Share this helpful tip if you’re friends or have a family member who drives a semi-truck for a living and might drive through a protest, soon.
One tactic protesters use to get their point across is blocking off freeways and roads. Although most are peaceful, as the news shows, some get downright violent with protesters taking out their anger on random cars and, unfortunately, semi-truck drivers and their loads. Because trucks are big, hard to maneuver, and slow to move, they’re easy targets to pick on.
One way protesters might want to disable a semi-truck is yanking off the air brake supply lines behind the tractor cab. Without air going to the trailer brakes, the emergency brakes come on, stopping the trailer from moving and making it that much harder to get moving. If you don’t have a powerful enough engine to overcome your load, you’re stuck, leaving you in a dangerous situation.
A heavy duty tow truck driver shared a helpful and potentially life-saving tip that costs a trip to your local parts store, all of $2, and less than five minutes of your time, modifying your semi-truck air brake lines for safety.
Check out his post below.
Keep in mind, I’m not a truck driver and not all that handy with a wrench so take this advice and anything I say as a general rule.
Several commenters point out that while zip-ties might work temporarily, go for stronger stainless steel hose clamps instead.
I looked on HomeDepot.com and stainless steel hose clamps are just $2 or less. I’m sure you can find them cheaper elsewhere. Also, you probably already have stainless steel hose clamps in your toolbox for free.99.
Another commenter left this helpful tip, a sturdier and more permanent way to secure your brakes, bypassing the emergency trailer brake system.
If your desperate and must drive through an area that is affected, cage your trailer brakes for your safety. Not hard to cut an air line to the trailers. I have know of a few people that use this method when hauling high value loads where there is a chance of being hi-jacked.
I understand the above method isn’t exactly road legal but, if your life might be in danger, I’m all for it.
Since we’re discussing protests, if you’re a truck driver wondering, “how do I defend myself legally?” Landline Media has a great article on that. Mainly, you’ll want to retaliate as a last resort and, if you have a gun, make sure all your permits are in order.
The nation needs a secure and safe supply chain now more than ever. With Americans returning to work, businesses need food, supplies, and equipment. We cannot have our truck drivers fearing for their lives on their routes.
Hopefully truck drivers will never have to test this tip out for real. But, it’s there anyway.
