Essay On Jackknifing
When a truck jackknifes, the tractor and trailer form a V shape. This resembles the shape that a jackknife makes when folding the blade into its handle. The tractor-trailer rig is very much like a jackknife because it has two rigid parts, the tractor and the trailer that are connected by a hinge which is the hitch.
Jackknifing only occurs when either the tractor or trailer gets into a skid (except when backing up a rig). Therefore, preventing skidding also prevents jackknifing. This sounds simple enough but it's more complex in practice. Preventing this danger requires understanding how it happens. There are also ways to recover from the start of a jackknife before your rig literally folds up. As trucking accident attorneys, we want to offer …show more content…
Always allow plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front. Increase this distance in wet and slippery conditions. Get into the habit of spreading out your braking over the entire distance that you have. This results in the smoothest and most gradual braking possible.
Beware of light trailer loads - The more weight you have on your wheels, the more braking traction you have. Therefore, the wheels on an empty or lightly loaded trailer are more prone to locking up and skidding. The same is true of the rear wheels of your tractor which get traction from the weight of the trailer pressing down on the hitch. When pulling an empty trailer, allow more braking distance.
Don't brake unless your trailer is in-line with the tractor - Folding up an actual jackknife is very difficult when there is no fold angle between the knife blade and handle. However, the greater the fold angle, the easier it is to fold the knife. This is also true with your rig. The tractor and trailer must form a straight line before braking. This means you should never brake while turning because the trailer and tractor are not lined up. It also means that you should not brake while swerving because a swerve is a hard turn which again means that the trailer and tractor are not lined up.
Jackknife Recovery
Jackknifing only occurs when either the tractor or trailer gets into a skid (except when backing up a rig). Therefore, preventing skidding also prevents jackknifing. This sounds simple enough but it's more complex in practice. Preventing this danger requires understanding how it happens. There are also ways to recover from the start of a jackknife before your rig literally folds up. As trucking accident attorneys, we want to offer …show more content…
Always allow plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front. Increase this distance in wet and slippery conditions. Get into the habit of spreading out your braking over the entire distance that you have. This results in the smoothest and most gradual braking possible.
Beware of light trailer loads - The more weight you have on your wheels, the more braking traction you have. Therefore, the wheels on an empty or lightly loaded trailer are more prone to locking up and skidding. The same is true of the rear wheels of your tractor which get traction from the weight of the trailer pressing down on the hitch. When pulling an empty trailer, allow more braking distance.
Don't brake unless your trailer is in-line with the tractor - Folding up an actual jackknife is very difficult when there is no fold angle between the knife blade and handle. However, the greater the fold angle, the easier it is to fold the knife. This is also true with your rig. The tractor and trailer must form a straight line before braking. This means you should never brake while turning because the trailer and tractor are not lined up. It also means that you should not brake while swerving because a swerve is a hard turn which again means that the trailer and tractor are not lined up.
Jackknife Recovery