Is it true truck drivers consider it bad luck to drive an empty trailer or flatbed?

27 comments

1. I’ve never heard of this

2. I’ve represented truckers and trucking companies for years. I’ve spoken to hundreds of truckers and never heard anything like this.

3. As a driver, i’ve never heard of it. Driving without a load just isn’t ideal since having weight on the axles means the trailer doesn’t move as oddly, especially in adverse weather conditions.

4. never heard of this

5. Ive heard they will drive with a children’s toy or perhaps tarps or wooden or plastic crates so they aren’t technically empty.

6. I worked in logistics for many years….and I’ve never heard anything like this.

   If anything, taking it a step further and rocking a bobtail rig is sometimes thought to be fun.

7. [deleted]

8. It’s not considered bad luck, but back in the days before anti-lock brakes existed, it was a little more dangerous. Send trailer brakes are very powerful, so braking without a load could cause a lock-up, meaning it took way more distance to stop the truck and on a wet or icy road you were really asking for trouble. This is no longer an issue, though.

9. No. Its fairly common.

   If you own your own trailer and you’re travelling empty, it may be undesirable because you may be moving it on your own dime.

10. I’ve heard that, from a cousin in the industry specifically, but these threads always wind up with a ton of “nos” so I’m guessing it’s either tightly regional or something that started on the internet and now a few people like my cousin have picked it up.

11. It is if you’re driving i80 through Wyoming with an empty trailer. It’s where they go to nap.

12. ^ Has a CDL.

    It’s just flat out more dangerous.

    This is why driver training trailers are usually loaded with dummy loads like sandbags or concrete road dividers, so the trailer is less prone to sway and the brakes are more effective.

    A bobtail (a tractor with no trailer) is actually the riskiest configuration because there’s no weight on the rear axles (where most of your braking surface area is at).

13. It’s called “deadheading” and it’s more back luck for your wallet than anything else. Driving without freight don’t pay the bills…

14. It’s only bad luck when they realize they’ve left their load behind.

15. No, I have never heard that. It is more dangerous. It takes longer to stop due to less traction. And the wind danger with an empty.

16. I doubt it. Most people I know with trucks don’t use them for jack shit to begin with.

    Edit: unless you’re talking about 18 wheelers. Driving those empty is just dangerous, so they generally don’t if they can help it.

17. There’s always a lot of “No!!”s in these threads… but this is absolutely a thing… although it’s not widespread.

    The toy truck/stuffed animal on an empty flatbed is very common… but there are lots of reasons why. Could be superstition, could be for the LOLs, could be a signal that the driver is going home (to see his kids), could be that it’s a tribute to a dead kid/relative/friend/coworker.

    Source – Construction super and meet lots of flatbed drivers.

    Eta: cause I’m an idiot… flatbeds only. I’ve never heard of enclosed trailers doing this. They just get pissed cause running empty is costing money.

18. I don’t know about ‘bad luck’, but two things:

    1. Empty trucks drive differently. An empty container is high profile, but doesn’t have much weight, so more vulnerable to winds.
    2. Empty trucks usually don’t get paid as much, at least to the trucking company.

19. I just thought they put a random item under it because they have to strap it down anyway, and it looks funny

20. All I know is you don’t want to drive an empty dump truck because it will bounce you real bad.

21. No, it’s not bad luck; it’s actually dangerous.

22. Where I’m from it seems to be the case. Anytime I see an empty flatbed there’s always at least a few pieces of wood or something strapped on

23. If by “bad luck” you mean “positively correlates with bad results” then yes, it is bad luck. Not in the superstitious sense. A flatbed trailer is designed to carry stuff, not to be empty

24. Never heard of it! How am I supposed to get the Lowboy back home after I delivered the equipment. Steal a random piece of equipment and drag it home?

25. Deadheading home is bad for your bank account, and risks trailer safety, thats about it. Not bad luck. Although I always put a toy for my kids on it. Looks fun when I pull home. Any owner/operator knows the pain of deadheading.

26. Never heard it’s bad luck… But I know a lot that don’t like to do it because they ain’t making money while empty.

27. It’s not bad luck it’s bad business.