11 years on the road, still learning.

Posted by HopeItMakesYaThink@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 11 comments

This just happened today. The first was perfectly sensible, the second still has me confused.

My trailer doors refused to close. I don’t mean they were being mischievous and needed some elbow grease - both doors would not shut. Bars locked at the three-fourths point and refused to budge. It was so bad I thought the doors were warped. After pushing the latch so hard I saw stars, I finally decided to call the company breakdown service. Figured I might as well put it back where I found it since breakdown takes an hour at best. Yard jockey was found and I advised the guy. He asked if I was on level ground. Hand on the Bible, I thought the ground was level. It was, where I was standing. Pulled the truck forward ten feet, doors closed. Live and learn.

Second issue. My truck refused to turn around in the yard. Location was far too tight. Figured I could slowly back in to a loading dock and leave that way. Fellow trucker told me to set my tandems tight as I could. Trailers there load as loose as possible. This makes NO sense to me, how would tandem distance make any difference when it comes to the tractor turning? Still, it takes less than a minute and could save me several plus I was going to slide tandems anyway. You guessed it, it somehow worked.

Most days, I feel like I got a good grasp of this job. Did the math. Took notes. Passed the tests. Then I get hit with something that makes no sense at all or I should have already known.

11 years. Fellow truckers, never think you know it all. I have been humbled in the funniest ways sometimes, and this was one of them. Gain my wisdom without my embarrassment.

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Socketz11@reddit

Trailer doors and pulling the 5th wheel handle. Sometimes pulling forward or backing up a few inches will unjam a stuck 5th wheel handle. I know you are supposed to drop that trailer exactly on that spot, but a inch or two wont make a difference. Just in case you haven't heard this one either.

oldgrumpytrucker@reddit

Our yard is about as even as the surface of the moon. Doors wouldn't shut this morning, upper left latch was about a half inch too high. Pulled forward ten feet, shut smooth as glass. Sometimes this job is weird.

tvieno@reddit

If the doors aren't able to be closed, usually it is the rear of the trailer not being square. Other tips:

are you on level ground
if tandems are forward, then slide them to the rear
if tandems are at the rear, then slide them forward.
spray little WD-40 or lubricant on the door cams.
use a sledge hammer and hit the door latch handle where it meet the shafts and/or on the door cams.

keytiri@reddit

I also only learned about the need for level ground when I couldn’t shut the doors; the trucker next to me was kind enough to give me that advice after about 5min of me starting to worry I’d broken them. As for the latches themselves, a mallet and a cheater bar were some of the first tools I bought after going solo.

HopeItMakesYaThink@reddit (OP)

Absolutely agreed on all points. Just amazing I had to relearn that on the field like it was my first year. But thank you for the reminder - WD-40 is no joke!

30 years for me and I still pick up a trick or too.

pingus3233@reddit

As to the first issue, I pulled a trailer from a company DC dock door and couldn’t for the life of me close the trailer door so limped over to the garage with it still open, flagged down a mechanic and told him I couldn’t get the door to close. He walked out and closed it no problem. I was like “Uh, h-how did you do that?!” and that’s when I learned that the trailer itself can twist on unlevel ground, making it impossible to open or close the doors.

I am perfectly fine with being humbled and learning something I should have already learned. Once. I am not okay with learning the same thing twice. This was my once, I plan to be wisened enough to not need a future reminder.