Indiana CDL DMV Combination 2

To lower the risk of a rollover, load your cargo as closely to the ground as possible. To further reduce this risk, take curves and corners slowly.

If your trailer begins to skid, you should release the brakes to help regain traction. Once the wheels grip the road again, the trailer will begin to straighten out and follow the path of the tractor.

Combination vehicles require more space on the road than other vehicles. When entering or crossing traffic while driving a combination vehicle, it is especially important that there is a large enough gap in traffic for you to safely do so.

Shut-off valves are used in air supply lines to control the passage of air from one trailer to another. The rear shut-off valve should always be closed to prevent air from leaving the braking system.

The earliest and best way to recognize the beginnings of a trailer skid is by seeing the trailer veer off-course in your mirrors.

The trailer service air line is also referred to as the control line or signal line.

The trailer service air line may also be referred to as the control line or signal line.

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.

When connecting a converter dolly to a second or third trailer, the trailer height should be correct. It should be slightly lower than the center of the fifth wheel.

Failure to keep the fifth wheel plate properly lubricated can create friction between the tractor and trailer, causing steering problems.

Railroad-highway crossings may be difficult to cross when pulling a trailer with a low underneath clearance. In particular, both low-slung units and single-axle tractors pulling long trailers are especially challenging to drive over raised crossings.

When coupling, make sure you couple matching glad hands. They are often color-coded to help drivers avoid mistakes. Typically, blue is used for service lines and red is used for emergency lines.

Bobtail tractors are tractors that are not attached to any semitrailers. When operating a bobtail, you should be aware that stopping can be difficult and that it will take a longer distance to bring the bobtail to a complete stop than it would a tractor attached to a loaded semitrailer.

Every combination vehicle has two air lines: the service line and the emergency line.

Correctly following the steps to couple and uncouple trailers is vital to safely operating a combination vehicle. After connecting the air lines to the trailer while coupling, you should supply air to the trailer.

When positioning trailers in a combination, the most heavily-loaded trailer should be the closest to the tractor. The lightest trailer should be positioned in the rear.

The tractor protection valve keeps air in the tractor or truck braking system, should the trailer break away or develop a bad leak.

If the weight of a load is placed primarily one side of a trailer, the trailer may lean, increasing the risk of a rollover.

Before a trip, ensure that air in the air brake system reaches all trailers. Do this by waiting for air pressure to build, then sending air to both the emergency and service lines and opening the shut-off valves on the rear of the last trailer. If air escapes from the shut-off valves in the rear of the combination, the air is being supplied to the entire vehicle.

In comparison to driving a single vehicle, you should maintain an extended following distance when driving a combination rig. Combinations require longer stopping distances than smaller vehicles.