Legal definition of a sharp turn vs jackknife

Stupid phone...3rd time I'm having to type this out.

What difference at this point does it make? The damage is the same either way, and to be honest with you I'd be LESS inclined to hire a guy who had such a wreck exclusively as a result of inattention as opposed to a guy who ran into issues as traffic, weather, and road conditions were all deteriorating rapidly around him. There is NEVER an excuse for inattention.

 

Not sure turning to tight and bending a fairing constitutes a jack knife?
Usually a real jack knife either puts a big dent in or ruptures the fuel tank.

 

Chalk it up as a hard lesson and move on.

You can't whip around like a car in a McDonalds parking lot without consequences. Never forget about where the trailer behind you is.

You can call it in to Safety and have the company pay for it, it will still cost you in another way. Or go pay for a cab extender out of your own pocket.


As long as this issue doesn't keep happening you shouldn't worry.

 

I'd blame it on a Swift truckstop incident

 

Technically, in my book, a "too-tight-turn" is when the driver maneuvers the tractor into the trailer in a controlled situation.

A jackknife is when the driver loses control of the situation and the trailer maneuvers itself into the tractor.

Two completely different incidents, but end result is more or less the same, and cause is more or less the same - driver error.

 

When you put the tractor against the trailer it's a jackknife. Making contact. That's damage. Preventable usually.

There were times I would ... very carefully have that tractor cranked around to where the fairings are like a inch from the trailer wall and shes a rocking past 90 degrees trying to get into a spot. If I did damage it's a jack knife.

There is another type of turn called a J. It is literally a J at speed around 30 mph or so. Flatbedders get educated with a Video what a J turn can do to a flatbed in my time. It's really heavy coming around and you can if big and hefty enough have that trailer flop over leaving your tractor pointing at the sky before slamming onto the pavement with you on your head outside the smashed pax window against blacktop.

Any other type of manuvering is just that. I call it horsing her into the next lane to get around someone stupid enough to try a insurance scam by stopping dead in front of me. The trailer goes crazy first wags the dog (Me...) this way, I muscle it over that way and then that trailer wants to take out everything on the other side so I have to fight it to get it settled. As long I have pavement i can do this. If a wheel got into grass, mud ice or whatever game over for me.

 

Technically, in my book, a "too-tight-turn" is when the driver maneuvers the tractor into the trailer in a controlled [backing] situation.

A jackknife is when the driver loses control of the overall forward progress situation, and the trailer maneuvers itself into the tractor as it tries to "pass" the stuff up front that's going slower.

Two completely different incidents, but end result is more or less the same, and cause is more or less the same - driver error.

Granted though, a jackknife typically results in much more damage than a slow, backing screw up.

 

Agree. This is a mirror allergy.

 

There are also two kinds of jackknife... Tractor breaks loose trailer wants to go forward running you over. It's vicious and fast if you aint on the ball and catch her.

The other is the classic trailer coming round. You have a little time to get her caught and back in line. But if you don't? Well... you will be tomorrows news video.