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CDL · Pulling Doubles and Triples

How should the trailers be arranged when pulling doubles or triples of different weights?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

The heaviest trailer should be directly behind the tractor and the lightest trailer at the rear, so the trailers are loaded in decreasing order of weight from front to back

  1. A Trailer order does not matter
  2. B Lightest trailer always in the middle
  3. C The heaviest trailer should be directly behind the tractor and the lightest trailer at the rear, so the trailers are loaded in decreasing order of weight from front to back
  4. D Heaviest trailer last, lightest first

Why this is the answer

When the trailers carry different loads, they should be arranged with the heaviest closest to the tractor and the lightest at the very back, decreasing in weight from front to rear. This improves stability and handling: a heavy trailer at the rear amplifies the crack-the-whip effect and is far more likely to roll or swing dangerously. Putting the lighter trailer last reduces the violence of rearward amplification. The driver must follow legal weight and coupling rules, but within those, sequencing the trailers by weight from heavy in front to light in back is the safe practice.
Source: FMCSA CDL Manual 7.1.2 Trailer Order

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About this topic: Pulling Doubles and Triples

Pulling doubles and triples means managing the most unstable combination on the road: the rear trailer whips, rolls and jackknifes more easily, following distance must grow, and the sequence of air-line and brake checks is longer. These questions cover the handling rules specific to multiple trailers. This is one of 29 Doubles and Triples questions on pulling doubles and triples, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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