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Trailer Talk
Posted 7/10/2012 4:29:00 AM

I was at a campground with my camperized former school bus when another driver came into the office.  Obviously exasperated, he said he was pulling a trailer for the first time, and could not line it up to back it into his tree-lined space.  The woman running the campground said to him, “Buddy, if you can’t park it, you shouldn’t be driving it!”  I have a letter from Sandra, saying she was driving past a RV dealership when she had to hit the brakes.  Someone pulled out of the RV lot in front of her who apparently did not know how much time or space they needed to make the turn.  Sanda points out we need a license to operate a car or a boat, and she thinks it’s high time you needed training and a test and a license to pull a trailer.  Many people have no idea how differently your vehicle acts when you add that extra weight and length, and she says they are putting other people’s lives at risk.  Others are complaining to me about people pulling trailers on the highway well under the speed limit causing a hazard.  Do we need trailer training?  Should everyone be required to do the speed limit?  Let me know what you think.

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Posted By: Bob Layton  

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  • 24
  1. Kate posted on 07/10/2012 07:57 AM
    So 6 generators mysteriously go down on the hottest day and it is apparently not due to consumer demand (but they will not tell us why). Hmmm, did they perhaps also refuse to buy power from neighbouring provinces. Hmmm, blackouts you say. Does anyone know what this has done to the electricity prices? It doesn't take a Phd in Economics to know that when the supply is restricted in an oligopoly that the price is driven up to astronomical levels. There is no competition. Time to buy shares in the electrical companies to hedge against gouging of the consumer. Watch Enron: the smartest guys in the room - see what happened in California with private electrical companies.
  2. Joe Zasada posted on 07/10/2012 08:17 AM
    If a separate license isn't needed then perhaps trailering maneuvers could be part of the class 5 road test?
  3. Joy posted on 07/10/2012 09:13 AM
    Since 80% of drivers consider themselves to be "above average", are we really surprised that they can't handle their rv's as well? The question, "Should everyone be required to do the speed limit?" says it all! Speed LIMIT, get it? It's not the minimum speed, it's the MAXIMUM speed. People are so impatient now that they feel it is their right to blow your doors off as they pass you on the highway doing mach 5. How about a little good old defensive driving. When you see an ungainly vehicle on the road, give him a wide berth and prepare to slow down. If you left late, suck it up and be late. It's not everyone else's fault that you can't plan ahead. Ask Scotty to "beam" you there if it's that important.
    1. Dagmar posted on 07/12/2012 01:26 PM
      @Joy well said Joy, I agree
  4. Senator George posted on 07/10/2012 10:01 AM
    "we need a license to operate a car or a boat, and she thinks it’s high time you needed training and a test and a license to pull a trailer"
    Oooohhh PULEEEEASE Sanda.....another license,....another tax. I agree that people should be required to take a course with instruction as to how to operate with different kinds of trailers they might be towing. Proper safety for hook-ups and towing rules should definitely be studied, but every trailer and vehicle combination would be different,...and somehow I doubt whether the Pillapino guy who gave me my driving test would have any idea what would be required. How about having the guys who sell these rigs bear some responsibility as to how these units are to operated and by who?!?
    1. S. LeeT posted on 07/10/2012 07:48 PM
      @Senator George I agree, our salesman claimed to know nothing about how much our truck could pull and neither did the maintenance crew. We called GM and a few dealers and they were just as clueless. I don't want to have to go through license and testing and nor should anyone else but if we want it, where do you go?
  5. Bob Big $$ posted on 07/10/2012 10:08 AM
    I've operated all kinds of equipment with/without trailers all my life and I can not think how you could generalize some test which would cover all the different vehicle combinations that would cover such a test.
    The best way to ensure a safer way to travel is to maybe get some good instructions from the company where you buy your unit.
    Sanda says she almost hit one coming out of a RV dealership....we have a BINGO!!! The least thing that the salespeople who sell the unit is to give some kind of instruction advise on THEIR parking lot and maybe a test drive on the roadways around their shop....
    Makes sense to ME,....but that's just ME!
  6. Winnebago Man posted on 07/10/2012 10:18 AM
    I saw the other day,....an SUV towing a trailer on QE11,...where the weight of the trailer was clearly more than the vehicle should be towing...the FRONT wheels were lifting off the ground and the back springs were totally sagged....All this at 110 kph!
    Hit a bump when you're driving like this,...and guess??? You're steering wheels are NOT ON THE HIGHWAY!!!
    Even towing a trailer that is not loaded properly,..(too much weight "behind" the trailer wheels) can cause the trailer, when it hits the truck ruts on a highway to do the 'ol ZIG ZAG dance (swaying wildly from side to side) that you CANNOT stop just by slowing down and can usually end up in a dumped trailer and vehicle in the ditch or oncoming lanes.
    Best advise I can give......SLOW THE HELL DOWN when towing these things.
    Oh,...bad advise on the Queen's Highways!!!
  7. David W. Lincoln posted on 07/10/2012 11:09 AM This comment was edited by a moderator at 12:25 PM on 07/10/2012
    What is wrong with more drivers being less self-centred, and more aware that they are not the only ones on the road.

