philgor:
eddie snax:
philgor:
As for the quays. It is stated at some if them, that the park is not to be applied. It’s common unsafe practice that doesn’t go wrong often but when it does, it has deadly consequences.
Its the same as many of the quay tugs/shunters never used to use the Yellow line or electrics suzy, this common practice had fatal consequences about 15 years ago at Purfleet, when a tug driver was killed when he couldn’t stop in time on the Tug brakes alone, and rammed into the back of a trailer being pulled by another tug whilst discharging a ferry. Now they all seem to use both sets of lines.
It’s very rare that you see a tug moving a trailer without both airlines attached. Unless it’s only being moved a short distance.
The electrics aren’t even fitted. I can see their point on that, as most ferry trailers were using T38 rubberlite lights. There getting less common these days, thank God…
When I’m shunting (with a tug) I use the yellow line with (part)loaded trailers, but not with empty trailers.
Sand Fisher:
bald bloke:
tarmactipper:
Sadly a driver lost his life here, only he, the driver involved New what he did or didn’t do wrong here and sadly paided the price, One thing I have never worked out, why is the Trailer park button mainly at the rear of a trailer, normally on the offside chassis rail, would it not make sense to reposition it onto the trailer neck above the fifth wheel on the offside, so when coupling, uncoupling it’s easy to spot, use and maybe the driver would then use it more, rather than think, F it I am not walking to the rear of the trailer to pull the button!!!
All our trailers have the brake button near the handle for the legs I’d say the minority have them at the rear and only ever seen one on the offside .
On skeletal trailers they often are.
That’s so it’s with the button to release the locking pins for sliding the skelly.
kjw21:
Radar19:
The trailers don’t have the trailer brake on because it’s a Ro-Ro terminal. They actively ask you not to use them. It’s written in big letters at Dockside.
Get a photo of that sign cos I’ll hazard a guess it might be disappearing soon.
They have basically made a rule that goes against one of the main safety rules of hooking up.
I can understand why from their point of view but I wouldn’t like to have to be stood explaining why “my site rules” overrule a prime safety guideline, which has been mentioned is an instant fail should you not follow when obtaining the license.
Here you go ,purfleet dock
malcolmgbell:
kjw21:
Radar19:
The trailers don’t have the trailer brake on because it’s a Ro-Ro terminal. They actively ask you not to use them. It’s written in big letters at Dockside.
Get a photo of that sign cos I’ll hazard a guess it might be disappearing soon.
They have basically made a rule that goes against one of the main safety rules of hooking up.
I can understand why from their point of view but I wouldn’t like to have to be stood explaining why “my site rules” overrule a prime safety guideline, which has been mentioned is an instant fail should you not follow when obtaining the license.
Here you go ,purfleet dock
That sign is interesting as it doesn’t say not to APPLY them. It just says not used. Could be a defense that they sid it to warn the driver to check as he assumes it is not applied rather than assume it is.
Personally if I drop a trailer the brake goes on. Simple as that
kcrussell25:
malcolmgbell:
kjw21:
Radar19:
The trailers don’t have the trailer brake on because it’s a Ro-Ro terminal. They actively ask you not to use them. It’s written in big letters at Dockside.
Get a photo of that sign cos I’ll hazard a guess it might be disappearing soon.
They have basically made a rule that goes against one of the main safety rules of hooking up.
I can understand why from their point of view but I wouldn’t like to have to be stood explaining why “my site rules” overrule a prime safety guideline, which has been mentioned is an instant fail should you not follow when obtaining the license.
Here you go ,purfleet dock
That sign is interesting as it doesn’t say not to APPLY them. It just says not used. Could be a defense that they sid it to warn the driver to check as he assumes it is not applied rather than assume it is.
Personally if I drop a trailer the brake goes on. Simple as that
Make you right on that but some dont seem to think so
As many of a certain age will remember, the yard shunter was a fork lift truck with a pallet on the tines.
To move the trailer the air was drained and shoved into the workshop or warehouse. The only time the handbrake was used was for plating and it generally required a new cable or ratchet. We didn’t have air suspension to raise or lower the kingpin or fifth wheel and relied on our own judgement. I started pulling trailers off the docks and made a point of walking round them before coupling up. Mainly I was looking for any damage, but also checking tyres, paperwork and fittings.
