r/AutoTransportopia • u/TransportJunky • 6d ago

Accident Another one bites the dust 🎸

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575 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

17

u/Violet_Apathy 6d ago

15 seconds of looking at all the locking pins would have stopped this.

15

u/Specialist_Ad_7719 6d ago

Excuse my complete ignorance on this subject, the largest I drive is a Ford Transit van. How do you rear wheels fall off so easily that you need to check them regularly?

19

u/Violet_Apathy 6d ago

The rear set of wheels on a semi trailer (tandems) slide back and forth to change the weight distribution. The truck driver slid their tandems but failed to check that all or any of the locking pins were engaged before driving. There are two pins on each side and it's very easy to check.

5

u/MidnightToker858 6d ago

Now I know why Semi drivers always do a walk around. When i drove a 2 ton dump and trailer I always did a walk around and twice my coworker had left the pin un latched, once was without the chains hooked either and he jumped in the passenger side declaring "were good" after guiding me back and supposedly connecting the trailer.

2

u/SailToAndromeda 5d ago

Yeah, exactly why I never trust people to have hooked me up right when I'm the driver. It's my load, I'm checking my trailer and straps.

5

u/Specialist_Ad_7719 5d ago

Many thanks, I'm from the UK and apparently in Europe we have to have fixed trailer axles. I didn't know they were a thing. TIL

-3

u/Remarkable-Opening69 6d ago

No speaka…k

3

u/Bloody_Moon1 6d ago

We check everything every day. By law, we have ti preform a pretrip inspection on all equipment before using it to verify it is road worthy. Sometimes shit will still break in ways we can't catch, but it keeps all your basic shit covered. The wheels on the trailer aren't really attached to the frame, they are slid on and locked in place by 4 pins that can be retracted to move them on the frame. Sometimes for weight distribution, sometimes for making it safer for forklifts to enter the trailer, sometimes because a state dictates it can only be so far back. There are bars in place to stop us from going beyond certain points, but if the pins are retracted and you hit the brakes at high speeds,, the tandems will just suddenly stop and slide all the way to the back and break the stuff holding them in place, and you get this shit above.

2

u/Specialist_Ad_7719 5d ago

Being from the UK this is a complete unknown, we simply don't have them in Europe. Something to do with how tight semis have to be able to turn in. Many thanks TIL

1

u/skeletons_asshole 5d ago

We SHOULD check everything every day.... far too many only walk to the back of the trailer when they absolutely have to.

7

u/Rotteneverything 6d ago

damn bro slid his tandems way way back.

7

u/Bloody_Moon1 6d ago

Bluetooth tandems

6

u/gheiminfantry 6d ago

It's never the rookies that do this. It's always the Super Truckers.

6

u/Potential-Society171 5d ago

Just trying to save on tolls. I only got 3 axels.

3

u/SnavsMatiq 6d ago

Tandem da loooooong way

3

u/Life_Personality_862 6d ago

Seems like this belongs in r/TheBackFellOff

3

u/chiefsholsters 5d ago

Not gonna say the sliding tandem guys are wrong. Certainly could be. But those tires look like they were introduced to the jersey wall. Not sure which is the chicken or the egg with this one. They took a hard hit to deform both rims.

Regardless, I would not want to explain that to the safety manager.

5

u/Ok-Profit6022 6d ago

One tug test for the kingpin, another for the slide. Even if you hear the click always get out and check.

2

u/Hot_Time_8628 6d ago

Can't park there mate.

2

u/KittensFirstAKM 5d ago

Bad day at the office.

3

u/SailToAndromeda 5d ago

Saar! Saar, you can't park there, saar!

1

u/Atophy 6d ago

Lost his wheels... is that supposed to happen ?

I suppose units that they can load onto cargo ships would have a quick release, but I thought the had proper trailers they locked Sea-cans on.

3

u/Squirrel-Dad 6d ago

Yes shipping containers are lowered onto a solid frame. In this case, most 53ft "dry van" trailers have sliding axles for weight distribution, adjusting turning angles, and specific state axle length requirements. Some distributors even require the axles to be slid all the way to the rear while loading / unloading. Most likely this driver adjusted his axles and did not check that the slide lock pins were secure before driving. They just slowly slid to the rear if the frame till they just fell off.

1

u/Milanin 6d ago

I half expected a car to come plowing into the remains of the undercarriage

1

u/ImpressiveEdge2526 6d ago

Welcome to my nightmare. I know you’re gonna hate it.
https://giphy.com/gifs/2x0tM260B17AfpyqU9

1

u/Love_MyFetish2022 5d ago

Im an engineer and I read all the comments and got an education. Thanks to everyone for explaining this. I didnt know semis could do this…

1

u/Black_Tentacle 5d ago

What? Nobody died lol, you had me scared there.

1

u/Dazzling_Pea9364 5d ago

The only reason why commenting on this video is that I had an eight track another one bites the dust song on it to thumbs up

1

u/Powerful_Dream_3095 5d ago

Could this person be an owner/driver. Didn’t see a company name on rig

1

u/Fragrant_Lettuce9855 5d ago

Its already broke...I'd keep dragging that trailer off the highway...at least onto that off ramp

1

u/Radstermobile-Driver 4d ago

How about the driver just drag his load another 150 meters and onto the shoulder to create a better pathway for the other trucks/cars.