I posted this back in 2012 in a reply to a post…
Back when I was young and naïve, I did a trip to Holland and back, it was a sub contract job from another local haulier, tip Utrecht, load Groningen.
After unloading the paper reels at Hemel Hempstead on return, they wanted their tilt dropped in their yard that was down a tight lane. The yard sloped away downhill to their fitters shop. That night it had another tilt up on trestles with all the running gear off in front of the workshop doors, and another parked at the side.
The last message I got when I phoned the guv’ner was 'drop that trailer in front of the one by their workshop’ It was dark & snowing like the clappers when I got there, the yard was locked and deserted but I was also told there was a key for the padlock under a brick by the gatepost.
After an age scrabbling about in the snow trying to find the right brick under the right snowdrift, I got the gates open and backed in off the lane and stopped in front of the tilt on trestles. I got out and went around to wind the legs down and fell in to what was the old workshop pit before they moved it, full of water and frozen over I emerged like something from the black lagoon.
I was also ‘king’ angry, thoroughly wet and frustrated, and went back around the tractor unit after winding the legs down and without thinking pulled the pin, remembering the lack of removing the airlines and electrics as I watched the ■■■■ thing slide off my fifth wheel.
It slid down the run up rails and thumped into the tilt on trestles…saved I thought, but no, it triggered the slow and agonising debacle as the trestles collapsed and the trestle-less tilt then burst through the workshop doors.
At that point, cold, wet, frozen and demoralised I was past caring, and stood there and laughed like a demented drain before driving away and leaving the mess behind me.
I’m still surprised to this day that I kept my job with that company for quite a few years after !, but the other transport firm namely Location Freight of Waltham Abbey who’s yard it was, never forgave me.