Hi guys. This might sound really stupid but I passed my class 1 in February and the company I’m with are giving me a job straight away. I just had to do 1 weeks training where I drove with a fellow driver sitting in the passenger seat. Unfortunately when covid 19 hit England so did social distancing so my training has been put on hold. Anyway to the point. My 1 problem I’m having is getting in line when first reversing under a trailer to hook up. I can’t seem to work out of I’m in line with the unit and the trailer. Is there a simple code of practice that I could follow?
Probably the most basic of anything with class 1 I know [emoji85].
As said, use your mirrors to line up each side of the back of the cab with each side of the trailer headboard.
Get to where you think it’s right,.and get out of the cab to check…until it becomes second nature and there’s no need.
Line the rear mudguards up with edge of trailor, lower suspension and back under part way, get out and check alignment, if ok raise suspension till trailor lifts slighty, reverse slowly till you hear the click.eo the tug test.
If you ever do miss the pin raise unit suspension wind legs down till 2 inches off floor, lower unit suspension and hand tilt the fifth wheel towards the cab, pull out slowly.then back under part way slowly lift suspension wind legs up 4 inches then back up slowly.
Rule of thumb if in doubt get out and check, always always do the tug gently
Once you’ve connected to the trailer, and whilst attaching the dog clip, get into the habit of shining a torch up the 5th wheel’s bum, you are looking for a bar (part of the 5th wheel mechanicsm) sitting completely across the trailer king pin…after a few times you’ll know what you are looking for, look up the 5th wheels bum before you hitch up and you’ll see no bar, it slots across when the 5th wheel is triggered shut.
Don’t let anyone tell you that attaching the dog clip alone means you are connected successfully, because rare as it may be but it is possible for the 5th wheel to click into place but the trailer king pin is sitting on the jaws and not trapped securely inside behind that bar, this is more likely to happen on uneven ground if it’s ever going to occur, it takes seconds to double check with that torch, you could perform twenty tug tests with the king pin sitting on not inside the jaws so don’t just rely on that.
It’s happened to me, but fortunately the sound when the 5th wheel went home wasn’t quite right, and someone where i worked had lost a trailer a few months before after 120/150 miles of motorway driving the trailer bounced off , so pulled the trailer onto smooth ground and had a look, sure enough the above was the case, king pin on jaws.
Don’t get paranoid, just use your tyorch to double check each time and it will never happen to you.
One other thought, last thing as you leave the cab after hitching up, double check the parking brake is applied before shutting the cab door, lots of supposed experienced drivers forget this.
Oh and for clever clogs who think they know it all and make sarky comments to new drivers, runaways and the resulting damage are seldom done by newbies, but people who tear arse about and don’t bother to check.
Once you’re into it, get your own little routine. No matter how many years I’ve been doing this I still go through exactly the same routine at each trailer drop/pick up.
Because I’m a popular chap people come and talk to me part way through sometimes but inve I’m finished with the chitter chatter I go back to the start and do it all again.
touch wood its served me well over the years so far
toonsy:
Once you’re into it, get your own little routine. No matter how many years I’ve been doing this I still go through exactly the same routine at each trailer drop/pick up.
Because I’m a popular chap people come and talk to me part way through sometimes but inve I’m finished with the chitter chatter I go back to the start and do it all again.
touch wood its served me well over the years so far
Daresay I’m not as popular as you, but if someone wants to chat, they can just wait until I’ve finished my dropping or hooking up routine.
It ain’t rocket science, but we humans can easily cockup even simple tasks.
tommymanc:
Didn’t your instuctor teach you this? or are you such a bad troll you forgot about IT all in 2 months
No need for this. The guy is a newbie and is asking for help. If you don’t want to help, fine, keep quiet.
Two things.
If the O.P. is genuine, that is a terrible indictment of the training school he used, because this is basic stuff that should have been covered in his training.
Those of us who have been here a while have grown weary of the endless parade of trolls (wether new or simply multiple identity of existing trolls), and the way the site owner has allowed them to carry on.
toonsy:
Once you’re into it, get your own little routine. No matter how many years I’ve been doing this I still go through exactly the same routine at each trailer drop/pick up.
Because I’m a popular chap people come and talk to me part way through sometimes but inve I’m finished with the chitter chatter I go back to the start and do it all again.
touch wood its served me well over the years so far
Daresay I’m not as popular as you, but if someone wants to chat, they can just wait until I’ve finished my dropping or hooking up routine.
It ain’t rocket science, but we humans can easily cockup even simple tasks.
Yeah, i tend to ignore everything and everyone going on around me whilst hooking up, all they’ll get is a greeting till the job is done.
Never rush, it’s a lot quicker to jump out of the truck and check the trailer/fifth wheel height than it is to fill in the paperwork for smashed wind deflectors!
Thanks guys. It’s not so much going under their trailer that bits fine Once I’m in line. It’s just getting in line which sometimes annoys me as I have to pull forward and line back up.
Thanks for the support I know it’s a really basic thing [emoji16].
Yes my trainer obviously showed me or I wouldn’t have passed but I think 5 days training isn’t sometimes enough to get the knack of everything. They teach you how to pass your test. Reversing for example is step by step Where as in real life situations its hardly ever that simple.
The training I received mainly worked around driving rather than the reversing aspect. I must have done the hooking up about 3 times which I don’t think was enough really.
Waldini1985:
Thanks guys. It’s not so much going under their trailer that bits fine Once I’m in line. It’s just getting in line which sometimes annoys me as I have to pull forward and line back up.
Thanks for the support I know it’s a really basic thing [emoji16].
Yes my trainer obviously showed me or I wouldn’t have passed but I think 5 days training isn’t sometimes enough to get the knack of everything. They teach you how to pass your test. Reversing for example is step by step Where as in real life situations its hardly ever that simple.
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that’s my issue with the reversing exercise for cat 2 we were told a series of steps and markers some on the floor some as part of the course it enabled even a thick git like me to be able to do it. towards the end I tried to do it by feel rather than using the fool proof way on that pad but never quite cracked it as it was the other students turn next so couldn’t quite get the same situation to try again. As a result whilst im parking up the truck in the yard 2 artics can come in and reverse between trailers by the time im done.
This is how i do it…
Reverse up to trailer stopping short… (line mudguards on unit up with edge of trailer)drop air out of unit… get out and check to make sure you’ll get under… have a walk around the trailer making sure the trailer brake is on and everything is in check… (nothing worse then hooking up to a trailer and it has a flat or something… you could put the number plate on at this point)… get back in cab and reverse part way under so fifth wheel is under trailer but not under kingpin then get out and check if you want… raise unit suspension all the way up till trailer legs are off floor… reverse till you hear the clunk… tug test… lights/hazards on…dog clip on… check to see if its connected properly by looking up its dress… susies on… legs up… check lights etc… trailer brake off and bobs your mothers brother
, so pulled the trailer onto smooth ground and had a look, sure enough the above was the case, king pin on jaws.