South Carolina driving lesson · Special Driving Situations
Towing: hooking up & loading a trailer
A 3-minute lesson from the South Carolina course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Trailers are towed billions of miles every year. Driver error contributes to the large majority of crashes involving vehicle-trailer combinations, so hooking up and loading correctly matter as much as driving.
Know the rule
Your judgment and common sense are key: make sure you hook up, load and operate the vehicle-trailer combination properly.
If the trailer sways or whips, steer straight and reduce speed gradually. Don't brake, and never speed up. Stop completely off the road when safe, check that it's loaded heavier in front, and reload if needed.
You're loading a trailer with a washer, dryer and some chairs. Put the heavy appliances on the floor at the front, near the tow vehicle, so about 60% of the weight is up front. Strap everything down tightly.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
When loading a trailer, what percentage of the cargo weight should go in the front?
40 percent
60 percent
50 percent
90 percent
Answer: 60 percent
Sixty percent of the cargo weight of a trailer should go in the front, nearest the towing vehicle.