When I started working in Europe they had some “different” rules, you used the wheel chocks, lowered trailer suspension and raised tractor before uncoupling, this gave you the chance to check the pin had locked. I did a tug test once and the garage foreman asked me to show him, it was something new to them.
I have watched ferry tuggies dragging trailers on or off ferries with the tyres smoking.
At the end of the day it’s all laziness, laziness on behalf of the shunters , dockers, drivers that caused it.
eddie snax:
Very tragic avoidable incident. I’ve thought for a few year that it can’t be beyond the wit of man to make the park brake apply automaticaly when the red line is reieased, but that it can be only released manually after the red line has been connected.
My thoughts are with the driver’s family and friends, rip driver.
On all our trailers once red line dropped trailer brake comes on automatically
yt03:
Poor lad, if this is the case hopefully some people can learn from this tragic event. I’ll hold my hands up I made a mistake before and how I didn’t end up brown bread I’ll never know!
Condolences to the guys family
Indeed, as have I. I only got saved by the way I lift up the suspension after going under the pin… I put the red airline on, and the trailer rolled towards me - hitting the 5th wheel jaws, and coming to a stop, less than two feet remaining on the catwalk, where I’d frozen in terror with the trailer lunging at me like that. A near miss, and I learned my lesson.
(1) Always make sure the trailer brake is on, and (2) be extra careful if the trailer waiting for you - has been dropped on uneven ground, such as a downhill slope!
(This was outside Sainsbury’s yard in Crick)
RIP driver. An easy mistake any of us could have made, and it’s cost him the ultimate price. 
Edit: This was a rather old trailer with a blue shunt button pushed in, and stuck there - trailer hadn’t been dropped there long, so there will still some residue air in it’s reservoir. I didn’t even realize I was on a downhill slope, as it wasn’t obvious.
Winseer:
yt03:
Poor lad, if this is the case hopefully some people can learn from this tragic event. I’ll hold my hands up I made a mistake before and how I didn’t end up brown bread I’ll never know!
Condolences to the guys family
Indeed, as have I. I only got saved by the way I lift up the suspension after going under the pin… I put the red airline on, and the trailer rolled towards me - hitting the 5th wheel jaws, and coming to a stop, less than two feet remaining on the catwalk, where I’d frozen in terror with the trailer lunging at me like that. A near miss, and I learned my lesson.
(1) Always make sure the trailer brake is on, and (2) be extra careful if the trailer waiting for you - has been dropped on uneven ground, such as a downhill slope!
(This was outside Sainsbury’s yard in Crick)
RIP driver. An easy mistake any of us could have made, and it’s cost him the ultimate price.
Edit: This was a rather old trailer with a blue shunt button pushed in, and stuck there - trailer hadn’t been dropped there long, so there will still some residue air in it’s reservoir. I didn’t even realize I was on a downhill slope, as it wasn’t obvious.
But what you’re talking about is a split couple, if you do that on a slope as soon as you put the red airline on the trailer is likely to move down the slope if the trailer brake isn’t applied.
Red airline supplies the trailer with air, so will take the brakes off, yellow airline puts them on, some units put the trailer brakes on with the unit handbrake, some don’t, you can tell if the yellow air line is pressurised when coupling / uncoupling, if it’s pressurised then the unit puts the trailer brakes on with the unit handbrake, if not, it don’t
Rip to the driver but the whole things backwards. So he’s gone under the trailer obviously not checked trl break before hand. Not done tug test not put dog clip in obviously but stuck his lines on.
Tommytoes:
Rip to the driver but the whole things backwards. So he’s gone under the trailer obviously not checked trl break before hand. Not done tug test not put dog clip in obviously but stuck his lines on.
It seems that the chap was actually doing a split coupling mate. As with Winseer and yt03, I too nearly came a cropper. (Iceland in Warrington).
Didn’t check the trailer brake was on (bellend 
) and proceeded to split couple. What I did not realise was that the trailer (fully loaded 13.6 mtr) was on a SLIGHT incline in the park area, and as I hooked up the air the trailer instantly came towards me. Because I had correctly aligned the unit and also lifted the trailer correctly, the pin simply clicked into the 5th wheel and all was well.
Ruined my undies though… Lesson learned.
