

More I talk to people, the more I think about the physics, the more I investigate....

....the more I think this is (by far) the weakest "link" in the equation.

 

[Bubblehead]

Subsection "O":
The chains should have spring loaded clips to stop them from coming off during an uncouple issue. The ebrake system often fails because it's never tested and upon an unexpected uncouple it's too late.

That's not what Subsection "O" says???

 

[Union Power]

We had a guy vindicated from "avoidability" by jumping up and down on the tongue, until it disengaged.

I have a theory that tongue weight, or lack thereof, playing a key role in these runaway trailers.

Remember, the average preloader likely receives no training, or has little understanding of the physics at play here.....

.....all the while with an equally ignorant part time supervisor pushing them to "just throw it in there".

If you lower the tongue with the jack you'll find the tongue will not go all the way to the ground (on most of our TPs) and that shows the tongue weight is not sufficient from the get go. It just hovers about 16" off the adjoining plane (surface).
Poor planning with no load supervision.

 

[Union Power]

That's not what Subsection "O" says???

Nope. It can't say that because there's NO retaining clips to keep the chain hooks in to eyelets.
That's my point.
Easy fix. Poor setup.

 

[PASinterference]

Wouldn't this be a LARGE accident waiting to happen? Does DOT check the hitches or would that be something that Osha would handle? OF course, if people have to ride with tires that are far gone - this doesn't really surprise me. You would think with Abney being a former driver - he would be more in tune on the driving end of it. Of course I know making nine million a year - keeps you busy trying to spend it. UPS forgets there is always Karma.

Abbey is too busy sweet talking stock holders to worry about safety. He has long since forgotten his 30 min tour of duty in a package car. No different than any other CEO. Profit before people.

 

[Bubblehead]

Much like a Uhaul trailer, 60% of the load weight should be in front of axle.

But what happens in the preload?

The bulk gets stacked out and the irregs and over 70's come down at the end of the sort.

More I investigate, the more I talk to people, the more I think about the physics....

....the more I think this is (by far) the weakest link in the equation.

 

[Union Power]

The ebrake is supposed to lock upon actuation when the ebrake lever gets pulled during an uncouple situation.
I suppose the driver's (again) at fault even tho section P says to hook the ebrake chain into the bumper but never requires the driver to test it like we do on the PKG car.

That one is on the company.

 

[Bubblehead]

Nope. It can't say that because there's NO retaining clips to keep the chain hooks in to eyelets.
That's my point.
Easy fix. Poor setup.

I understand now, thanks.

I have a small trailer that has the clips you describe that I take on a 700+ mile journey every year.
It would definitely ensure that the chains wouldn't disengage in during an uncouple event.

This same trailer tracks perfectly on the way there when fully loaded.
Now on the way back home, with a much reduced load, I have to make sure there is more weight up front, or it will whip around behind my truck like a kites tail.

This is a tragedy waiting to happen.

 

[Union Power]

I understand now, thanks.

I have a small trailer that has the clips you describe that I take on a 700+ mile journey every year.
It would definitely ensure that the chains wouldn't disengage in during an uncouple event.

This same trailer tracks perfectly on the way there when fully loaded.
Now on the way back home, with a much reduced load, I have to make sure there is more weight up front, or it will whip around behind my truck like a kites tail.

This is a tragedy waiting to happen.

And with two axles it makes getting the required tongue weight trickier to factor.

 

[Union Power]

When I pulled a TP and heard the extra "clunking" noise (and felt it as well) on the hitch when driving I knew the tongue was too light.
That's a very sick feeling for those who knew the repercussions that could result.

 

[Bubblehead]

The ebrake is supposed to lock upon actuation when the ebrake lever gets pulled during an uncouple situation.
I suppose the driver's (again) at fault even tho section P says to hook the ebrake chain into the bumper but never requires the driver to test it like we do on the PKG car.

That one is on the company.

I have a boat trailer that carries a boat that weighs roughly 3,500 pounds and it has "surge brakes" built into the tongue that assist my pickup truck in braking while towing.

Do these TP-60 trailers have anything comparable, how much weight are they rated to carry, and do the "retrofitted" package cars have enhanced braking systems to deal with the additional weight???

