Rhode Island CDL DMV Combination 1

Older trailers do not have spring brakes. This means that if the air supply in an older trailer's air tank has leaked away, there will be no working brakes connected to the trailer and its wheels will turn freely.

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.

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.

When driving a vehicle with ABS, you should brake in the same manner as you would in a vehicle without ABS.

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

Combination vehicles are usually heavier and longer than single combination vehicles. Operating a combination vehicle requires a higher level of driving skill than operating a single commercial vehicle.

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 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 it is not able to escape from the back of the vehicle.

If your trailer begins to skid, you should release the brakes to regain traction. The trailer will begin to straighten out once the wheels begin to grip the road again.

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 enonugh gap in traffic to safely do so.

If a parked trailer does not have spring brakes, wheel chocks should be used to prevent it from moving.

While inspecting a coupling, you should go under the trailer and look into the back of the fifth wheel. Ensure that the fifth wheel jaws are secured around the shank of the kingpin.

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.

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.

The emergency air line (also known as the supply line) has two functions. The first is to supply air to the trailer air tanks, and the second is to control the emergency brakes on combination vehicles.

The trailer hand valve (also referred to as the "trolley valve" or "Johnson bar") works the trailer brakes and should be used only when testing them. Using the trailer hand valve while driving could result in a skid.

Never use the trailer hand valve while parking because doing so may release the air pressure from the braking system, releasing the brakes that are holding the vehicle in place. Instead, use the parking brake or wheel chocks.

Trailers built before 1975 are not required to have spring brakes. When parking a trailer without spring brakes, be sure to use wheel chocks to prevent the trailer from rolling.

In vehicles equipped with an automatic tractor protection valve, the valve will pop out if air pressure drops to a level between 20 and 45 psi. When the valve pops out, the protection valve will close, stopping the flow of air.

Never use the trailer hand valve while operating your vehicle. Using the trailer hand valve while driving can cause your trailer to skid.