Trailer not road worthy

scooby5121 · July 4, 2012

People are worried about pulling trailers with bad brakes, or no brakes at all.

Real world scenerio is that if the unit you pull is in any bad condition ie: tires ,brakes, etc.

Not up to snuff and you are in an accident, and they check why the truck and unit didn't stop quickly enough

you will be at fault and possibly charged with having an unfit vehicle(with combined unit). Also causing your Insurance rate to increase.

If haulers cannot fix minor brake issues, make sure your passangers sign a waiver that they will not sue the driver.

It also goes with being overweight and improperly loaded trailers.

I am not a ranter, just seen to many posts about people hauling friends broken crap around just for a short haul and wondering if it is a good idea?

Scooby

Z45 · July 4, 2012

I worked for over 30 yrs as a Surveyor for State DOT. I seen many accidents etc involving people towing trailers and loads they never should have. Several memorable come to mind. Once we came upon a accident involving a very expensive boat that was totalled after the driver lost control and the boat came off trailer. A trucker said he caught up to the boat and it was moving all over the road so he stayed back. Then suddenly it started to sway out of control and came off the trailer skidding down the road and the trailer and the 1/2 ton truck towing it flipped over in the ditch. The boat was huge and expensive, drive said he towed it before and nothing happened.

Another was a restored hot-rod that a guy was towing on a trailer behind a small truck. He told that cops he towed that thing many times but this day he lost control and it started to sway, the car came off the trailer, crossing a busy highway just missing a family van with a bunch of kids, went thru a ditch and slammed into a garage. The car was torn up very bad and the garage was done for.

Another time the state police motor carrier enforcment set up an inspection at the north side of the I-75 Straits of Mackinaw bridge as trucks out of Canada hauling lumber South were overloaded to the tune of many thousands of lbs. All the trucks were impounded at the state facility until the loads were brought under limits, drivers fined and had to pay to have thier cargo unloaded. Word soon got back to the source and the trucks stopped coming. If I recall no one ever claimed the excess lumber that was off loaded at the state facilty and they auctioned it off. It was likely taken from the drivers compensation as were all the fines they got.

But you know the attitude of some, as long as you can pull it what harm can is cause. Actually we being DOT employees were told to call the state police whenever we observed oversize or unsafe loads. Our trucks had radios that tripped state police receivers. Everytime there was an accident involving something like this, the state was on the hook for any lawsuits and then were were out doing litigation surveys for the attorney general to defend the state, all because some careless driver thought he could tow it without a problem.

scooby5121 · July 5, 2012

There are alot of bad stories out their, we have seen or heard about.

When you are pulling with your GM truck, take as good care of the trailer as you do for the GM Machine!!!!

Scooby

THABULL · July 10, 2012

I drive a truck for a living and it just amazes me at what I see people pulling and at how little they are towing it with. Big TT's with a mid size SUV's and big 5th wheels with 1/2 ton trucks that would be a load for a 3/4 ton diesel. I just shake my head and laugh!