I nearly had a roll away at TNT Northampton, it was probably in 2015 as I’d been driving Class 1 for less than a year. I was in a Merc Axor which was the garage unit they gave you when they took yours for a service. My Daf CF shouted at you “handbrake not applied” in a Dutch accent if you opened the door without putting the handbrake on, the Merc did nothing.
It was end of sort, 01:05 if my memory serves me correctly, I coupled up following the SSOW (apart from forgetting to apply the handbrake), the last thing in the SSOW is to release the trailer brake and wait a couple of seconds in case the truck starts to roll. It didn’t until I was halfway between the legs and the front of the trailer.
Blind panic ensued, my first thought was to run round the front of the moving unit, open the drivers door, climb in and apply the brake. WTF I was three strides away from the trailer brake!
Luckily the whole yard was block paved and had been some time ago which meant all the blocks had settled under trailer wheels, mine moved at most two feet and stopped at the bottom of the indentations. I was lucky the trailer had not been dropped further forward as it would have rolled across the yard into the front of another unit!
I’ve now got a habit of opening the drivers door and looking to check the handbrake is applied after putting the clip in place but before connecting the suzies.
I’m sure lots of you reading this are thinking it’s never happened to me and never will do, but we are all human and can make mistakes especially when tired or under stress due to relationship problems or bereavement etc.
Roymondo:
Juddian:
Its nearly always rushing that causes this, same with missed pins, what i don’t get…and no its hasn’t happened to me and appreciate at that moment panic sets in…is why if you’ve released the trailer park brake or connected the red line and it starts to move you don’t simply re-apply the park brake or take the red line off again.
I was taught to put the red line on first, and to pause for a second to see if the outfit moved before connecting the other lines.
Sadly this doesn’t fit with my employer’s insistence that we connect service line first and emergency line last…
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What’s the thinking there, are they thinking of DAF/MAN tractors which apply the trailer brakes down the service line when park brake applied…so you’ll feel lack of resistance in the service line when you try to attch it, red line not connected so trailer isn’t going anywhere even if you’ve not applied the parking brake, if that’s the theory it makes good sense assuming the driver notices lack of resistance.
Course with some other makes that don’t apply the trailer brakes with park brake there’d be no resistance fitting the service line anway.
Does that make sense when you read it 
Juddian:
Roymondo:
Juddian:
Its nearly always rushing that causes this, same with missed pins, what i don’t get…and no its hasn’t happened to me and appreciate at that moment panic sets in…is why if you’ve released the trailer park brake or connected the red line and it starts to move you don’t simply re-apply the park brake or take the red line off again.
I was taught to put the red line on first, and to pause for a second to see if the outfit moved before connecting the other lines.
Sadly this doesn’t fit with my employer’s insistence that we connect service line first and emergency line last…
Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk
What’s the thinking there, are they thinking of DAF/MAN tractors which apply the trailer brakes down the service line when park brake applied…so you’ll feel lack of resistance in the service line when you try to attch it, red line not connected so trailer isn’t going anywhere even if you’ve not applied the parking brake, if that’s the theory it makes good sense assuming the driver notices lack of resistance.
Course with some other makes that don’t apply the trailer brakes with park brake there’d be no resistance fitting the service line anway.
Does that make sense when you read it
In a word (or two) “Not really”. We do have MAN units (except the one I currently use which is a Renault, and the Iveco we had before that). Hand on heart I can’t say that I’ve ever noticed any difference in “feel” when connecting service line. But they are not saying “because you can observe the presence/absence of resistance” - they are just saying “because we say so” (and that’s even after our driver trainers have asked them to provide a justification/reasoning for their instruction). FWIW they also mandate that the emergency line must be disconnected first when uncoupling (again with no reasoning stated other than “because we say so”).
I just go with their direction for my annual assessment #quietlife
Dropping the red line first may make sense, as the brakes are definitely on from that point.
But I was taught to work away from, or towards oneself. Less tangles and less grease on oneself.
On my test (Honest! I passed) I was questioned about (dis)connecting lines and the examiner was content with my reply.
If TPTB really wanted to make them idiot proof, I imagine it wouldn’t be too difficult to wire up a small red/light LED near the suzi rail which would show green/red depending on whether handbrake is applied in the cab. In fact I wouldn’t turn my nose up at such a thing as I’ve climbed down and gone back to the cab to check that I did apply the handbrake on countless occasions over the years.
DCPCFML:
robroy:
robroy:
Ever since I saw that vid of that silly old [zb] running down the slip road, carrying a piece of wood chasing after his truck which was running down on to the dual carriageway 
,…I’ve always double checked my handbrake.)
