#Kingpin truck trailer drivers#

Inspection of fifth wheel plate – The driver should ensure that the plate is flat, it has not warped, and that it has not cracked.

In practice, many trucking companies do not perform the steam cleaning since they prefer to scrape off the debris or to use solvents to break down the remaining dirt and grease.

Ensure the fifth wheel is clean - Many manufacturers suggest a regular steam cleaning of the fifth wheel.

Steps essential to proper kingpin and fifth-wheel use and maintenance include: When a driver does not follow the steps to properly secure a trailer, the risk for a serious accident or injury due to a run-away trailer increases significantly. Unfortunately, the stresses and responsibilities of the road can cause these duties to be neglected or performed improperly. The maintenance of a commercial truck often falls into a commercial driver’s hands.

#Kingpin truck trailer drivers#

Truck Drivers Must Perform Significant Maintenance on the Fifth Wheel & Kingpin, but Some May Neglect These Duties Due to the large size and significant weight of truck trailers, these accidents often produce catastrophic injuries or even death. This runaway trailer can strike other vehicles traveling along the highway or roadway. However when a truck kingpins fails, the coupling mechanism will also fail resulting in a runaway truck trailer. This kingpin then moves against the greased fifth wheel providing stability and securement for the semi-trailer.

Despite its name, the 5 th wheel is a horseshoe-shaped coupling device while the kingpin is a, roughly, 2 inch to 3.5 diameter inch steel pin that is inserted into the center of the fifth wheel. Tractor-Trailer Kingpin & Fifth Wheel Defects can cause Catastrophic Injuries or DeathĪ tractor-trailer fifth wheel along with a kingpin provides the coupling link between the truck cab and the semi-trailer it will be hauling.