5 Minutes stood by the diesel pumps telling the Day Man how tough Night Men have it.
5 Minutes stood by the wash telling the Day Man how you always get the [zb] that the other Night Men don’t want.
5 Minutes stood by the Day Man telling him not to hang the job out tomorrow because you always work your willy off to get the wagon back for him on time, as he hooks your trailer up.
1 Minute in the lay-by up the road putting on the trailer plate which you helpfully took off the dropped trailer, but were so busy telling your Oppo how great your life is that you forgot to put it back on in the yard.
Repeats with roles reversed when you get back to the yard in the morning.
This is funny mostly because it’s true or it is where I work.
I often get the mick taken out of me for going over it with a fine tooth comb every morning, it happened this morning a driver showing off. But on two occasions I’ve found axles loose on the trailer. I drive the same truck every day but it goes out on nights so it’s worth checking.
NEVER EVER take it for granted that because a "yard lad "checks it washes it etc etc that its OK its YOUR responsibilty YOUR Licence if if things are not right and something happens.
Do it yourself in whatever time it takes,if the vehicle is washed you can bet your life the screen is covered in streaks,take time to clean it,you will soon use 15 minutes if not more
My ritual on a night out is…
Get up and have a coffee, toilet, wash and general stretching of legs. Whilst doing this general stretching of legs it just happens that I walk round trailer my lights are on and I look at tyres, wheel nut markers, dog clip, reg plate, load security, curtains/load/straps (flat trl), back doors, fuel cap, check for scratches/dents, then card goes in.
Press appropriate buttons then chill with another coffee and relax. If I feel like I want to go after 5 minutes I will, if I don’t I’ll probably leave when I’m ready. After 5, 10, or 20 min whatever. If I’m on time for delivery/collection who really cares?
I work my day to ensure that I get the job done I’m paid for and I am relaxed as I can possibly be. My boss is good and knows that if he tries to push me I will slow down I go as fast and safe as possible and do crack on but not to the detriment of a possible incident.
NB: no scrape/scratch/accident/complaint/or any misdemeanour’s whatsoever for 4 years
Just read that back and look like a right **** Ah well, I’ll still post the chuff
Confirmation of a walk round check is a signed nil-defect sheet. It is your licence or conscience if you just sign it without doing the checks, and a wheel comes off or worse.
dri-diddly-iver:
My ritual on a night out is…
Get up and have a coffee, toilet, wash and general stretching of legs. Whilst doing this general stretching of legs it just happens that I walk round trailer my lights are on and I look at tyres, wheel nut markers, dog clip, reg plate, load security, curtains/load/straps (flat trl), back doors, fuel cap, check for scratches/dents, then card goes in.
Press appropriate buttons then chill with another coffee and relax. If I feel like I want to go after 5 minutes I will, if I don’t I’ll probably leave when I’m ready. After 5, 10, or 20 min whatever. If I’m on time for delivery/collection who really cares?
I work my day to ensure that I get the job done I’m paid for and I am relaxed as I can possibly be. My boss is good and knows that if he tries to push me I will slow down I go as fast and safe as possible and do crack on but not to the detriment of a possible incident.
NB: no scrape/scratch/accident/complaint/or any misdemeanour’s whatsoever for 4 years
Just read that back and look like a right **** Ah well, I’ll still post the chuff
Fairly similar. I do a walk round before card goes in. After card is in, make coffee etc.
I don’t want to put card in then discover a puncture and waste 3 hours of my day. If i do find a puncture, it’s back to bed for a couple of hours.
dri-diddly-iver:
My ritual on a night out is…
Get up and have a coffee, toilet, wash and general stretching of legs. Whilst doing this general stretching of legs it just happens that I walk round trailer my lights are on and I look at tyres, wheel nut markers, dog clip, reg plate, load security, curtains/load/straps (flat trl), back doors, fuel cap, check for scratches/dents, then card goes in.
Press appropriate buttons then chill with another coffee and relax. If I feel like I want to go after 5 minutes I will, if I don’t I’ll probably leave when I’m ready. After 5, 10, or 20 min whatever. If I’m on time for delivery/collection who really cares?
