Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ

[govols019]

Our Local provides us with copies of old CDL tests..between that and the online practice tests I had no surprises when it came time to take the real thing.

The tests were actually easier than I had made them out to be in my mind....There were 4 of us taking them at the time and I was the only one to pass them all the first time....GO, ME!!!!

 

[Jones]

The written tests aren't that hard, it's all multiple guess so the answer is gonna be right there in front of you. I went to DMV and got the book, sat right there in the lobby and read through each section and then took the tests.

 

[Coldworld]

So sleeper team drops my.load st NEWPA....supposedly in the 400 section...nada....find it 30 minutes later on the ramp to the 800 section.....rear.glad hand broken off.....and ZERO brakes.....sigh....just another day at UP $

Question... Is there a way to know if your trailer has breaks or not from the pretrip??? Or do you find out once you are on road and the rig isn't stopping for ??

 

[Jones]

Question... Is there a way to know if your trailer has breaks or not from the pretrip??? Or do you find out once you are on road and the rig isn't stopping for ??

You can check the trailer brakes with the hand valve.

 

[Coldworld]

You can check the trailer brakes with the hand valve.

How would you do this??

 

[Jones]

How would you do this??

Engage the hand valve and put the tractor in gear, if the trailer has brakes you won't go anywhere if the rig moves you got a problem with the trailer brakes.
FYI the hand valve is a lever in the cab of the tractor that puts air to the brakes on the trailer without putting air to the brakes on the tractor.

 

[Coldworld]

Good to know.. But this isn't something that ups has us check as a rule is it??

 

[UPSmeoff]

The permits are the easy part.

 

[FeeDerp]

Good to know.. But this isn't something that ups has us check as a rule is it??

It is actually.

When you hook to a trailer, immediately put it in gear and tug on the trailer.

1. It let's you know you are hooked properly(still need a visual check tho) and
2. It's one way to check that the trailer brakes are working

 

[MaceFremonti]

Once you finish your pretrip and are ready to leave you can start moving slowly forward then pull the handbrake. The newer state of the art trailers stop immediately. In the situation I posted the brakes were so out of adjustment this did nothing. No braking at all. I could literally drive around with handbrake down and have zero resistance from the trailer brakes.

This method can also show you if the anti-locks are working correctly, sometimes one side will be active and working correctly while the other side is not.

Some old school guys also like to use the handbrake instead of the foot brake when they have the cruise control on.

This is NOT recommended.

 

[Indecisi0n]

How high are you suppose to crank/lift up those "legs" before leaving? I watched a guy get stuck because there was a raise in the concrete and his legs caught/dig into the ground. Worse part was he got stuck in an intersection.

 

[104Feeder]

Once you finish your pretrip and are ready to leave you can start moving slowly forward then pull the handbrake. The newer state of the art trailers stop immediately. In the situation I posted the brakes were so out of adjustment this did nothing. No braking at all. I could literally drive around with handbrake down and have zero resistance from the trailer brakes.

This method can also show you if the anti-locks are working correctly, sometimes one side will be active and working correctly while the other side is not.

Some old school guys also like to use the handbrake instead of the foot brake when they have the cruise control on.

This is NOT recommended.

Combined with a regular foot brake test, that is called "stretching out" a set. It will also tell you if the brakes are out of adjustment if either trailer pulls to one side. The opposite side it pulls to is the side out of adjustment.

 

[104Feeder]

How high are you suppose to crank/lift up those "legs" before leaving? I watched a guy get stuck because there was a raise in the concrete and his legs caught/dig into the ground. Worse part was he got stuck in an intersection.

4" in the yard, all the way up on road here, probably some variation by building on yard height. UPS trailers usually can go up about a foot, some rail pigs barely clear 8" by design.

 

[104Feeder]

I finally figured out in Texas there are 5 different modules that you have to take. 2 you must take to get permit 1 is special requirements, then combination. The other 3 must be done in order to get cdl as well as road test. I'm on vacation this week so I'm hitting the book hard as well as doing online practice test. Everyone tells me the general knowledge one is the tough one.

Here, they have 4 or more versions of the test and you get one free retake but won't get the same questions (also eliminates cheating). People were failing left and right when I took mine then retaking it only to fail again, so while you might find it a breeze it certainly is worth studying hard for.

 

[Indecisi0n]

4" in the yard, all the way up on road here, probably some variation by building on yard height. UPS trailers usually can go up about a foot, some rail pigs barely clear 8" by design.

What a Rail pig? Only thing that comes to mind when I see pig is my center manager.

 

[104Feeder]

Mine is more of a piglet. We called those rusted, beat to hell 48' FSTZ trailers rail pigs. The braces for the legs were large solid triangular sections vs. sections of angle or channel iron which limited the height the legs would retract to.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

FYI the hand valve is a lever in the cab of the tractor that puts air to the brakes on the trailer without putting air to the brakes on the tractor.

We were also required to use the hand valve anytime stopped in traffic, intersections, etc.

 

[Jones]

It is actually.

When you hook to a trailer, immediately put it in gear and tug on the trailer.

1. It let's you know you are hooked properly(still need a visual check tho) and
2. It's one way to check that the trailer brakes are working

Well, that actually checks the mechanical spring brakes not the air brakes but yeah if it moves that's a problem. Still need to check the air brakes with the hand valve after you hook the lines up though.

 

[barnyard]

and once you connect the air lines, put the hand valve down, pretrip the trailer. Are the brake lights on?? turn on the air for the 2 lines at the back of the trailer. No air on the left side?? No brakes.

Then when you get in the tractor, start to roll and pull the hand valve.

You have checked the spring brakes (test tug), checked that air is making it to the brakes (opening the valves at the rear) and checked that the brakes work.

So if you are doing it right, you are really checking them 3 times before you head out.

 

[chris9834]

Here, they have 4 or more versions of the test and you get one free retake but won't get the same questions (also eliminates cheating). People were failing left and right when I took mine then retaking it only to fail again, so while you might find it a breeze it certainly is worth studying hard for.

Yes sir I have been hitting the books hard, the only thing that is bothering me is the special requirement section because there are a ton of numbers that you have to remember like vehicle weight for different subjects, and different speeds for certain rigs. Just trying to remember which weights go with what subjects and what speeds go with what vehicle I'm worried will stub me. Other then that I got the lighting and reflector requirement and all the rest down jam pack.