Because im a sad git i just watched some training videos for the port of felixtoe to get the appropriate bit of paper to get the port card. one of the videos was for trailors i assume collecting fromor dropping off at the unatended bit. one of the captions said do not use trailor brake■■?
It has been drumed into me everywhere i have worked and for my 3a that i must use the trailor brake and failour to do so will be instant dismissal /ban.
i get the potential issues that could arise but my question is that if the docks make you take these tests and have these cards and the trailor brake is sooo seriouse all the other times why isnt it to be used here
I havent seen that video, so not sure exactly what is being said on it. Dont most trailer brakes come on automatically when being disconnected?
When we drop trailers (not Felixstowe) as with most trailers, the brakes come on as soon as the redline is dropped.
We just leave them like that.
We don`t have any form of manual brakes fitted, and I can see that using extra, or non-standard, park brakes would be potentially bad news. Black rubber/ wasted time / crawling around busy trailer parks is dangerous.
If the tuggies choose to connect air-lines or use shunt buttons that is up to them.
Since truck brakes became spring brakes i don’t get the almost religious mania about applying the park brake, though due to endless reams of H&S rules i always apply them, unless i’m dropping one and know i’m picking it up again in short order.
Back in ye olde days you would often find a trailer that all the air had drained out, and seeing how ill maintained the typical ratchet cable park brake was if you didn’t stop just before the pick up ramps did their job and apply the red line for a couple of minutes to pressurise the brakes you could easily find yourself chasing a trailer across a yard.
These days unless someone pressed the shunt button i doubt in a lifetime of picking up trailers you would find a trailer that the brakes weren’t solidly applied even if all the air had gorn.
Many moons ago I spent about 3 months on Chris Hudsons running trailers out of Felixtowe, not only did they have all the air drained out, most of the time the brakes were wound right off as well, so the first thing after leaving the port and getting a feel of the brakes was into the first layby, get underneath with a spanner and wind the brakes back on.
Some of those crappy old Dutch tilts I used to pick up from ports about 20 years ago would move back when you backed under,.and you’d end up chasing them around the ■■■■ trailer park before they clicked on.
In today’s H&S ■■■■ environment, I couldn’t see em hacking that.
Juddian:
Since truck brakes became spring brakes i don’t get the almost religious mania about applying the park brake, though due to endless reams of H&S rules i always apply them, unless i’m dropping one and know i’m picking it up again in short order.
Forget to put unit park brake on. Connect red airline on trailer that doesn’t have an automatic park brake with park brake off, watch trailer and unit roll away.
Juddian:
Since truck brakes became spring brakes i don’t get the almost religious mania about applying the park brake, though due to endless reams of H&S rules i always apply them, unless i’m dropping one and know i’m picking it up again in short order.
Forget to put unit park brake on. Connect red airline on trailer that doesn’t have an automatic park brake with park brake off, watch trailer and unit roll away.
Why wouldn’t the unit roll away as soon as you opened the drivers door, if it would just because you connected to a trailer?
Juddian:
Since truck brakes became spring brakes i don’t get the almost religious mania about applying the park brake, though due to endless reams of H&S rules i always apply them, unless i’m dropping one and know i’m picking it up again in short order.
Forget to put unit park brake on. Connect red airline on trailer that doesn’t have an automatic park brake with park brake off, watch trailer and unit roll away.
Yep, saw it happen a few times in garage. Fat little scouse driver crapped himself and jumped off the catwalk lol. Our test MOT test trailer ended up in the back wall. I always use the trailer brake, takes no time.
Suppose if it’s their policy though just leave it off, nothing to come back on you.
Juddian:
Since truck brakes became spring brakes i don’t get the almost religious mania about applying the park brake, though due to endless reams of H&S rules i always apply them, unless i’m dropping one and know i’m picking it up again in short order.
Forget to put unit park brake on. Connect red airline on trailer that doesn’t have an automatic park brake with park brake off, watch trailer and unit roll away.
