Paranoia On The Road!!!!

So, I have been driving a few months now. I am starting to settle in. It has been a huge learning curve with ups and downs. I have ripped a hole in the sidewall of a tire (my very first day out solo). I have stuck the truck deep in mud. Other than that, no problems.

Here is the question. I do a walk around on a trailer when I hook to it. I try to make mental notes of any minor damage, scratches, etc. Anything major gets a picture taken before I hook up. It never fails that later on when I am doing a vehicle check or a post trip, I notice another dent or scratch. Then my paranoid brains starts wondering if I did that. It is like sand in an oyster in my brain. Am I being over paranoid?

I really think I am going to start taking a picture of each side of a trailer before I hook to it. Kind of a CYA, put my brain a rest later kind of thing. I do not hesitate to take responsibility if I were to cause damage. On the other hand, I do not want to be on the hook for someone else's mistake.

Just a little / lot paranoid lately!

Don't see anything wrong with that, "Better to cover your butt than have it handed to you because of a prior drivers era"

Typically, minor stuff (scraps/scratches) I report with a blanket statement. Major stuff, definitely take pictures/etc. That way you are covered. Make sure that when you take said picture, it is date/time stamped. That way it can't be said that you did it and you can prove it was that way when you got the trailer. I always put a blanket statement in when the trailer is pre-loaded that I was not able to inspect inside so again, CYA.

Hope this helps.

Ernie

Definitely something I'm going to be doing as well. No such thing as too cautious :)

Listen, trailers get scratched up a bit. That's life. You're always scraping along tree branches and stuff is hitting it after coming off the highway - it happens. Just look for major stuff likes holes in the wall or broken hinges. Report that kind of stuff. If it's something major let your breakdown department know about it and ask them what they'd like you to do.

But don't sweat the small stuff. Nobody is out there keeping track of scratches on trailers or bent door latches. They happen. No big deal.

Listen, trailers get scratched up a bit. That's life. You're always scraping along tree branches and stuff is hitting it after coming off the highway - it happens. Just look for major stuff likes holes in the wall or broken hinges. Report that kind of stuff. If it's something major let your breakdown department know about it and ask them what they'd like you to do.

But don't sweat the small stuff. Nobody is out there keeping track of scratches on trailers or bent door latches. They happen. No big deal.

Exactly. If I noted every dent ding and scratch on the trailers I pull, there would be no time to drive

Here's a little different twist on this topic that I think might be more important / relevant. Another driver and I were discussing on another thread the importance of glancing over your rig after you step away from it at any given time, e.g. bathroom breaks at a truck stop. I was taught by my one trainer to always give a quick look at your line connections, your 5th wheel, and your locks / seal. Apparently there are some yahoos out there that think it's funny to pull a pin or tamper with your lines ...

Here's a little different twist on this topic that I think might be more important / relevant. Another driver and I were discussing on another thread the importance of glancing over your rig after you step away from it at any given time, e.g. bathroom breaks at a truck stop. I was taught by my one trainer to always give a quick look at your line connections, your 5th wheel, and your locks / seal. Apparently there are some yahoos out there that think it's funny to pull a pin or tamper with your lines ...

Unfortunately this is true. I guess people think these are pranks but it could lead to something more serious.

Due to the lack of areas to park I combined my stops. Since I have a dog that I need to take out and I have to do my walk around anyway once I get back to the truck I grab the dog and my flashlight. While I am checking connections and 5th wheels he is cooling down the tires. Lol.

Your right 6 string, it use to be "The Joke" to play on the rookies. I had it pulled on me and caught it for the reason of looking. I watched one driver get into the cab (at a truck stop) he disengaged the brakes popped it in gear and his truck moved forward as the trailer crashed to the ground. Big friggin joke! The driver that was walking to his truck next door didn't think so, he ended up banging his head on his trailer, as he tried to get away from the dropped trailer which when it hit the ground snapped one of the landing gear. There are jokes and then there's total disregard for human life and property. I heard the driver got canned for it, the trailer had to be repaired on site, landing gear wouldn't work. The only good thing was about a week later someone came forward that had seen who pulled the pin and that driver was put in jail on felony charges. The moral of the story, it only takes a couple seconds to cover your butt, because there are butt heads out there that want to ruin all the fun and just don't care about the end result.

I agree. These "jokes" are definitely not funny.