This method has worked for me on slick hills where there was clay mud that was wet, or snowy. just ease down the hand spike and use enough pressure to get it straight. Sometimes it is necesary to not lock the trailer brakes up, but to just add some drag to get the job done.

 

All of the older drivers I have talked to have said to leave the trolley handle(trailer brakes only) alone when the trailer starts swapping ends on you. Instead, they say to mash the throttle if conditions allow and yank it back behind you. Yes, you can use the trolley handle but it is very risky, especially for a rookie to be doing it. If your trailer is already beside you, using the trailer brakes ain't going to do anything to help you.

 

Yeah.. some times even stupid things work out right.

 

 

When I would pull triples to SLC from Reno, they would "slide" a lot. I just never looked out my mirrors much and if they started to get sideways, just "spike" the hand-valve (not all the way down) while accelerating. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...Spent more than a few winters on I-80 on OT waiting for a wrecker...Usually if it got bad enough, we'd ditch the third box. Or hang a single chain on opposing axles on the last two trailers. It was funny though whenever a UPS driver lost a trailer the first on the scene would be a UPS supervisor with a can of spray paint, painting out the company name. Like someone REALLY didn't know it was a Buster Brown truck ???......I also found that talking to myself helps immensely "straighten out damn-it STRAIGHTEN OUT NOW ! OH SH--!!

 

Well i,m 1 and 1 on the Jackknife game I guess. Lost 1 and saved 1

The first one was when I had about 9 mos driving, back in the Cabover day,s. 1985 White Frieghtliner COE . Flattop roof, spring ride, and people whine about what they drive now. Anyway it was dry road, in Charlotte,N.C. I was in heavy traffic, construction zone with Jersey barriers closing the breakdown lane. My truck was governed at 57 MPH. (Fed. speed limit was 55)
so I got no power in my little L-10 cummins. and this guy driving a Mayflower truck with a crate strapped to the back of his trailer on one of those platforms they pull out. ( The bed bugger's know what i,m talkin' about) anyway he pulls into my lane and the stupid crate falls off his trailer. So I panic and jump on the brakes. Just a word of advice don,t jump on the brake's in a Cabover. The next thing I know I,m looking at the reefer control's out my driver,s window. man that happen so fast I didn't have time to react. It shifted the cab sideway's, I was in 7th gear (9spd) when it happened but somehow it ended up in jammed in 3rd. so I could drive it off the road to a dirt lot and wait for my boss to haul me a new Condo, I should have wreck that truck sooner I,m thinkin' just kidding.

The next one was just last year, I was dead heading out of Calgary,AB. with a 53' dry van. I was crossing a snow field wind blown snow covered the highway. The wind was blowing about 70 mph, there's no place to hide from it . I was watching my trailer I knew it was just a matter of time before it was going to try and pass me. there is no place to pull over or stop, so I was just praying I would make it to Montana and could find a truck stop to wait it out. Sure and behold it did started coming around, lucky thing it was trying to slide into the passing lane and not the ditch side. I just feathered the throttle and somehow managed to power slide about a mile or so to some dry pavement, and got it straitened out. I knew if I hit the brakes I was done and if I gave it to much throttle I was done. A couple of times I thought I was going into the median but I got lucky.