barnyard
KTM rider
Time is going to start standing still.
Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ
- Thread starter 104Feeder
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Johney
Pineapple King
For work?
barnyard
KTM rider
This week and for the forseeable future, I am coming in early to do the shifting at my building. This morning, I had a trailer that the brakes would not release. There is a valve right behind the air tank that was froze open. I would push in the red valve and there was so much air going out the frozen valve, that I could not get any air from the rear glad hand (the one you hook up for a dolly.) We heated up the valve. Nothing. We pulled the yard goat (Sterling) out from under it and hooked up with a twin screw Kenworth. The leak quit with the Kenworth and we pulled the trailer to our empty lot and went back to doing what we were doing.
All that to ask this question: The Sterling was only getting up to 90-100 lbs of air, the Kenworth was at 120+ lbs. Did the extra air pressure do it?? Once the air was set on the KW, there was no leak, everything worked like it ought to have.
On another note.... we are expecting 10-16 inches of snow between this afternoon and tomorrow. We have our yard cleaned out of most empties, but holy cripes our dolly pile is growing like dandelions in May. We had 11 dollies on property when I left this morning (5-6 is more normal.)
All that to ask this question: The Sterling was only getting up to 90-100 lbs of air, the Kenworth was at 120+ lbs. Did the extra air pressure do it?? Once the air was set on the KW, there was no leak, everything worked like it ought to have.
On another note.... we are expecting 10-16 inches of snow between this afternoon and tomorrow. We have our yard cleaned out of most empties, but holy cripes our dolly pile is growing like dandelions in May. We had 11 dollies on property when I left this morning (5-6 is more normal.)
Might have had a piece of debris in there and the higher pressure from the KW knocked it loose. Or the warm air coming from the tractor eventually melted whatever was frozen. We get way more sets coming in for preload than we build going out, when we get up around 50-60 dollies on property they get loaded on trailers and sent to the hub.
barnyard
KTM rider
We are getting 10 trailers a day. 2 of the trailers come up with drivers from other centers. They drop a trailer and a dolly and leave. Eventually, someone will figure it out and make sure that someone takes a dolly with them. Fridays are the only day we have where a driver might come back with one pup, but no dolly, try to balance out the dolly pile.
retiredTxfeeder
cap'n crunch
It's dispatch's job to balance equipment. They did a yard check 4x a day (where I worrked) to take a tally on how many trailers, dollies, etc were on property. When we used to get too many dollies, our automotive department would load 5 or 6 of them with a forklift into an empty rail and send it Dallas or Mesquite. I was always afraid to pull those. Was never too sure how secure they were back there.
Johney
Pineapple King
There's no way in hell a dollie or anything is going to bust out of one of those steel rail boxes. I would bet you could completely roll one of those suckers full of rocks and nothing would bust out. Now the unsecured duel wheel forklift in a Z box coyote load I refused to pull, that's another story.
barnyard
KTM rider
I work in an outstate building. The preload and local sort supes do a yard inventory. It is pretty much up to the feeder drivers to keep our yard clean.
Mugarolla
Light 'em up!
I've had them dump for almost a minute at times before they stopped.
It's an auto purge for moisture in the tanks.
retiredTxfeeder
cap'n crunch
They didn't load them into container trailers. Just 45-53' box trailers. All they did to secure them was to nail 2x4's to the floor to chock the wheels.
barnyard
KTM rider
I have had those trailers. It seems like about the time you think there is a problem, they seal up and are fine. I left the tractor on high idle while I did 2 shifts and it was still leaking when I got back to it. The sterling was pumping up to 90 lbs or so. When we hooked up the KW and gave it air, it was fine, like it was never an issue at all.
The guy behind the wheel of the KW just sat back and said, "I knew I could fix it." lol
olroadbeech
Happy Verified UPSer
I hauled dollies from time to time. the mechanic was supposed to set the brakes on them. they never blocked them in. I was afraid of them shifting and maybe busting door out. another driver had a tongue push out the door a little but did not puncture it.
something like that happens and it's still the drivers' responsibility to make sure load was secure before leaving yard. Iwould bring trailer to shop and have a mechanic double check load security.
something like that happens and it's still the drivers' responsibility to make sure load was secure before leaving yard. Iwould bring trailer to shop and have a mechanic double check load security.
quad decade guy
Well-Known Member
Is it the drivers responsibility? To what degree? How do you (as a driver) make that certainty?
Given the current mgt. don't give a crap attitude about anything, what would they do to insure
absolute load security? So in your scenario, it's up to the mechanic to make this certainty?
I bet he would be surprised at that statement. And distance himself as far as possible from it.
In my current experience, most loads either don't have a load retainer or it is not deployed.
And contact with a mgt. person yields absolutely nothing unless they suggest "is the load
stepped down? If so, then its acceptable..." I've never hauled dollies in a trailer, but would at
least demand them chained to the trailer floor. At least. We all know that will never happen.
And if you refused to pull that trailer for said concerns, could they fire you? I'm pretty
confident some would try. All of the trailers I've refused to pull have arrived at their destination
shortly thereafter by another driver. Dispatch just reassigns it. A lot of drivers never give a
second thought about liability. And a 20 yo.(or 20 years experience) dispatcher could care
less about anything except getting that trailer off the yard(at any cost to the driver or public).
I've refused to pull dollies loaded in the LC trailers, told them I dont believe they are secured and I haven't be trained in hauling them, they said if your not trained how do you know they arent secured... not my problem.
Johney
Pineapple King
Exactly, but when hauling dollies in an m/t the trailer is not likely sealed and when hauling m/t's you dam well better check that they are in fact m/t. I have found numerous packages in supposedly m/t trailers. Have even heard of drivers written up for packages found in m/t's brought back to hubs.
quad decade guy
Well-Known Member
You are not expected to verify a sealed load except for seal continuity. And let's say the load retainer
is deployed but has say automotive axles standing vertically against the retainer, is it secure? Safe?
Should you say or do anything about it?
olroadbeech
Happy Verified UPSer
I'd like you to try to argue that a truck and trailer is not your responsibility in a court of law in an injury or fatality accident.
if it's a mechanical failure that is a different story. if it is an unsecured load you can bet your ass that is on the driver.
the driver is the captain of the ship. I have refused what i thought were unsafe equipment or loads. they just give it to another driver.
if it's a mechanical failure that is a different story. if it is an unsecured load you can bet your ass that is on the driver.
the driver is the captain of the ship. I have refused what i thought were unsafe equipment or loads. they just give it to another driver.
Johney
Pineapple King
So you're saying any mechanical failure in an accident is not a drivers fault?