I work my day to ensure that I get the job done I’m paid for and I am relaxed as I can possibly be. My boss is good and knows that if he tries to push me I will slow down I go as fast and safe as possible and do crack on but not to the detriment of a possible incident.
NB: no scrape/scratch/accident/complaint/or any misdemeanour’s whatsoever for 4 years
Just read that back and look like a right **** Ah well, I’ll still post the chuff
Fairly similar. I do a walk round before card goes in. After card is in, make coffee etc.
I don’t want to put card in then discover a puncture and waste 3 hours of my day. If i do find a puncture, it’s back to bed for a couple of hours.
You wait for a puncture to be fixed in your own time■■?
dri-diddly-iver:
My ritual on a night out is…
Get up and have a coffee, toilet, wash and general stretching of legs. Whilst doing this general stretching of legs it just happens that I walk round trailer my lights are on and I look at tyres, wheel nut markers, dog clip, reg plate, load security, curtains/load/straps (flat trl), back doors, fuel cap, check for scratches/dents, then card goes in.
Press appropriate buttons then chill with another coffee and relax. If I feel like I want to go after 5 minutes I will, if I don’t I’ll probably leave when I’m ready. After 5, 10, or 20 min whatever. If I’m on time for delivery/collection who really cares?
I work my day to ensure that I get the job done I’m paid for and I am relaxed as I can possibly be. My boss is good and knows that if he tries to push me I will slow down I go as fast and safe as possible and do crack on but not to the detriment of a possible incident.
NB: no scrape/scratch/accident/complaint/or any misdemeanour’s whatsoever for 4 years
Just read that back and look like a right **** Ah well, I’ll still post the chuff
Fairly similar. I do a walk round before card goes in. After card is in, make coffee etc.
I don’t want to put card in then discover a puncture and waste 3 hours of my day. If i do find a puncture, it’s back to bed for a couple of hours.
You wait for a puncture to be fixed in your own time■■?
I could put my card in and wait a couple of hours. And then at end of day be pushing time to get a load off or get parked up. I’m in bed sleeping whatever while I’m waiting for the fitter. I’d rather just bank that time in case it goes pear shaped at end of the day.
dri-diddly-iver:
My ritual on a night out is…
Get up and have a coffee, toilet, wash and general stretching of legs. Whilst doing this general stretching of legs it just happens that I walk round trailer my lights are on and I look at tyres, wheel nut markers, dog clip, reg plate, load security, curtains/load/straps (flat trl), back doors, fuel cap, check for scratches/dents, then card goes in.
Press appropriate buttons then chill with another coffee and relax. If I feel like I want to go after 5 minutes I will, if I don’t I’ll probably leave when I’m ready. After 5, 10, or 20 min whatever. If I’m on time for delivery/collection who really cares?
I work my day to ensure that I get the job done I’m paid for and I am relaxed as I can possibly be. My boss is good and knows that if he tries to push me I will slow down I go as fast and safe as possible and do crack on but not to the detriment of a possible incident.
NB: no scrape/scratch/accident/complaint/or any misdemeanour’s whatsoever for 4 years
Just read that back and look like a right **** Ah well, I’ll still post the chuff
Fairly similar. I do a walk round before card goes in. After card is in, make coffee etc.
I don’t want to put card in then discover a puncture and waste 3 hours of my day. If i do find a puncture, it’s back to bed for a couple of hours.
You wait for a puncture to be fixed in your own time■■?
I could put my card in and wait a couple of hours. And then at end of day be pushing time to get a load off or get parked up. I’m in bed sleeping whatever while I’m waiting for the fitter. I’d rather just bank that time in case it goes pear shaped at end of the day.
I get paid whilst waiting for a tyre monkey to sort things out.
As far as I aware there is nothing official that says checks should take fifteen minutes.
If you are stopped by DVSA with a defect, that should have been picked up during a walk round check, whether you spent 5 minutes or 30 minutes checking the vehicle will be of little consequence, as you’ve still failed to carry out a satisfactory check.
So most drivers think checks should take between 5 and 60 minutes in case you happen to get stopped. What do you do after spending all this time if a bulb goes when your driving or you hit something and damage a tyre nobody will take your word that you checked it or you could of said that in first place. Glad i no longer drive when drivers are so worried about this.
