Your trailer wheels have locked and the trailer is skidding sideways because you braked too hard. What should you do to help it recover?

• A.Apply the brakes even harder to stop before the angle grows
• B.Ease off the service brakes so the trailer wheels can start rolling again
• C.Pull the trailer hand valve on fully and hold it
• D.Steer sharply in the opposite direction of the swing

Why

A locked wheel cannot steer or grip sideways, so the trailer keeps sliding until its wheels roll again. Releasing brake pressure restores rolling traction, which is the basic recovery for a trailer skid caused by braking.

Manual topic: Combination Vehicles - Skids and Jackknifing · From the Combination Vehicles practice bank (CV-128).

Practice this subject as a full test

More Combination Braking, Skids & Jackknife Prevention questions

• Why is an empty trailer more likely to jackknife under hard braking than a loaded trailer?
• What is usually the first visible sign that your trailer is starting to jackknife?
• What is the difference between a tractor jackknife and a trailer jackknife?
• Why should you tap your brakes lightly well before a planned stop when traffic is following you?
• Why is using only the trailer hand valve for routine slowing and stopping a bad practice?