M6 South J19-18 multiple breakdowns and report of possible trailer detachment. Patrols at scene.
Edit: copied from twitter
COURT RESULT.
Driver convicted at South Cheshire Magistrates Court of Using a Vehicle in a Dangerous Condition. Pleaded Guilty.
Fine & costs £800. Licence endorsed with 3 Penalty points.
Referral to Traffic Commissioner.
i.e. A slapped wrist.
Not a slapped wrist.
A broken nose. And an unfair one at that.
How can I as a driver know if the 5th wheel is in good condition? Every time I work I fully check the vehicle to the best of my abilities. I check everything I’ve been trained to check. However, I can’t check the structural integrity of components like the 5th wheel.
If he was an owner driver and didn’t bother with inspections and maintenance then fair enough. If he hadn’t coupled properly then fair enough. If it was structural then it’s bang out of order.
If it was 5th wheel failure he wouldn’t have been in court.
Conor:
If it was 5th wheel failure he wouldn’t have been in court.
Hence the edit to the post 
On Twitter It said the 5th wheel was not fully in and the dog clip was not on the driver plead guilty.
Well at least he has managed to save one of the suzies. I wonder which one
That definitely calls for a Carlsberg!
yea I wont be publishing this on the internets
If only Carlsberg made fifth wheels
bradthinks:
On Twitter It said the 5th wheel was not fully in and the dog clip was not on the driver plead guilty.
I wonder how he made it from wherever he started to it coming off in a straight line on a motorway if that’s the case? Normally they come off on the first corner.
just as well he didnt have to wind the legs up r that would have been another £100 per turn… 
Once the wedge has fired across its going to be pretty much impossible for the two to oart company.
In every case Ive persoanlly seen its driver error, either the wedge hasnt gone fully home or the trailer pin is sat on top of the jaw.
sammym:
How can I as a driver know if the 5th wheel is in good condition?
When you hook up to the trailer. You shouldn’t need to shove the release handle in to get it to lock into place, when doing the tug test you shouldn’t feel or hear it banging. When you’re setting off you shouldn’t feel the pin bang in the jaws and likewise it not do it when you brake. You can visually see if bolts that bolt it to the chassis are missing or stretched.
One of the Hauliers we used at the warehouse where I work had a unit that dropped a trailer, thankfully just as it was leaving the yard and no one was hurt.
It was checked and fixed, and then it happened again!
They checked it again and in the end put it on shunting duty in the yard.
Obviously something was wrong and the mechanics should have found it or at worst replace the fifth wheel. I think it got scrapped after a hard life in the yard for a couple of years. It never dropped a trailer again but it was a sod to get it to lock sometimes!
Did they drop another one on the M6 recently? For some reason I thought that was an old photo the OP put up…
Maybe just my advancing years playing tricks though…
Yes it is an old one mate, he was just showing the verdict from the courts.
C4rlos:
Yes it is an old one mate, he was just showing the verdict from the courts.
Thanks for that!
Hands up all of you who have never driven down the motorway, in a new/unfamiliar motor, finger hoovering over that unknown switch, thinking “I wonder what this does…?”
the nodding donkey:
Hands up all of you who have never driven down the motorway, in a new/unfamiliar motor, finger hoovering over that unknown switch, thinking “I wonder what this does…?”
Press ALLL the buttons!!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
the nodding donkey:
Hands up all of you who have never driven down the motorway, in a new/unfamiliar motor, finger hoovering over that unknown switch, thinking “I wonder what this does…?”
Very true.
I’m sure we had a Demo Volvo a couple of years ago and if I remember correctly it had a solenoid on the 5th wheel release much like Terdbergs do for releasing the 5th wheel. I imagine that had a button in the cab for it so it’s always a case of beware pressing anything you don’t know what it does.