Help.. Locking Jaw Problem

No, Mister Conversation, you are not the only one. I suffer from an intermittent jaw problem myself and thought that's what the topic might be about. We really should have known better.

But yes, I have not had any problems with getting hooked into the trailer myself, except for this one occasion where the kingpin somehow went up and over the fifth wheel and landed on the other side.

It was a mountaintop Kmart DC in Utah if I remember correctly, some months ago. Thankfully I was hooking to an empty or I would have had a real problem on my hands. I had to raise the trailer with the landing gear lever some, pull out from under it, lower it to a proper height, and then back under it again!

I thanked my lucky stars I hadn't done that to a trailer with a 45K load. That would have really ruined my day.

Three of the most common newbie mistakes occur during or a result of attempting to couple.

I have suggested this before; knowing when to GOAL is as important as committing to doing it in the first place. GOAL is not just for backing the trailer, but also appropriate for backing under the trailer. Until a new driver gets a feel for trailer height based on the visible gap between the rear tractor tire (visible from the mirror) and front edge/corner of the trailer, stop and GOAL before getting completely under the trailer and make sure the trailer isn't too high or too low before proceeding. This will prevent two common mistakes; overriding the kingpin if the trailer is set too high and striking the trailer with the 5th wheel wings if the trailer height is too low. In either case, if there is collateral damage, it could be a preventable. My preference is to have the trailer low enough so that the fifth wheel wings act like a wedge and lift the trailer up into the locked position. Doing this also will shift weigh off of the landing gear (onto the tractor) making an easier job of cranking/raising the legs.

The other mistake is "dropping a trailer". Once coupled (roll the window down and listen for the click of the jaws), I never trust a tug test completely. I always, without fail shimmy under the trailer and shine a flashlight on the jaws and kingpin to make sure the jaws are engaged and the metal stop is visible across the kingpin. At least where I work, a loaded trailer drop is a big deal and stimulates far too much attention from Walmart shop employees. Depending on any resulting damage, this could be a preventable that is easily avoided. Since the beginning of the year, I know of at least one Swift driver terminated for this.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Am I the only one who thought Rainy had a bad case of lockjaw and needed medical advice?

Hey... I had home time with a hot guy this week..... so that was possible haha... was that too raunchy for a bunch of truckers? Sorry if it was

Am I the only one who thought Rainy had a bad case of lockjaw and needed medical advice?

Hey... I had home time with a hot guy this week..... so that was possible haha... was that too raunchy for a bunch of truckers? Sorry if it was

Rainy, I thought we were keeping that a SECRET!

Am I the only one who thought Rainy had a bad case of lockjaw and needed medical advice?

That's what I thought at first. Tetanus shots anyone?

There are a few misleading & funny headlines here.

Am I the only one who thought Rainy had a bad case of lockjaw and needed medical advice?

That's what I thought at first. Tetanus shots anyone?

There are a few misleading & funny headlines here.

Even though we lack planetary alignment, it must be the dawning of the age of Aquarius.

Talk about hijacking a thread!

Even though we lack planetary alignment, it must be the dawning of the age of Aquarius.

And peace will rule the planners
And love will steer the ProStars!