Back in the day when I was an agency limper, I was delivering into Sainsbury’s Feltham. A left-■■■■■■ came in and after watching him make a ■■■’s ear of reversing twice, it dawned on me that his rear-steer wasn’t locking. As a well-equipped agency wallah, I had a bolt in my bag for just that eventuality, so I hopped out and after a bit of a pantomime, with him no spika da english, I crawled under his trailer, popped the bolt in and - voila. My good deed for the day.
I had a full load and he must have only had a couple of pallets because in no time at all he was tipped and pulling off the bay. I expected him to return my bolt with grateful thanks, but the so-and-so just drove off with it still in place.
Still - bolts are easy to come by and a few weeks later I did the same for a Turk at a Booker’s depot. He didn’t speak much English, but he did know please and thank you, and how to work the coffee machine in the office.