    Bob replies: That's fairly obvious when there are two solid lanes of traffic on the highway, and yours is going 20k under the limit.
    1. Winnebago Man posted on 07/10/2012 06:53 PM
      @David W. Lincoln Actually David, I really prefer that these types of drivers be "more" self centered, if it helps them keep keep their vehicles "centered" between those white and yellow hash marks on the highway.
      If you buy a gun, you don't automatically take it out in the bush and start shooting at "stuff",...you get some instruction and practice SOMEWHERE!
      An ill prepared trailer pulling driver is NO different and can be just as deadly, especially if they just pulled out of the dealership with their new toy and are totally unfamiliar as to how it will respond to the car/truck they are towing it with, that they ARE familiar with,...which now behaves quite differently.
      Wait until they take it out in the fall and winter and icy roads!!!
    show more replies
  8. Gordon posted on 07/10/2012 01:50 PM
    Rolling Blackout:
    I wander how many accidents were caused yesterday due to the rolling blackouts in our city. I came upon one at 107 avenue.
    The lights weren't working in the area and no red flashing lights to indicate that it should be treated as a 4-way stop. With this heat people are trying to cope already and for these blackouts, it doesn't help the situation.
    Are the electrical companies partly to blame for the accidents and should they maybe cover the repair bill?
    Look at Las Vegas and Phoenix, with the heat down there you don't here of rollling blackouts!!!

    Gordon
    1. GFF posted on 07/12/2012 10:51 AM
      @Gordon Las Vegas & PHX - I was thinking the same thing. Many people drive home by habit. If you asked them a question about a particular intersection, they can't recall anything about it. Habit ... go from A to B.
  9. Bob $$ posted on 07/10/2012 07:05 PM
    I think they should practice some of the "professional" drivers they will encounter, towing heavy equipment, semi trailers, and big rig 2-3 trailer rigs.....like the 2 insane goofs I encountered on the QE11 highway a number of years ago just shy of Innisfail.
    Towing a very large 5th wheel trailer with a large bobcat and several craphouses on them, and large multiple welders and gear strapped down.
    They were swerving in and out of lanes and from one extreme shoulder land across 3 lanes to the other shoulder lane, all at 120 kph PLUS...they were going to kill somebody.
    I spotted an RCMP cruiser on the northbound lane who had pulled over a speeder and I crossed the center median lane (I know,..a very band thing) and reported the situation to the RCMP there. They radioed ahead to the Innisfail detached-ment and pulled these guys over about 6-8 miles down the road. They called me back to let me know how it turned out, thanking me.
    The driver, when they opened the door, fell out of the truck and spilled his beer that he was holding in his hand,..the passenger, holding a beer, had an arm resting on the coat covering the case of beer (24) they had sitting on the front seat between them. Maybe he thought the cops wouldn't NOTICE???
    Watch and copy the example of professional truck and trailer drivers....JUST NOT THESE 2 *$*&^&%#@* JERKS!!!
  10. S. LeeT posted on 07/10/2012 07:44 PM
    I would love for someone to give me lessons driving with our trailer. We have a Yukon (short) and a 24 ft trailer which my husband will not let me drive. Unfortunately there may come a time when I should know how. I don't want to have an extra license but I sure would like someone to give me a few lessons even if it is a class settings for the first bit on how to hook up and things to look for. So much is taken for granted because the guys are suppose to know everything but that's not the case. By the way, I had a heck of a time trying to figure out if our trailer weight was ok for our truck. I still am not sure. Our trailer is 4400 lbs and loaded is only suppose to be 5500. I found a GM website that said we could pull 8200 lbs but another that said only 5200. Everything about this trailering bit seems forgein to me. Just saying...
  11. N EricE_9187 posted on 07/10/2012 07:55 PM
    Bob As a person that pulls a trailer I do agree there should be classes on how to do trailering Rving . On Question of speed for trailering/Rving I think that a person doing just under the speed limit is good thing for safety of General public. Besides there is enough speeders out there. On the question of Road driving hazards I think there is just as many bad drivers on both sides this issue. Just like driving in winter there is first snow fall and then bad drivers come out. When the Trailering/Rving comes out bad drivers on both sides come out . My Answer to all this is Be careful and drive safe no matter who on road
  12. Glen S.R. Woytuck posted on 07/10/2012 08:14 PM
    As a professional driver most of my life, and now a dispatcher for a towing company, I can say unequivecally "YES" 80% of drivers are above averge. The problem is, the "average" should be a failing grade. There are few drivers I consider competent in a single vehicle, let alone a two piece rig, or oversized one.

