Police said they were called to reports of an industrial accident where a man was injured at trucking company BCJ Taylor in Friday Street around 9.30am on Monday. They have now been informed the man, who was aged in his 50s, died later in hospital.
An anonymous report to the EADT suggested that the man involved died after being crushed while hooking up a trailer, however this has not yet been confirmed.
Most seem to be caused by the trailer brake not being on, isn’t it time that all trailers should be retrofitted with automatic trailer brakes now?
Seems like most transport industries are forced into change when something mechanical is to blame for death and injury, and can be stopped by redesign and retrofit of new parts regardless of cost, apart from from road haulage.
RIP driver
RIP to the driver but more than likely another unnecessary death, we all know to put the trailer brake on, these accidents are in the main down to driver error not the design of the trailer.
It’s not the trailer it’s the operators. Thousands of trailers are coupled up every day without there being yards littered with casualties and corpses. No need for the drama and outrage, it just invites more nonsense to be forced on us.
billybigrig:
It’s not the trailer it’s the operators. Thousands of trailers are coupled up every day without there being yards littered with casualties and corpses. No need for the drama and outrage, it just invites more nonsense to be forced on us.
Perhaps we need a bit more nonsense to help stop the average of 50 hgv drivers a year dying doing the job.
billybigrig:
It’s not the trailer it’s the operators. Thousands of trailers are coupled up every day without there being yards littered with casualties and corpses. No need for the drama and outrage, it just invites more nonsense to be forced on us.
Perhaps we need a bit more nonsense to help stop the average of 50 hgv drivers a year dying doing the job.
But surely if you cannot hook up to a trailer then should you be doing the job? it isn’t exactly rocket science, get out trailer brake on, legs down, lines off or in reverse trailer brake on lines on legs up. As long as you put the brake on doesn’t really matter which way round the rest of it is done because the trailer won’t move.
Unfortunately they will keep dying because they will not do as they are meant to.
They cut corners.They are always in a hurry.They think they know better.
The majority can drop or pick up a trailer with no problems.
It’s people that need to learn.
billybigrig:
It’s not the trailer it’s the operators. Thousands of trailers are coupled up every day without there being yards littered with casualties and corpses. No need for the drama and outrage, it just invites more nonsense to be forced on us.
Perhaps we need a bit more nonsense to help stop the average of 50 hgv drivers a year dying doing the job.
But surely if you cannot hook up to a trailer then should you be doing the job? it isn’t exactly rocket science, get out trailer brake on, legs down, lines off or in reverse trailer brake on lines on legs up. As long as you put the brake on doesn’t really matter which way round the rest of it is done because the trailer won’t move.
Had a dig about the internet about this subject, who is really to blame? found one where the company was fined after the driver died because the driver hadn’t applied the hand brake.
Almost all Downton trailers have a big sign on the front of the headboard, reminding the driver to ensure that the hand brake is applied before attaching the red airline.
The practice I’ve always done since getting my licence involves going under the plate before reaching the pin, then lifting it up in the air with the suspension a bit.
On one occasion whilst picking up a nagel trailer left for me at Fleet Services - I’d done this, but omitted to check both that the trailer brake was applied (first time I’ve met this trailer - my fault for not checking!) and that the trailer was left to stand on level ground.
I’m up on the catwalk, stick the red line on and SHsssh - the whole trailer lunges about a foot towards me (downhill!), and hits the pin, coupling itself and stopping there before squashing me against the frame.
I reckon I’d be dead if I didn’t do this practice of “lifting it up a bit”. The trailer would probably have shot straight over the pin, I’d be another statistic.
This happened in 2011 just after I’d started on agencies, and it still makes me shudder to think back on it now. I was left crouching there with about a 18 inch gap left between the fridge on the trailer and the frame on the back of the cab, with a real close up look at all the greasy finger smears one notices on the fridge doors.
It only takes a second to make a potentially fatal mistake. Now I don’t even go up on the catwalk until I’ve done a walk around to ensure that the trailer isn’t likely to “lunge” anywhere should I then proceed to put the air lines on.
Winseer:
The practice I’ve always done since getting my licence involves going under the plate before reaching the pin, then lifting it up in the air with the suspension a bit.
On one occasion whilst picking up a nagel trailer left for me at Fleet Services - I’d done this, but omitted to check both that the trailer brake was applied (first time I’ve met this trailer - my fault for not checking!) and that the trailer was left to stand on level ground.
I’m up on the catwalk, stick the red line on and SHsssh - the whole trailer lunges about a foot towards me (downhill!), and hits the pin, coupling itself and stopping there before squashing me against the frame.
I reckon I’d be dead if I didn’t do this practice of “lifting it up a bit”. The trailer would probably have shot straight over the pin, I’d be another statistic.
This happened in 2011 just after I’d started on agencies, and it still makes me shudder to think back on it now. I was left crouching there with about a 18 inch gap left between the fridge on the trailer and the frame on the back of the cab, with a real close up look at all the greasy finger smears one notices on the fridge doors.
