Skidding a bobtail tractor on wet pavement

Posted on February 19, 2008 by Ken Shigley

The handling characteristics of a bobtail tractor (operating without a trailer) are far different from a tractor-trailer combination, especially on wet pavement. Here’s a test I happened to find on Youtube. The results of braking a bobtail tractor on wet pavement are pretty predictable.

 


Ken Shigley is a trucking and product safety attorney based in Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Cricket

    Is it the fact that they aren’t carrying a trailer that makes them so unpredictable? Or a different braking system?
    Are there anti lock brakes on tractors and would those make a difference?