    Some places have motorcycle licences rated by size of engine. I believe drivers licences should be rated for trailers and GVW of trailer and tow vehicle.
    I also believe that driver training should be MANDATORY, and testing should be much more stringent. It would save us ALL money on insurance premiums. (Someone has to pay for the carnage these incompetent morons cause on our highways.)
  13. mark muller posted on 07/10/2012 08:30 PM
    i just got back into town after driving hyw 63 "once again" and heard the commentary today and could not agree more that there should be a new to driving course for recreational or boat towing . Myself and the family just came back from a cross Canada trip. The one thing that most drivers fail to do is propely set up the trailer breaks or the torsion/sway bars.It bothers me to no end when you have $150000 truck and trailer and they dont have the slightest ideal what to do in an emergency.
    We try to do a lot of caming in the summer and i pride myself on setting up the trailer and truck properly and checking to make sure the brakes are set up IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION
    As far as backing up the average person is inadiquite at backing up a yugo
    My wife goes to the mall all the time with her big dodge and she can back into those small lots better than the average man with a mimivan
    1. The Infidel - Mr.John posted on 07/11/2012 12:01 PM
      @mark muller Good points Mark....Most people towing trailers with say electric brakes don't realize that those brakes have to be set up.
      The electric brakes on a trailer will come on gradual to "full bore" as soon as you touch the brake pedals as they are electric. This starts to "reverse pull" the vehicle towing it immediately and then the further you press the pedal the vehicle brakes will then apply to "assist" the vehicle pulling to slow the whole mess down.
      I used to mostly use the electric brakes on the trailer to pull/slow the truck AND trailer and then apply full pressure on the brakes to slow everything to full stop....But how many people even know how they work....very few!
      There is a good RV book on Amazon.ca on RVing and towing....
      The RV Book: Your Personal Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Your RV
      Those with trailers should look it up!!!
  14. adam badzioch posted on 07/11/2012 04:17 AM
    Hello Bob

    It is getting way out of control...people pulling not one but two trailers...way beyond the limitations of the braking power of the unit they are pulling (pulling is the easy part; STOPPING is the hard part)..a half ton truck or three quarter ton truck pull a goose neck and a boat...plus most times the hitch on the back of the goose neck is not rated for hitches. These people are a hazard to themselves and the rest of the driving world.
  15. Robert posted on 07/11/2012 04:56 AM
    Last year I was in a crackup involving a trailer hauling material for work. Turned out what caused the crash was the other guy didn't balance the load properly and made it back heavy so it got to the point it lifted my back tires up enough I had virtually no control. Trailer flipped on me less than 1km from that place.

    It was only my second time hauling trailer that even though it wasn't my fault, I still blame myself.

    And being a fan of Canada's Worst Driver, which by the way saved our lives on more than one occasion, I agree we need more training to haul a trailer.
    1. Glen S.R. Woytuck posted on 07/12/2012 01:08 AM
      @Robert Personally I am NOT a fan of Canada's Worst Driver. I can't believe any of those people passed a driving test, and even the "rehabilitated" ones should NEVER drive anything bigger than a golf cart, and certainly not on any surface used by the public.

      As the driver, you SHOULD blame yourself. If there had been any charges laid, they are against the driver alone, not someone else who loaded the trailer. (As ANY professional driver will tell you.)

      As the driver it is YOUR responsibility alone to ensure your load is loaded properly and securely.
  16. GFF posted on 07/12/2012 11:46 AM
    I fully agree that many, many people hook up to a trailer and really do not know how to maneuver nor realize the weight they are pulling. I agree with the suggestions, there should be some practise done before loading up the family and heading out on the "wide open roads". However, it is not just the people carrying trailers, etc. The ones that really concern me are the couples that likely have never driven any thing larger then a Pinto! They retire and buy a COACH! These are the same size as an ETS bus! Or they purchase a truck and fifth-wheel.
  17. LeAnne Reynaud posted on 07/13/2012 07:27 PM
    Hi Bob,
    I just wanted to comment on a topic you mentioned on suppertime news Friday, July 13th.
    It was from an R.V.er ~ story was why the driver pulling a trailer goes slower than speed limit.
    His response was he had to because of those that pass him and then cut him off ~ they don't realize how long stopping/slowing down time is.

    Well, Bob, it's not just RV-er's. On the highway, I will drive just under 10 km's " over " the speed limit. On a two-way highway, I am constantly passed by a driver who will catch up to me and then pass ~ only to cut me off to get over infront of me. Then, this same driver will slow down. He/she cannot drive at that speed to begin with! Don't be blaming the RV driver .... they're the responsible one on the highway.
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