A gladhand connector or gladhand coupler is an interlocking hose coupling fitted to hoses supplying pressurized air from a tractor unit to air brakes on a semi-trailer, or from a locomotive to railway air brakes on railroad cars.[1] Gladhand connectors resemble a pair of "hands shaking" when interlocked, hence the name.[2]
Gladhands are designed to allow the driver to disconnect without a mechanic or tools. They sometimes utilize a quick release style to speed up brake release time. A tractor / trailer typically has two gladhands - one for service brakes and another for emergency brakes.[3] Gladhands are color coded. In North America, service lines are blue and emergency brake lines are red and are standardized by SAE International's standard SAE J318.[4] Outside North America, the supply lines are red and the control lines are yellow, following International Organization for Standardization's standard ISO 1728.[5] The SAE "service" lines are synonymous with the ISO "control" lines and the "emergency" lines are synonymous with ISO "supply" lines.
Mated rubber grommets provide a positive seal.[6] Gladhand couplers are typically genderless or hermaphroditic, allowing them to be freely connected to each other, for example allowing either end of a railcar to be connected to the end of a train. North America has a system of standardized gladhand sizes.