Arkansas CDL DMV Combination 1

A tractor protection valve keeps air in a tractor or truck air brake system should the trailer break away or develop a bad leak. The valve will close automatically if the pressure drops to an unsafe level.

When driving a combination vehicle, it is important to brake well in advance and look far ahead of your vehicle to avoid the need for sudden stops. Making habits of these actions will help you prevent your trailer from jackknifing.

When a vehicle goes around a corner, the rear wheels follow a different path than the front wheels. This is known as off-tracking, or "cheating."

When driving a tractor-trailer combination that is equipped with an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), you should brake in the same manner that you would if the vehicle was not equipped with ABS.

You should test the tractor protection valve by allowing the air supply to properly charge, turning off the engine, then releasing air from the system by pressing the brake pedal several times. The tractor protection valve should move into its emergency position when psi drops to an unsafe level.

Push in the trailer air supply control to supply the trailer with air. Pull out the trailer air supply control to turn off the air supply and activate the emergency brakes.

The trailer hand valve, also called the trolley valve or Johnson bar, is used to work the trailer brakes. It should be used only to test the brakes. Using it while a vehicle is in motion could cause a skid.

A trailer may swing out and strike other vehicles if its wheels lock up. This is especially likely with lightly-loaded trailers.

When starting a trip, be sure that all shut-off valves are in the open position, except for the last valves on the rear trailer. It is important that air reaches the brakes on all trailers and that the air is not able to escape from the back of the vehicle.

If your vehicle gets stuck on railroad tracks for any reason, you should immediately exit the vehicle and walk away from the tracks. Contact the proper emergency authorities.

Air lines are sometimes color-coded to help drivers avoid mistakes when coupling glad hands. Typically, blue is used for service lines and red is used for emergency lines.

When a combination vehicle is lightly loaded, it may have poor traction. It is very easy for wheels to lock up on lightly-loaded vehicles when they are being stopped.

Combination vehicles need more space on the road than other commercial vehicles because they are longer and need more space to turn and stop. It is especially important to properly manage space when you are operating a combination vehicle.

The service air line carries air and is controlled by either the foot brake or trailer hand brake. The service air line is attached to relay valves, which allow the trailer brakes to be applied quickly.

Tractor protection controls in older vehicles may be operated by levers instead of knobs. If an air supply control is set in its "emergency" position, the air supply will be stopped and the trailer emergency brakes will be applied.

The tractor protection valve keeps air in the trailer's braking system should the trailer break away or develop a leak. A loss of air pressure in the emergency line will cause the tractor protection valve to open and the emergency trailer brakes to activate.

Before a trip, you should ensure that air reaches all air brakes on all trailers by opening up the rear emergency line and service line shut-off valves and listening for escaping air. Close both shut-off valves before beginning to drive.

Rollovers occur when drivers turn or change lanes too quickly.

Double and triple combinations are the most vulnerable to turning over as a result of the "crack-the-whip" effect.

Positioning the weight of a load on one side of a trailer may cause the trailer to lean to that side, increasing the risk of a rollover during turns and lane changes.