Why would you fail to engage unless you were an incompetent fool who shouldn’t be allowed with a mile of a lorry, its because of people like you that belts and braces are now required, how do you think we managed before spring brakes were a thing
Juddian:
Since truck brakes became spring brakes i don’t get the almost religious mania about applying the park brake, though due to endless reams of H&S rules i always apply them, unless i’m dropping one and know i’m picking it up again in short order.
Forget to put unit park brake on. Connect red airline on trailer that doesn’t have an automatic park brake with park brake off, watch trailer and unit roll away.
Why wouldn’t the unit roll away as soon as you opened the drivers door, if it would just because you connected to a trailer?
If connecting to a trailer:
Bang unit under, the trailer is now holding the unit in place.
Leap out and get on catwalk, connect redline, and trailer brakes are now* released…
*With newer trls there is most often a “park button” that will need pushing in. This might be on headboard, or on side near legs or rear.
Older trls had no such buttons.
Juddian:
Why would you fail to engage unless you were an incompetent fool who shouldn’t be allowed with a mile of a lorry, its because of people like you that belts and braces are now required, how do you think we managed before spring brakes were a thing
Ive seen it happen. And Im sure youve also seen incompetent fools around, even if you havent seen that particular act… (And even brilliant, wonderful, drivers like myself have been known to have off days.).
Belt and braces may take a little longer, but in the greater scheme of things, no great hardship.
Indeed Franglais i’ve seen it happen, but if you are honest about those who fail to engage the tractor park brake and the type to leap from the catwalk when they realise what is happening, you know deep inside that almost all of them should never have been employed as lorry drivers in the first place and it was only a matter of time before they did something stupid.
Even if they’ve used the trailer park brake, do you seriously think these fools would have the nous to apply the park brake again if the vehicle started to roll away any more than whipping the red line off if on the catwalk…Darwin might have something to say about this re split coupling.
As an aside, this is where MAN and Daf trucks are safer than the Swedish tackle, the service yellow line on the aforesaid makes will be pressurised when the tractor park brake is on, so our driver if they are a driver will be aware when connecting up if there’s resistance in the service line when connecting or not…also safer for everyone if the trailer brakes are automatically applied when the vehicle is parked whether discharging or simply parked but on a slope.
Its not just the time involved, its shunters in particular in yards that are really tight or pot holed bomb sites, its simply not safe to be mincing about half stooped up and down trailers trying to find park brakes which can be sited anywhere.
Juddian:
Its not just the time involved, its shunters in particular in yards that are really tight or pot holed bomb sites, its simply not safe to be mincing about half stooped up and down trailers trying to find park brakes which can be sited anywhere.
Agree that tuggie drivers don`t want to be crawling around between rows of trailers looking for odd brake systems, with muppets bouncing off trailers attempting to park.
And your description of some who should never be allowed near a truck is accurate…but…they are out there, so we all have to work around those in order to keep them (I know, Darwin) and other innocent 3rd parties alive.
Many years back but someone connected to a trailer in P&O yard Soton, lots of trailers parked back to back, and it rolled back into another driver putting bulbs into another trailer. It isnt just the idiots who die.
As i said all places i work at insist on the trailer brake being used. However, 1 place does allow split coupling and has a ssof for it that basicaly says check the parking brake is on 15 times then carefully connect the red airline if trailer starts to move remove red airline quickly.
cooper1203:
As i said all places i work at insist on the trailer brake being used. However, 1 place does allow split coupling and has a ssof for it that basicaly says check the parking brake is on 15 times then carefully connect the red airline if trailer starts to move remove red airline quickly.
I habitually split couple. Cleaner, less trip risk, and easier on the arms thus avoiding strain, with close coupled trucks.
When on tankers, which had a lot more room, I didn`t split couple as there was no significant advantage to it.
