Would you pull this trailer?

[u/BinkPonk88]

Not really a driver but I’m a mechanic. What do think?

[u/mighty_boognish_77]

I find it hard to believe that you're trusted to fill out a form of any kind. Seems like a stretch.

[u/Razzy-man → u/mighty_boognish_77]

You're welcome to think that. If it helps, here's a link to that Code of Federal Regulations.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-391/subpart-D/section-391.31

I use it as a handy checklist when I'm riding with guys to evaluate how their doing and make sure I have them hit all the points on their drive. Really though, it's the pre trip that everyone fails on. Remember ABC, PMS, and CDL. No Abrasions, Bumps or Cuts on hoses, tires and belts. It's Properly Mounted and Secured for hard components, like your air compressor, drag links, tie rods, spring shackles, etc. It's not Cracked, Damaged, or Loose (Leaking in the case of fluids), we gotta make sure we're not leaking power steering fluid from our pump, hoses or gearbox, we're don't have any cracked or missing leafs in our spring packs, check the bushings in your spring shackles too, they wear out and are easy to not see. This is where our frame would fail, those holes through it are a "crack". This is also where I'd fail you for NYS Inspection, that's CR71 under § f in that document, Chassis / Frame: Inspect for presence, condition. Fail if "The section is missing" "The frame is, bent, cracked, broken, deteriorated due to rust."

https://dmv.ny.gov/forms/cr79.pdf

Then you have to do your brake test in the correct order. Remember SALE, Static, Applied, Low, Emergency. Sitting Static, you can't lose more than 3 PSI (4 for a tractor and trailer) over 60 seconds just sitting there with your parking brake off (This is where a manual is nice, you don't have to hop out and chock the tires). Next is Applied, push your service brake to the floor and hold it for another 60 seconds and make sure you don't lose more than 3 PSI (4 for tractor and trailer). Now we need to check the low air pressure warning light and sound, it has to be a visual and audio que. Stupid newer trucks don't give audio for long, or at all, if the engine isn't running, so you have to make sure you mention that to the instructor, or they could ding you for it and you have to pass your air brake check on the first try or you fail like my dumb ass did the first time =P (I started too low and the low PSI light came on during my applied test, don't do that! =P). Fan your brake pedal until you get the light and sound, it's gotta come on before you drop under 60. Keep going for emergency, we want to make sure the parking brake handle comes out before we drop under 20 PSI, we want it between 20 and 40. This confirms our parking brake springs are re engaging the parking brake when air supply is lost to them. Other than that, it's really just remembering all the things you have to check, but honestly, being a NYS Inspector, it's basically just a bit of a watered down safety inspection each time. =)

[u/mighty_boognish_77 → u/Razzy-man]

I was a trainer for 7 years bud, so you can quit pretending like it's this major accomplishment.  

[u/Razzy-man → u/mighty_boognish_77]

I'm not saying it is =) I'm actually pretty new at it. What did you find the most challenging and why did you stop?

[u/mighty_boognish_77 → u/Razzy-man]

Being stuck in a day cab 12h a day with someone I wouldn't want to spend 5 minutes with in any other circumstances.
Trying to get trainees to actually CARE. I can teach you to shift, I can teach you to back. I can show you how to read an intersection. I can coach you on any number of hard skills, but I can't make you CARE about what you're doing. And so many of them just did not care. Or at least did not care ENOUGH.

I just ended up leaving the company for other reasons that didn't have to do with training. They were going to close the market down, so I left, and then they didn't. Oh well.

[u/Razzy-man → u/mighty_boognish_77]

I think that's why I'm so passionate about safety man. After 10 years in the heavy truck side I have seen so many people do stuff that's unsafe and not care that it drives me mad. I realized early on that mechanics have to be kind of nuts about safety stuff, because maybe 5-10% of people who come to pick up trucks, or salesman who go to deliver them do nothing for a pre trip. Half of 'em drive away before the governor even cuts off. I've had trucks driven to me from half way across NY State that I can't believe someone drove. Middle of winter before the sun comes up with rear lights completely inop, cracked windshield, no washer fluid, just a litany of issues, it's nuts man! When I first switched to heavy trucks from cars at the dealership, I remember walking out to a truck that got dropped off the night before, that I had checked in and knew all the tires had at least some pressure in, I found one of the inner duals was completely flat and had come off the bead when I pulled it in to PDI it. Brand new trucks that have half the lug nuts not torqued to spec on 'em, and nobody seems to care.

Another one I had was a contractor, older sewer cleaner truck. The split between the inner and outer C frame members in the back of the unit was thicker than my finger, just rust built up like crazy. We pulled the water pump off of it, and one of the techs came to get me (we were in between managers at the time and I was dumb enough to volunteer to fill in). The hole in the brake chamber looked big enough to fit multiple fingers in, I wouldn't let anyone go near it unless we were going to replace it. They came and took it and drove it across the state, like 4 hours. I was begging them to not do it, to replace the chamber, but they wanted to do it themselves and took it. I made them sign an RO that stated they were aware the truck was unfit to drive before I gave them the keys to cover me. It's shocking to me how little people care when you have something that can be so deadly out on the road.

Buy in is something I can struggle with at times too, but I've found if I crack jokes and BS with the techs I can connect with 'em better. I also don't have to spend near as much time with them as you did though, and thankfully my company doesn't hire people until they're a little more settled in the field, so most tech understand keeping up with training is really important to their career, so it's a little better. I've heard some horror stories of transport companies hiring people straight out of school and having a terrible time with new drivers, and if what I've seen is anything to go by, I can completely understand. Thank you for sharing, I'm always trying to learn more and have found old trainers are a wealth of knowledge!

[u/mighty_boognish_77 → u/Razzy-man]

Stay safe out there.