It only takes a second to make a potentially fatal mistake. Now I don’t even go up on the catwalk until I’ve done a walk around to ensure that the trailer isn’t likely to “lunge” anywhere should I then proceed to put the air lines on.
For a driver, doing maybe one or two trailer swaps a day, or even week, there should be absolutely no reason why he can’t take the time to check if he has coupled up correctly, and the trailer brake, before getting on the cat walk. It takes less than a minute…
That’s why I don’t care how many shunters or lazy drivers I [zb] off, I will always apply the trailer park brake, if someone gets crushed by a trailer a) it wont be me because I’ll apply it before I go under it, and b) it wont be someone else connecting to a trailer I dropped.
I wish all trailer manufacturers were forced to comply with a rule of putting the park brake on the headboard and for them to be the auto engage type (red line off = button pops out), why in the hell is this still only a custom specification?
Reef:
That’s why I don’t care how many shunters or lazy drivers I [zb] off, I will always apply the trailer park brake, if someone gets crushed by a trailer a) it wont be me because I’ll apply it before I go under it, and b) it wont be someone else connecting to a trailer I dropped.
I wish all trailer manufacturers were forced to comply with a rule of putting the park brake on the headboard and for them to be the auto engage type (red line off = button pops out), why in the hell is this still only a custom specification?
Putting the park button on headboard is a good way to encourage lazy people to apply brake when dropping, but seems to me I dont wanna be between unit and trailer when taking brake off ! It shouldnt make a difference if all OK, but if summat is wrong, you dont wanna be there. Just make park brake coming on automatically when the red line is dropped mandatory. Retro fit that system by age over the next few years and the entire national fleet would be done soon. Id suggest having park brake button near winding handle as standard.
Reef:
That’s why I don’t care how many shunters or lazy drivers I [zb] off, I will always apply the trailer park brake, if someone gets crushed by a trailer a) it wont be me because I’ll apply it before I go under it, and b) it wont be someone else connecting to a trailer I dropped.
I wish all trailer manufacturers were forced to comply with a rule of putting the park brake on the headboard and for them to be the auto engage type (red line off = button pops out), why in the hell is this still only a custom specification?
Putting the park button on headboard is a good way to encourage lazy people to apply brake when dropping, but seems to me I dont wanna be between unit and trailer when taking brake off ! It shouldnt make a difference if all OK, but if summat is wrong, you dont wanna be there. Just make park brake coming on automatically when the red line is dropped mandatory. Retro fit that system by age over the next few years and the entire national fleet would be done soon. Id suggest having park brake button near winding handle as standard.
Why would you need to get between trailer and unit to pull/push the handbrake? You can reach it standing on the ground. All our trailers are fitted with automatic handbrakes and Mavis rails, so there is never any need to get on the catwalk.
Reef:
That’s why I don’t care how many shunters or lazy drivers I [zb] off, I will always apply the trailer park brake, if someone gets crushed by a trailer a) it wont be me because I’ll apply it before I go under it, and b) it wont be someone else connecting to a trailer I dropped.
I wish all trailer manufacturers were forced to comply with a rule of putting the park brake on the headboard and for them to be the auto engage type (red line off = button pops out), why in the hell is this still only a custom specification?
Putting the park button on headboard is a good way to encourage lazy people to apply brake when dropping, but seems to me I dont wanna be between unit and trailer when taking brake off ! It shouldnt make a difference if all OK, but if summat is wrong, you dont wanna be there. Just make park brake coming on automatically when the red line is dropped mandatory. Retro fit that system by age over the next few years and the entire national fleet would be done soon. Id suggest having park brake button near winding handle as standard.
It serves at least three purposes being on the headboard imo.
a) you can see (and physically check) that it has engaged when you remove the red airline.
b) if you’ve been a complete plank and left the unit handbrake off you are within easy reach of it if it then starts rolling when connected.
c) makes life a little bit easier for shunters therefore stops them trying to pressure regular drivers to leave them off, some apparently even make out it’s “company policy” which sorry is complete and utter bollux
And like Henk said on some they are even accessible from the ground (some were and some weren’t in my experience with the ones at InBev/InterBrew)
Unless you’re split coupling on to a fridge this whole argument is irrelevant. When you hook up to a normal trailer, make sure the pin is engaged and it then matters not if the trailer brake is on or off as it is joined to the truck. I have seen experienced older drivers hooking up to normal trailers, reverse under a bit ( no where near the pin) lift up the suspension, lift the legs, put the air lines on and then reverse fully under. ■■■■ knows why they think this is the way to do it
If accessible from the ground, without having to reach in and put your head or arm between trailer and unit, then , yes, sounds good. If fixed in the centre of the headboard, then not a good idea. If youve been a plank and left the park brake off then I repeat, you dont want to be between trailer and unit: youre in a potentially dangerous position there, and relying on fast reactions when connecting airline aint that good.
What happened to putting the trailer brake in the cab like the Yanks have? I remember driving an FM once and it confused the hell out of me. I thought I was stuck on the bay, brought the air up to max and I still couldn’t move. Took me a while to work out what was going on, I don’t ever remember activating the brake though.