This is what I was on about…drop the bit of wood ffs!
youtu.be/0KIVeBngWv0
I don’t think it would have made any difference to the outcome. Even if he’d got to the truck he would have been crushed by the barrier if he’d attempted to get in. That bit of running he did probably nearly killed him as your legs tend to give up on you when you get old and try to run 
.
Just a guess, but he may have known he wouldn’t be able to get in the cab, so thought the wood might chock the wheels.
I put my unit under a trailer ready for the next day… tug test engine off card out then home. I only forgot to put the handbrake on. Luckily the trailer stopped it from rolling
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the fub:
Happened to a guy i know, was at the back of his trailer putting his number plate on and trailer behind him rolled back and killed him instantly. Turns out the driver hooked in to the trailer behind him and didnt put his handbrake on. Soon as he put the airline’s on the trailer rolled back killing Chris (RIP) instantly.
Thats one thing i would change… you pull the red airline off trailer brakes come on… great… put the red airline back on… trailer brakes come off… bad… they should stay on untill you push the button
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mark1284:
the fub:
Happened to a guy i know, was at the back of his trailer putting his number plate on and trailer behind him rolled back and killed him instantly. Turns out the driver hooked in to the trailer behind him and didnt put his handbrake on. Soon as he put the airline’s on the trailer rolled back killing Chris (RIP) instantly.
Thats one thing i would change… you pull the red airline off trailer brakes come on… great… put the red airline back on… trailer brakes come off… bad… they should stay on untill you push the button
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I don’t know what trailers you are using but that has never happened on any of the thousands of trailers I’ve pulled.
One of the lads I work with done this few weeks ago.
He was driving a extendable trailer with a load of steel.
Something happened with the airlines and got caught up and stopped the truck.
He jumped out the cab flapping around on busy road. Put the air lines back in and realised he forgot the handbrake.
Truck rolled back down the hill. If it wasn’t for the fact the truck jack knifed it’s self it would have ploughed through a house.
God knows why he never pulled the line back out when he noticed the truck rolling back.
Luckily no one was hurt.
mark1284:
the fub:
Happened to a guy i know, was at the back of his trailer putting his number plate on and trailer behind him rolled back and killed him instantly. Turns out the driver hooked in to the trailer behind him and didnt put his handbrake on. Soon as he put the airline’s on the trailer rolled back killing Chris (RIP) instantly.
Thats one thing i would change… you pull the red airline off trailer brakes come on… great… put the red airline back on… trailer brakes come off… bad… they should stay on untill you push the button
All moot if the unit park brake is off when you push the button or ( much ) worse when you released the old mechanical ratchet trailer brake under the trailer at least when they weren’t seized by lack of use and lube.It’s still going to run away either way.
Embarrassed a couple of times with a wagon and drag using an ERF prime mover.Backed into towing hitch.Standing between both I put on the red line and the thing started rolling downhill.Obviously pulled redline back off within a couple of feet.I realised that the handbrake lever on the dash didn’t appear to a heavy handed me to be seated deep enough in a small depression at the base of the lever.I had a habit of trailing my fingers over it as I let go which was enough to release the brake again.No harm done fortunately.
Gidders:
Embarrassed a couple of times with a wagon and drag using an ERF prime mover.Backed into towing hitch.Standing between both I put on the red line and the thing started rolling downhill.Obviously pulled redline back off within a couple of feet.I realised that the handbrake lever on the dash didn’t appear to a heavy handed me to be seated deep enough in a small depression at the base of the lever.I had a habit of trailing my fingers over it as I let go which was enough to release the brake again.No harm done fortunately.
I liked the old Clayton Dewandre type from memory used on Bedfords and our fire truck chassis among others with the spring loaded locking collar.
If the collar didn’t lock the lever just sprang back to the off position.It was reasonably fool proof in that regard you couldn’t really miss it because it was either locked or it was off and you had to lift the collar to unlock it.
youtube.com/watch?v=IfVO7eNGeyw 0.02
Can remember the Scania 112 and Merc 1628 controls being awkward especially the silly Merc control on the end of the dash by the door.
Carryfast:
Juddian:
I’m not a fan of the electric parking brake but in theory it prevents this happening.
How does that apply to truck type air valve parking brakes and even cars don’t apply electric handbrakes automatically. 
I beg to differ, as my car does apply the electric handbrake automatically when you press the brake pedal for a couple of seconds when stationary.
I’m not a fan of electric handbrakes either but, it is what it is.
Pennineman:
Carryfast:
Juddian:
I’m not a fan of the electric parking brake but in theory it prevents this happening.