 

[Union Power]

I have a boat trailer that carries a boat that weighs roughly 3,500 pounds and it has "surge brakes" built into the tongue that assist my pickup truck in braking while towing.

Do these TP-60 trailers have anything comparable, how much weight are they rated to carry, and do the "retrofitted" package cars have enhanced braking systems to deal with the additional weight???

@Gear could probably answer that but I believe the electric brakes are it unless the ebrake lever is actuated during travel due to uncoupling.

Those TPs are built like tanks. There's a rating on/in the trailer but I bet they have (at the least) 5000# axles. At 80% load they'll weigh 8,000#s.

They track like a dream. But tongue weight or lack thereof is a very scary situation.

 

[SmithBarney]

I...
Do these TP-60 trailers have anything comparable, how much weight are they rated to carry, and do the "retrofitted" package cars have enhanced braking systems to deal with the additional weight???

Our TP60's have an emergency brake system that hooked up with a separate thin cable. Basically if the Ball and Hooks/Chains failed, once this "cable" to the brake system is pulled tight, it triggers the brakes to engage, maybe because we are in the mountains? I only have had to pull one once. Empty.

I don't know how all these reports of trailers passing package cars are happening, if the cable is hooked up it shouldn't happen.

 

[1989]

Our TP60's have an emergency brake system that hooked up with a separate thin cable. Basically if the Ball and Hooks/Chains failed, once this "cable" to the brake system is pulled tight, it triggers the brakes to engage, maybe because we are in the mountains? I only have had to pull one once. Empty.

I don't know how all these reports of trailers passing package cars are happening, if the cable is hooked up it shouldn't happen.

Have never seen a brake that worked on a tp60.

 

[Dracula]

Wow, that's not much and not a lot describing the redundant safety systems. By comparison, in feeders, our trailer and dollies are air brakes connected with air lines. If the air lines somehow disconnect, the air lines lose air, and the brakes automatically engage.

So if disaster happens, and a trailer disconnects (very, very unlikely) the trailer brakes lock up. What is more likely to happen is an air line will get disconnected. This is why you'll see sets of dualie tire marks on the highway sometimes. They always lead to the shoulder, because the driver will drag his trailer off the road.

As far as the chains on our dollies, man they are huge compared to the ones you see on a boat trailer or the trailer you haul around behind the package car. And they have spring activated safety clips on the ends.

 

[Dracula]

This is the back of a tractor. The hitch has a locking mechanism that prevents the top of the hitch from opening without pulling up the little T at the back of hitch. And that loop is for the chains to attach to. Obviously there is another one on the other side.

The back of our trailers are similar, with a pin that goes through the hitch, to keep the hitch from opening, as one final redundancy to keep the dolly attached.

One final thing about our hookups: during feeder school they talked about how secure the trailer pin is when it is hooked up to the fifth-wheel. They told us that nothing can detach the two when they are properly snapped together, even during a roll-over. That seemed hard to believe, but sure enough, we've had guys drop the back trailer off the road and have that trailer roll over. The front trailer stays upright and that dolly never disconnects. What happens is the eye of the dolly is designed to turn, so even when the back trailer is on its side, the fifth wheel of the dolly is still connected to the trailer. It is just on its side.

Obviously, this equipment is designed much better than that little rinky-dink trailer you guys are to forced to use. Typical.

 

[iowa boy]

@Gear could probably answer that but I believe the electric brakes are it unless the ebrake lever is actuated during travel due to uncoupling.

Those TPs are built like tanks. There's a rating on/in the trailer but I bet they have (at the least) 5000# axles. At 80% load they'll weigh 8,000#s.

They track like a dream. But tongue weight or lack thereof is a very scary situation.

We got two new t60's back in august. They have a reported gvwr of 7700 pounds, but these new trailers are a lot heavier than the old t60s that the company has and are a hell of a lot bigger than the older ones we had previously.

Between watching the camera and the mirrors and the shadow from the sun, you can watch the stinger flex up and down as you travel down the road, and all the while wondering if this is the time when the stinger or where the ball mount is welded snap off. Also found out after towing one today, we had to extend the safety chains as they weren't long enough when originally attached to the trailer, so we have chain extensions and bungee cords holding up the excess chain now. (Surprised we didn't use duct tape, but that's another story.)