Houston Truck Trailer Accident Lawyer
CDL-Licensed Truck Wreck Attorney.
18 Wheeler Accident Lawyer Reshard Alexander is licensed to drive big trucks and understands the cause when you are injured in a commercial motor vehicle wreck.
Houston Truck Trailer Accident Lawyer
Seeking a Free Consultation with one of Texas’ Houston Truck Accident Lawyers? Call the Big Rig Bull Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Reshard Alexander today at 713.766.3322.
A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer, a tractor-trailer.[1]
A large proportion of a semi-trailer’s weight is supported by a tractor unit, or a detachable front-axle assembly known as a dolly, or the tail of another trailer. A semi-trailer is normally equipped with landing gear (legs which can be lowered) to support it when it is uncoupled. Many semi-trailers have wheels that are capable of being totally dismounted and are also relocatable[2] (repositionable) to better distribute load to bearing wheel weight factors.[3] Semi-trailers are more popular for transport than full trailers, which have both front and rear axles. Ease of backing is cited as one of the semi’s chief advantages. A road tractor coupled to a semi-trailer is often called a semi-trailer truck or “semi” in North America & Australia, and an articulated lorry or “artic” in the UK.
Semi-trailers with two trailer units are called tandem tractor-trailers,[4] tandem rigs, or doubles (American English). Other terms used are “B-train” or (when there are three or more trailers) “road train“. A double-trailer combination is possible with the use of a dolly, essentially one to three additional axles placed under the front of a second semi-trailer. The first semi-trailer is connected to the power unit using the tractor’s fifth wheel coupling while the converter dolly, already attached to the second semi-trailer, is connected to the first semi-trailer with a drawbar.
Trailer Hitch Houston Truck Accident Lawyer
A trailer hitch, fifth-wheel coupling or another type of tow hitch is needed to draw a trailer with a car, truck or other traction engines.
Seeking a Free Consultation with one of Texas’ Houston Truck Accident Lawyers? Call the Big Rig Bull Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Reshard Alexander today at 713.766.3322.
Ball and Socket Houston Truck Accident Lawyer
A trailer coupler is used to secure the trailer to the towing vehicle. The trailer coupler attaches to the trailer ball. This forms a ball and socket connection to allow for relative movement between the towing vehicle and trailer while towing over uneven road surfaces. The trailer ball is mounted to the rear bumper or to a drawbar, which may be removable. The drawbar is secured to the trailer hitch by inserting it into the hitch receiver and pinning it. The three most common types of couplers are straight couplers, A-frame couplers, and adjustable couplers. Bumper-pull hitches and drawbars can exert tremendous leverage on the tow vehicle making it harder to recover from a swerving situation.
Fifth Wheel and Gooseneck Houston Truck Accident Lawyer
These are available for loads between 10,000 and 30,000 pounds (4.5 and 13.6 t).[1][2] Both the hitches are better than a receiver hitch and allow a more efficient and central attachment of a large trailer to the tow vehicle. These hitch types are designed for pickup truck beds. They are able to haul large loads without disrupting the stability of the vehicle. Traditional hitches are connected to the vehicle back but these are attached to the truck bed, which makes them better for making sharp turns and cutting tight corners.[3] Both styles have trailers attach to a coupler mounted above the axle within the bed of the tow vehicle such as a flat deck or pickup truck. A fifth-wheel coupling is also referred to as a kingpin hitch and is a smaller version of the semi-trailer “fifth wheel”. Though a fifth wheel and a gooseneck trailer look much the same, their method for coupling is different. A fifth wheel uses a large horseshoe-shaped coupling device mounted a foot or more above the bed of the tow vehicle. A gooseneck couples to a standard 2 5⁄16-inch (59 mm) ball mounted on the bed of the tow vehicle. The operational difference between the two is the range of movement in the hitch. The gooseneck is very maneuverable and can tilt in all directions, while the fifth wheel is intended for level roads and limited tilt side to side. Gooseneck mounts are often used for agricultural and industrial trailers. Fifth-wheel mounts are often used for recreational trailers. Standard bumper-hitch trailers typically allow a 10% or 15% hitch load while a fifth wheel and gooseneck can handle 20% or 25% weight transfer.
Seeking a Free Consultation with one of Texas’ Houston Truck Accident Lawyers? Call the Big Rig Bull Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Reshard Alexander today at 713.766.3322.
Trailer jack
The basic function of a trailer jack is to lift the trailer to a height that allows the trailer to be hitched or unhitched to and from the towing vehicle. Trailer jacks are also used for leveling the trailer during storage. The most common types of trailer jacks are A-frame jacks, swivel jacks, and drop-leg jacks. Some trailers, such as horse trailers, have a built-in jack at the tongue for this purpose.
Trailer Stability
Trailer stability can be defined as the tendency of a trailer to dissipate side-to-side motion. The initial motion may be caused by aerodynamic forces, such as from a crosswind or a passing vehicle. One common criterion for stability is the center of mass location with respect to the wheels, which can usually be detected by tongue weight. If the center of mass of the trailer is behind its wheels, therefore having a negative tongue weight, the trailer will likely be unstable. Another parameter which is less commonly a factor is the trailer moment of inertia. Even if the center of mass is forward of the wheels, a trailer with a long load, and thus large moment of inertia, may be unstable.[4]
Some vehicles are equipped with a Trailer Stability Program that may be able to compensate for improper loading.
Seeking a Free Consultation with one of Texas’ Houston Truck Accident Lawyers? Call the Big Rig Bull Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Reshard Alexander today at 713.766.3322.
53-foot trailers
General-purpose 53-foot (16.15 m) containers were introduced in the United States in 1989, and are used both in the U.S.A. and Canada, mainly for domestic road and rail transport.[67] They are considered High-cubes, based on their 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) ISO-standard height. Their width of 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) however makes them 6 inches (15 cm) wider than ISO-standard containers.[66] These large boxes have 60% more capacity than standard-height 40-foot (12.19 m) containers, enabling shippers to consolidate more cargo into fewer containers.[68][69][70]
Generally, North American 53-foot containers were not constructed strong enough to endure the rigors of ocean transport, but in 2007 container carrier APL introduced the first 53-foot ocean-capable containers. All-new, reinforced 53-foot boxes were built specifically for international trade and designed to withstand ocean voyages on its South China-to-Los Angeles service.[67] In 2013 however, APL stopped offering vessel space for 53-foot containers on its trans-Pacific ships.[71] Nevertheless, In 2015 both Crowley and TOTE Maritime each announced the construction of their respective second combined container and roll-on/roll-off ships for Puerto Rico trade, with the specific design to maximize cubic cargo capacity by carrying 53-foot, 102-inch wide (2,591 mm) containers.[72] [73] Within Canada, Oceanex offers 53-foot-container ocean service to and from the island of Newfoundland.[74] Fifty-three-foot containers are also being used on some Asia Pacific international shipping routes.[60]
Houston Truck Trailer Accident Lawyer
Seeking a Free Consultation with one of Texas’ Houston Truck Accident Lawyers? Call the Big Rig Bull Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Reshard Alexander today at 713.766.3322.
It is advisable to consult a Houston truck accident attorney Reshard Alexander who will help determine liability and the right compensation amount that you should get for your injuries. The insurance company of the at-fault driver may not be willing to pay for damages and I can help you with the negotiation process. Call me today at (713) 766-3322 for a free consultation.
Houston Truck Accident & Injury Guide
Houston Truck Trailer Accident Resources
Auto Transport
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