I cannot understand why quarter turn air valves are not a standard feature on all trucks. What a pleasure all week last week I had where these where fitted. It is bad for your leg having to push those without them on. I am sure there will be some macho drivers that will comment “■■■■ it up buttercup” but the difference they make really make swapping trailers aMost a pleasure. Such a low cost device should surely be standard equipment.
ffs… here we go again … 
Wiretwister:
@uktramp - why do you think they were taken out?
That seems like a limp argument though.
We would not leave out handbrakes, simply because someone may leave them in the wrong state at the wrong time.
I agree with Uktramp that at times the difficulty of connecting pressurised lines seems so great as to risk a strain injury.
Imagine you forget to turn on the yellow airline tap and drive down the road fully loaded. The effects when you try to stop would quickly give a very good reason…while you crumpled the car in front.
I did the equivalent by shunting a 26T load around earlier with only red line at 5mph, so only unit brakes. It was scary how long it took to brake at only a crawl.
Yeah we could forget to connect the yellow, but much less likely than forgetting to turn a tap.
As for trouble connecting. Simple - pump the foot brake a few times and all airlines should go on easily.
It really doesn’t matter if they are thought of as a good idea or not, they are not allowed to be fitted.
Heavy Goods Vehicle Inspection Manual
12 Trailer Parking and Emergency Brakes and Air Line Connections
20/05/2018 1 of 2 Document Uncontrolled When Printed
Application
Parking and Emergency Brakes
This inspection applies to all trailers.
Air Line Connections
This inspection applies to drawing vehicles first used from 1 April 1989 and all trailers.
Procedure and standards
Emergency Brake and Air Line Connections:
Ensure that the air reservoirs on the drawing vehicle are fully charged.
With the vehicle parking brake on and the trailer parking brake off, ask the driver to
disconnect the service (yellow) and emergency (red) brake lines.
Check, on vehicles and trailers fitted with “C” type couplings, that the coupling in the
service (yellow) line - either fitted to the trailer or in the line itself - is fitted with an
operating adaptor which can open the self sealing coupling in the connector from the
drawing vehicle.
Check that the operating adaptor lifts the indicator on the test coupling by the correct
amount. The waisted portion (coloured section) of the indicator must be exposed, but no
more than this. This does not include additional couplings which may be used on trailers
such as extendable types.
Check that any brake line on the drawing vehicle is not fitted with a manual shut-off tap.
Additional taps fitted to extendable trailers are not included in this inspection. he driver must be instructed to reconnect all couplings before the vehicle is moved
When presented, the tractor unit must be compatible with the trailer and have a warning
lamp to indicate that trailer ABS is working (This may be a combined ABS/EBS warning light).
If presented with a compatible EBS tractor unit, if the red (emergency) line is dropped, the brakes
may not come on. To apply the brakes disconnect the ISO 7638 electrical connection. Ensure
that the handbrake is applied on the tractor unit before disconnecting the red (emergency) line
and that safe working practices are followed.
Provided self sealing couplings are used on the tractor couplings it does not matter whether
the air adaptor couplings are the conventional way or reversed.
Some park brake controls also deplete the air suspension systems when the red
(emergency) air line is removed, this is acceptable provided it does not drain the air brake
reservoir. If it does this is considered a deficiency under 5a of section 59.
I’ve come across some stubborn buggers in my time but none that have ever caused any real issue or pain, if you can’t get them on easily then you probably just need to reposition yourself, it also helps if you keep the connection collars lubricated with either a little WD-40 or a dab of diesel.
trevHCS:
Imagine you forget to turn on the yellow airline tap and drive down the road fully loaded. The effects when you try to stop would quickly give a very good reason…while you crumpled the car in front.I did the equivalent by shunting a 26T load around earlier with only red line at 5mph, so only unit brakes. It was scary how long it took to brake at only a crawl.
Yeah we could forget to connect the yellow, but much less likely than forgetting to turn a tap.
As for trouble connecting. Simple - pump the foot brake a few times and all airlines should go on easily.
