TONGUE INSPECTION ! EVERYBODY check 'em before they FAIL ! ! !

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

This can happen to ANY vehicle, military or civilian...

http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/runaway-trailer-crusies-down-bakersfield-freeway-01302015

When is the last time you had your tongue inspected... or your pintle???

Whatever you do, DON'T tongue your pintle without checking every thing about them first.

 

[porkysplace]

This can happen to ANY vehicle, military or civilian...

http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/runaway-trailer-crusies-down-bakersfield-freeway-01302015

When is the last time you had your tongue inspected... or your pintle???

Whatever you do, DON'T tongue your pintle without checking every thing about them first.

Shouldn't that be part of the daily pre-trip inspection ?

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Shouldn't that be part of the daily pre-trip inspection ?

Indeed it SHOULD be. But is it?

 

[EO2NMCB]

So much for safety chains!

 

[steelandcanvas]

The "driver" was lucky it tracked so well...could have been a lot worse.

 

[319]

The "driver" was lucky it tracked so well...could have been a lot worse.

I was impressed by the way it tracked so well,........that and the neatly stacked pallets.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

The first thing that came to mind was "check your mirrors", quickly followed by "safety chains" and pre-trip inspection.

I can only imagine that the CHiPs Investigator probably had fun writing some tickets even though there were no collisions occurring.

I wonder what the total cost of this incident ended up being.

I guess we'll just have to wait for the sequel to be posted to YouTube.

 

[rhurey]

So the guy filming passes the unconnected trailer in the next lane while filming on his cell phone.

Um.... Brave. Or dumb.

 

[tennmogger]

Scary situation. What would you do if your trailer got left behind in one lane of the highway? Try to retrieve it? Get behind it with warning triangles? Back up on shoulder then come up behind trailer to shove it off highway? Wish for LEO to show up or wish for LEO to not show up LOL.

In this case the most dangerous time starts after the video ends!

 

[juanprado]

In Dec on I-10 going in the opposite direction, I witnessed a big fancy bus type rv painted with a swirl pattern towing a large 3 axle tall box trailer painted with the matching theme of the RV. What my eye caught was that the trailer was moving at a different speed than the RV and was accelerating. Sure enough the trailer was unhitched and being pulled by the chains. It then started banging into the rv and he started braking with it slamming back and forth.
Never saw the end as I was past it but had to think in the 3 lanes of moderate traffic someone had to get hit. One of those fancy rv and trailer combos that I suspect was close to a million $

 

[paradeduty]

You kind of mentioned it, juanprado, but I am most surprised that the emergency trailer brakes did not kick in. I may be wrong, but I thought that they were mandatory on all but the smallest trailers. 'Course that assumes that the "pull cable" is hooked up and hooked up properly.

 

[Keith_J]

You kind of mentioned it, juanprado, but I am most surprised that the emergency trailer brakes did not kick in. I may be wrong, but I thought that they were mandatory on all but the smallest trailers. 'Course that assumes that the "pull cable" is hooked up and hooked up properly.

I counted 160 pallets, at 50 pounds each, that is 4 tons. With trailer, that would be a 5 ton load which would require brakes with break away brakes.

Two violations there. Want to bet he didn't secure the hitch properly? I've done stupid stuff too, like using a 1-7/8" ball with a 2" coupler but it didn't budge. Yes, chains and break away.

 

[jasonjc]

If you watch the video, you can see the first 12-18" of the hitch is still hooked to the truck. More than likely the chains are there two. Good point about the trailer brakes. I need to add those to my trailer. My brakes work great, but not if they aren't hooked to the truck. Some thing else to remember , don't hook the brake away cable/chain to the hitch of the truck. If the hitch fails or comes off the truck then the brake away won't help.

 

[armytruck63]

California is pretty strict when it comes to trailer brakes:
[h=3]California[/h]"Every trailer and semitrailer manufactured after 1940 with a GVW of 6,000 lbs. or more and operated at a speed of 20 mph or more must be equipped with brakes; trailers and semitrailers built after 1966 and with a GVW of 3,000 lbs. or more must have brakes on at least 2 wheels; every trailer or semitrailer built after 1982 and equipped with air brakes must be equipped with brakes on all wheels.
Every trailer coach or camp trailer with a GVW of 1,500 lbs. or more must be equipped with brakes on at least 2 wheels."




And yes, the CHP will have fun writing this guy up.

 

[ranchhopper]

Obviously the driver wasn't paying attention first thing they should have noticed was the truck should have accelerated easier after dropping the trailer and why park on the side and let it run down the road instead of getting in front of it and try to slow it to a stop with the tow vehicle.

 

[poppop]

A semi came by my house last year with the trailer on fire. Driver finally noticed 5 miles later. I was on a tractor and could not run him down. Total loss.

 

[ageregunner]

I love your avatar! Probably the best on the forum. Of course I mean the German Shepard soldier.