How does that apply to truck type air valve parking brakes and even cars don’t apply electric handbrakes automatically.
I beg to differ, as my car does apply the electric handbrake automatically when you press the brake pedal for a couple of seconds when stationary.
I’m not a fan of electric handbrakes either but, it is what it is.
Blimey I’ve driven a few cars with electric parking brakes and never realised that they applied them automatically.
Probably because of my habit of always applying the handbrake and putting it in neutral whenever stopped even for very short periods at traffic lights which my Dad taught me from day 1.
I also found the things awkward to use and not sure how they’d link it to an air park brake valve.But if so then linking it to the gear shift applying it automatically every time it’s put in neutral might help with this type of issue.
Carryfast:
Pennineman:
Carryfast:
Juddian:
I’m not a fan of the electric parking brake but in theory it prevents this happening.
How does that apply to truck type air valve parking brakes and even cars don’t apply electric handbrakes automatically.
I beg to differ, as my car does apply the electric handbrake automatically when you press the brake pedal for a couple of seconds when stationary.
I’m not a fan of electric handbrakes either but, it is what it is.
Blimey I’ve driven a few cars with electric parking brakes and never realised that they applied them automatically.
Probably because of my habit of always applying the handbrake and putting it in neutral whenever stopped even for very short periods at traffic lights which my Dad taught me from day 1.
I also found the things awkward to use and not sure how they’d link it to an air park brake valve.But if so then linking it to the gear shift applying it automatically every time it’s put in neutral might help with this type of issue.
That sounds a good idea.
Apply handbrake automaticallyevery time neutral is selected, (unless overridden by driver input, for tipper drivers etc)
Anyone say why not?
.
(But not take off brake every time gear engaged, without extra driver input)
Franglais:
Carryfast:
Blimey I’ve driven a few cars with electric parking brakes and never realised that they applied them automatically.
Probably because of my habit of always applying the handbrake and putting it in neutral whenever stopped even for very short periods at traffic lights which my Dad taught me from day 1.
I also found the things awkward to use and not sure how they’d link it to an air park brake valve.But if so then linking it to the gear shift applying it automatically every time it’s put in neutral might help with this type of issue.
That sounds a good idea.
Apply handbrake automaticallyevery time neutral is selected, (unless overridden by driver input, for tipper drivers etc)
Anyone say why not?
.
(But not take off brake every time gear engaged, without extra driver input)
Very rarely if ever my Dad was wrong about anything. 
Carryfast:
Franglais:
Carryfast:
Blimey I’ve driven a few cars with electric parking brakes and never realised that they applied them automatically.
Probably because of my habit of always applying the handbrake and putting it in neutral whenever stopped even for very short periods at traffic lights which my Dad taught me from day 1.
I also found the things awkward to use and not sure how they’d link it to an air park brake valve.But if so then linking it to the gear shift applying it automatically every time it’s put in neutral might help with this type of issue.
That sounds a good idea.
Apply handbrake automaticallyevery time neutral is selected, (unless overridden by driver input, for tipper drivers etc)
Anyone say why not?
.
(But not take off brake every time gear engaged, without extra driver input)
Very rarely if ever my Dad was wrong about anything.
It’s a shame that none of his genes filtered down to his son.
DCPCFML:
Carryfast:
Franglais:
That sounds a good idea.
Apply handbrake automaticallyevery time neutral is selected, (unless overridden by driver input, for tipper drivers etc)
Anyone say why not?
.
(But not take off brake every time gear engaged, without extra driver input)
Very rarely if ever my Dad was wrong about anything.
It’s a shame that none of his genes filtered down to his son.
To be fair it was obviously me not him who made the case for linking an electric park brake control to the neutral gear shift position ‘if’ it can be connected to a truck park brake valve. 
smcpneumatics.com/What-Is-An … b_100.html
DCPCFML:
Carryfast:
Franglais:
Carryfast:
Blimey I’ve driven a few cars with electric parking brakes and never realised that they applied them automatically.
Probably because of my habit of always applying the handbrake and putting it in neutral whenever stopped even for very short periods at traffic lights which my Dad taught me from day 1.
I also found the things awkward to use and not sure how they’d link it to an air park brake valve.But if so then linking it to the gear shift applying it automatically every time it’s put in neutral might help with this type of issue.
That sounds a good idea.
Apply handbrake automaticallyevery time neutral is selected, (unless overridden by driver input, for tipper drivers etc)
Anyone say why not?
.
(But not take off brake every time gear engaged, without extra driver input)
Very rarely if ever my Dad was wrong about anything.
It’s a shame that none of his genes filtered down to his son.
I just spat tea all over my iPad