If you understand what you are doing, and so know what can go wrong, you will have worked out possible actions for possible risks first. As you say, drop the red line if it moves.
Merely following check lists, without knowing what they are for, is next to useless. OK, it is better than no check list, but only just!
cooper1203:
As i said all places i work at insist on the trailer brake being used. However, 1 place does allow split coupling and has a ssof for it that basicaly says check the parking brake is on 15 times then carefully connect the red airline if trailer starts to move remove red airline quickly.
I habitually split couple. Cleaner, less trip risk, and easier on the arms thus avoiding strain, with close coupled trucks.
When on tankers, which had a lot more room, I didn`t split couple as there was no significant advantage to it.
If you understand what you are doing, and so know what can go wrong, you will have worked out possible actions for possible risks first. As you say, drop the red line if it moves.
Merely following check lists, without knowing what they are for, is next to useless. OK, it is better than no check list, but only just!
This is my whole issue with all this stuff. Yes a routeen is good in the sence of not forgeting somthing. However mistakes happen and its how you get out of those and understanding what has happened to be able to get out of them is the real skill. some i guess might be obviouse some less obviouse to others.
In this context i can see why pulling the red airline would jam the brakes on as its the red airline that holds themoff. Luckly i can only assume there is a big and imediate obviouse difference between the trailer setteling and it running forward.
However, I had a situation on sunday where the red airline came off twice whist shunting (second time im sure i twisted the collar round but i guess i couldnt of) second time it had come off whilst i wasnt with the vehicle so i hadnt heard it or felt it. I only discovered it when i couldnt get the trailer brake to stay off and checked the airline as i had been haveing trouble with it. However every driver that was there said i had to twist the collar as it was the only thing that held the airline on not the collar sliding back to its resting position. weiredto me as every other unit i have driven twisting the collar round was the fail safe.
cooper1203:
In this context i can see why pulling the red airline would jam the brakes on as its the red airline that holds themoff. Luckly i can only assume there is a big and imediate obviouse difference between the trailer setteling and it running forward.
On a steep slope, yes.
On a gentler slope, it might happen only be noticed when the legs are wound up, at which point you`d be stood at the side of course.
cooper1203:
However, I had a situation on sunday where the red airline came off twice whist shunting (second time im sure i twisted the collar round but i guess i couldnt of) second time it had come off whilst i wasnt with the vehicle so i hadnt heard it or felt it.
In 40 years of driving, Ive never had a C-type (UK standard) fitting detach itself. I find it difficult to see how it could, if it was correctly fitted? Im not saying it is impossible, but I do still have trouble seeing what is going on there?
If it came off when you weren`t in the vehicle, could it have been some idiot playing silly buggers?
cooper1203:
In this context i can see why pulling the red airline would jam the brakes on as its the red airline that holds themoff. Luckly i can only assume there is a big and imediate obviouse difference between the trailer setteling and it running forward.
On a steep slope, yes.
On a gentler slope, it might happen only be noticed when the legs are wound up, at which point you`d be stood at the side of course.
Thats the thing through i have been taught to raise the unit susspention up so the legs are clear of the ground weather split coupeling or normal. so only thing holding the trailor is the park brake once the line is connected.
Franglais:
cooper1203:
However, I had a situation on sunday where the red airline came off twice whist shunting (second time im sure i twisted the collar round but i guess i couldnt of) second time it had come off whilst i wasnt with the vehicle so i hadnt heard it or felt it.
In 40 years of driving, Ive never had a C-type (UK standard) fitting detach itself. I find it difficult to see how it could, if it was correctly fitted? Im not saying it is impossible, but I do still have trouble seeing what is going on there?
If it came off when you weren`t in the vehicle, could it have been some idiot playing silly buggers?
it could of been however it happened once before that when i was driving round the yard… heard a bang as i assume the airline hit the back of the cab and the trailor wheels locked when i got out red airline was laying on the catwalk.