I can remember one driver telling me hiw brakes were terrible, so off we go for a test drive and yes they were terrible as he had not turned the yellow tap on.
Nowadays that wouldnt be an issue as anything with EBS is brake by wire and the air is a back up.
Left shoulder…
Knackered from shoving these godforsaken things on over the years.
Why should I have to pump all my air out just to put the lines on? What a waste of time and fuel.
I can’t think of any other industry that allows a 120psi charged airline to be broken without full protection of goggles, jockstrap, bright yellow undercrackers et all.
Reef! what are you thinking man, suggesting that peeps might make their lives easier overall by applying a little lube here and there to items that might benefit from such 
I’m sure we’ve all at least once had an issue where on a tight turn the suzie has caught an air line tap and effectively turned the tap off, very glad to see the back of the bloody things…oh and the same could happen with palm couplings too, during jack knife maneuvers they could become disconnected.
You really should have defected that, they’re illegal. Maybe you’ll know better when you’ve a little more experience 
I’ve come across some stubborn buggers in my time but none that have ever caused any real issue or pain, if you can’t get them on easily then you probably just need to reposition yourself, it also helps if you keep the connection collars lubricated with either a little WD-40 or a dab of diesel.
[/quote]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
or in a worse case scenario just ■■■■ on them.
shouldnt be a prob for the o/p being full of the stuff. 
I know it isn’t approved by many, but split-coupling means, with more space to work in, you can get a better grip on the couplings. Easier with your body square on, then fiddling around at awkward angles in a too narrow area.
Wiretwister:
@uktramp - why do you think they were taken out?
Is he talking about taps, or is it palm couplings?
Franglais:
I know it isn’t approved by many, but split-coupling means, with more space to work in, you can get a better grip on the couplings. Easier with your body square on, then fiddling around at awkward angles in a too narrow area.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
if the space is too narrow,then the driver is too fat… 
dieseldog999:
Franglais:
I know it isn’t approved by many, but split-coupling means, with more space to work in, you can get a better grip on the couplings. Easier with your body square on, then fiddling around at awkward angles in a too narrow area.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
if the space is too narrow,then the driver is too fat…
I prefer to think I’m preventing unemployment amongst staff in “greasy spoons” everywhere.
Must admit you learn summat every day. I’ve often wondered where taps went after struggling with an airline. I never knew they were now illegal!
UKtramp:
I cannot understand why quarter turn air valves are not a standard feature on all trucks. What a pleasure all week last week I had where these where fitted. It is bad for your leg having to push those without them on. I am sure there will be some macho drivers that will comment “■■■■ it up buttercup” but the difference they make really make swapping trailers aMost a pleasure. Such a low cost device should surely be standard equipment.
OMG HERE WE GO AGAIN
The saviour has returned ( never left ■■ )
I never actually knew the taps were now illegal, but having seen it here, I can’t help but wonder about the road legal terberg tugs I occasionally see running around Trafford park. Never driven the road legal ones, but have done a couple of yard only tugs over the years, and they all had taps.
They are not illegal at our place, our shunters all have them fitted. Makes the job easier and there are plenty of warning devices that could be fitted to prevent them From been left off by accident.
Rjan:
Wiretwister:
@uktramp - why do you think they were taken out?That seems like a limp argument though.
We would not leave out handbrakes, simply because someone may leave them in the wrong state at the wrong time.
I agree with Uktramp that at times the difficulty of connecting pressurised lines seems so great as to risk a strain injury.
What argument have I presented? I simply posed the question why taps are no longer fitted.
The difficulty of attaching/releasing a pressurised line could, IMHO, be resolved quite easily be having an air dump at the hose end with represurising once the engine had run for a short period e.g. 10 seconds.
As for strain then add it to any number of strain risks, opening barn doors, lifting roller shutter doors, pulling cages/pallets, opening curtains - I’m sure there are more. Doesn’t make it right & how many of these risks are the unintended consequence of folks meddling under the guise of safe systems of work.