Post Tagged with: "trailer drive"

You’ve been driving the trailer and have already parked, but you’re not done yet. The parked trailer should also be secured, especially against rolling away. You can find out what you need to pay attention to and what liability is like in an emergency in our blog post. 

How to properly secure the trailer

If you park a trailer outside of your private property, you should definitely secure the trailer sufficiently. It can always happen that the trailer rolls away, is hit by strong gusts or – if it is parked on the street – is involved in a possible accident by other road users or even causes something worse. Of course, a parked trailer that moves unexpectedly is not desirable, even on private property, so we always recommend securing it properly. 

The best way to secure a parked trailer is with wheel chocks. To do this, you should first check whether the road is sloping in one direction, and if so, secure the trailer with a wheel chock before unhooking it from the towing vehicle so that it does not roll away when unhooking it. 

But even if the road has no slope or incline, securing it with a wheel chock makes sense: with a wheel chock in front of and behind the wheels you can prevent all movements forwards and backwards, or at least limit these movements, for example in a storm or if another vehicle hits the trailer. It is best to make sure that you park the trailer in a protected area, for example in a driveway or a dead end or on the edge of a parking lot, where the chances of the trailer moving unintentionally due to outer circumstances are already limited. 

You can also secure the trailer against theft, for example with an immobilizer and a lock for the drawbar. 

Liability for your trailer

Your trailer – like your car – must have liability insurance. So if the trailer starts rolling on a sloping road and damage is caused, you are covered. However, it is also helpful if you have additionally secured the trailer as described above. 

Also interesting for you: In 2023 there was a ruling by the Federal Court of Justice in which the trailer’s liability insurance was also asked to pay, even though the parked trailer was only in an accident with one had set another car in motion and was virtually passively involved in the accident. It was said that there was a risk of uncontrolled movement by the trailer and that this risk existed as long as the trailer was parked in public traffic. 

Some time ago we reported on the various driver’s licenses for driving a trailer. In addition to the old class 3 driver’s license, there is also the class B driver’s license, which replaced the class 3 license and with which driving a trailer is possible. In addition to B, you can also pull larger trailers with a class B96 and BE driving license. What requirements do you have to meet for the respective trailer driving license?

In order to get a class B driving license, you can register at the driving school six months before you turn 17 – provided you choose to be accompanied by a driver. In addition to theoretical training in the form of lessons and a completed written exam, practical driving lessons and a final exam in practical form are required. For the test you must be at least 18 years of age (17 years for accompanied driving) and present an eye test and a first aid certificate.

The trailer driving license: what types are there?

Normally, the trailer driver’s license is only obtained afterwards, it is often helpful to have a little driving experience. No further theoretical test is then required for the class BE driving license, but at least five hours of practical training are required. These would have to take 45 minutes and each include a motorway trip, a night trip and three cross-country trips. The subsequent driving test takes 45 minutes. A class B driver’s license is compulsory in order to obtain the trailer driver’s license.

If the class B and BE driving license are taken together, the usual theoretical and practical driving lessons are first completed. In addition, 12 hours of practice with the trailer must then be proven, including three night drives, four motorway drives and five cross-country journeys.

For a class B96 driving license, the minimum age is also 17 or 18 years. An examination does not have to be theoretical or practical, as the learning driver only has to prove the required, specified number of training hours. This includes at least 150 minutes in theory, 210 minutes in practice and 60 minutes in driving experience.

A slippery road surface often makes driving with a trailer difficult, with autumn there is now more moisture and leaves on the road surface, so it can quickly become slippery. It is not only important to let your trailer hitch “hibernate” accordingly in autumn, but also to prepare yourself for the trip with the trailer in foliage and cold weather. We have put together the most important points for such trips on slippery roads for you.

Appropriate coupling

Before each trip with the trailer, you should take a careful look. Is the trailer hitch correctly installed? Is the detachable ball rod correctly engaged and locked? Is the trailer also correctly positioned on the ball bar and also engaged? Has the tear rope been attached correctly? Once all these points have been worked through, you are at least a little bit closer to the trip with the trailer. In principle, the points mentioned should of course not only be checked when driving on slippery roads and in cold weather and leaves on the roads, but before each trip. Your safety and that of other road users is particularly important and can quickly be adversely affected by a detached trailer.

Check lighting – before driving

Before driving with the trailer, make sure that the lighting of the trailer and the electronics are checked. Do all turn signals work? Especially when driving in the dark, it is very important that you are seen and safely participate in road traffic.

Slippery road surface: the right tires are essential

Winter tires are mandatory for motor vehicles and enable safe driving in wet, frost and snow and also on a slipper road. For the trailer, you should also make sure that it is correctly and above all frosted. Otherwise, a slippery road quickly becomes an unwanted adventure. Depending on where your journey takes you or where you are traveling, snow chains are also a sensible investment for the trailer. Make absolutely sure that it is ensured as far as possible that the trailer and the towing vehicle cannot slip.

Pay attention to the speed on a slipper road

As with all trips with a trailer, you should always make sure that you keep to the permissible maximum speed. This is not only important to avoid possible fines, but also to ensure the safest possible ride in the rain and wet or frost.

Secure cargo

It is clear that the load must be secured against slipping on every trip in order to prevent the trailer from swaying as far as possible. Should you get stuck in the snow, for example, then you can use a sensibly planned and loaded load to your advantage and rearrange it so that you can easily free yourself from the situation. For everything, safety always comes first. For the transported goods as well as for the whole team!