When a semi drives without a trailer, it’s called “bobtailing”, and can be dangerous. Semis are designed for the weight of a trailer, and not having that weight there throws the balance off.
this post was submitted on 27 May 2025
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I came here to say this. I'm not a driver, but I intake semi accident reports. They seem more likely to have accidents when they are bob tailing.
Just have your mother sit in the back.
Yes but like any vehicle, if you know your machine and drive within its limits, it's fine. The only exception I can think of is when you're on the freeway and you suddenly encounter a patch of extremely rough road that you're going too fast for.
Very true. That’s why I was careful to say CAN be dangerous, not IS dangerous. Skilled truckers are some of the most capable and safe drivers on the road.
Skilled truckers
I have met truck drivers that can (and have demonstrated) back their trailer up to a cargo dock blindfolded.
I've met some that can navigate turning radii (radiuses? Radiens?) smaller than my old Nissan.
And then I've also met some that couldn't figure out their 13ft tall trailer can't fit under a 12ft 8 bridge...
For the most part though, in my experience truck drivers are better drivers than 97% of regular drivers.
A bit true of larger trucks too. Long ago when we had an RV trailer and a dually truck, it rode and drove the best when it had a full load behind it.
Not necessarily unsafe, but similar for vans too. With nothing in my RWD vans cargo bay it’s quite easy to break traction. Especially on cold tyres.
Other than size It’s no different than an empty pick-up in rear-wheel drive.
Actually it could be safer, depending on conditions, if you’re equipped with locking differentials.
Although some pick-ups have that too, so… depends 🤷♂️
My grandpa was a truck driver. He told me he hated bobtailing (driving with no trailer) because he didn’t get paid for it.
As a former truck driver: can confirm. It was mostly freeing because I could actually go to Walmart or do laundry in the city without worrying about where and how to park.
Also, without a trailer it accelerates a lot faster. Like, genuinely spending more time shifting than accelerating. Feels weird.
Do you still start in 1st? Do you skip gears?
The truck I was driving had a DT12 (12-speed) and it would shift 1-2-4-6-8-10-12 if I remember correctly. Even with only 7 gears to go through, it still took forever. Maybe it wasn't actually more time shifting than accelerating, but it sure felt like it lol.
I don’t drive any more, but I’d start 18-speeds in 3rd and hit every 2nd gear on the way up
My only experience with driving trucks is in the Truck Sim games, but I agree.
Semi trucks haul ass when you have 600 bhp, a shitload of torque, and nothing in the back. Just don't take a corner too fast or you will regret it.
It is pretty fun to drive around without a trailer in ETS2
This is why I refuse to wear bras.
I guess you could skip every other gear or something?
Take off your trailers and burn em
Or you can let bo burn em
Muscle memory.