What can cause a trailer to swerve or whip across the roadway?
- Shifting of the load
- Improper trailer connections
- Driving too fast for the conditions
- All of the above ✓
Answer: D. All of the above
All of the above can cause a trailer to swerve or whip: shifting of the load, improper trailer connections, and driving too fast for the conditions.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says a trailer can swerve or whip, meaning it moves back and forth independently of the tractor. It lists several possible causes, including driving too fast for the conditions, improper trailer connections, and shifting loads. Because each of those appears in the handbook's list, the choice that includes all of them is correct. The same passage says to slow down and stop safely, then check the vehicle and load, because whipping may have shifted cargo or loosened a trailer connection.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Shifting of the load — A shifting load is one listed cause, but it is not the complete answer because other listed causes also apply.
- B. Improper trailer connections — Improper trailer connections are one listed cause, but they do not cover all the causes named in the handbook.
- C. Driving too fast for the conditions — Driving too fast for the conditions is one listed cause, but it is not the only cause the handbook names.
Remember it
When a trailer starts to whip, think speed, load, and hookup first—those are three listed causes to check.