Harry Monk:
Similarly if there was plenty of tread on the tyres yesterday it would be reasonable to assume that most of it was still there today etc.
Daftest assumption ever. If I did that then one day I would have gone out with an artic with a double decker on with no tread on one of the drive axle tyres as in down to the carcass. Fortunately I don’t assume anything so I did my checks, checked the tyres and found a bit of tread missing on one of the drive axle tyres. When the tyre fitter took it off the bit of tread I had seen was actually the only tread left and it had chucked almost all of it. I hadn’t felt a thing when I’d been driving back to base the day before and I’d taken the keys home so it didn’t go out overnight.
mac12:
So most drivers think checks should take between 5 and 60 minutes in case you happen to get stopped. What do you do after spending all this time if a bulb goes when your driving or you hit something and damage a tyre nobody will take your word that you checked it or you could of said that in first place.
Thats why you have the time showing before the wheels first turn. You’ve got the proof you’ve done the checks and they can’t argue otherwise. However if its tacho in and a minute later you’re off down the road you’ve got no proof you did any checks so you’ve left yourself wide open.
mac12:
So most drivers think checks should take between 5 and 60 minutes in case you happen to get stopped. What do you do after spending all this time if a bulb goes when your driving or you hit something and damage a tyre nobody will take your word that you checked it or you could of said that in first place.
Thats why you have the time showing before the wheels first turn. You’ve got the proof you’ve done the checks and they can’t argue otherwise. However if its tacho in and a minute later you’re off down the road you’ve got no proof you did any checks so you’ve left yourself wide open.
No, all it does is prove that your card was in the head for a few minutes before the wheels started turning. It certainly does not prove that you have done your checks.
mac12:
So most drivers think checks should take between 5 and 60 minutes in case you happen to get stopped. What do you do after spending all this time if a bulb goes when your driving or you hit something and damage a tyre nobody will take your word that you checked it or you could of said that in first place.
Thats why you have the time showing before the wheels first turn. You’ve got the proof you’ve done the checks and they can’t argue otherwise. However if its tacho in and a minute later you’re off down the road you’ve got no proof you did any checks so you’ve left yourself wide open.
No, all it does is prove that your card was in the head for a few minutes before the wheels started turning. It certainly does not prove that you have done your checks.
Sent using smoke and mirrors
That’s what i’m trying to say, Conor checks his truck at Howden and all ok pulls out on the road and his trailer lights are out 100 yards up the road but carn’t see them he then keeps driving to Runcorn but gets stopped on the M62. Your taco shows time doing something maybe drinking coffee maybe checking how do you prove which and would you say i checked it or that you spent you time drinking.
Despite what Conor says you can’t prove you did your checks by showing 5-10 mins other work. It just looks helps your case that it’s more likely you did than card showing driving straight after being put in.
You could argue you did some checks before putting the card in, but then you’re on the sticky wicket of having carried out “other work” that wasn’t recorded. Its just a case of showing its more likely you did, especially if it falls on a day when things go bad.
For me it’s card in, manual entry the few minutes it’s taken to empty gear from car to cab, quick walk around for anything obvious, then sit there doing whatever paperwork needs doing. Check time, if it’s been 15 minutes I crack on if not wait it out until 15 comes up then crack on. Company policy is 15 minutes, if it takes longer there’s no drama but must always show a minimum 15.
If on a night out, I generally get up, switch modes to other work, go grab a roll and coffee on way back quick walk around mainly checking dog clip, lights and number plate haven’t been messed with and crack on.
Must stress though, all our gear is new ( not that that should matter ) so it’s unlikely for any major failures/fatigue.
As others have said though do what you want it’s your licence at the end of the day. If you company want you to do it a certain way then that’s your minimum.
Generally speaking DVSA aren’t your friends or enemies, and neither are Traffic Cops. However some of them are bumptious, know all ■■■■■ that will claim faults are pre-existing or that a driver is at fault when they don’t really know, but they like to be seen omnipotent experts. You cannot win an argument at the side of the road with them.
The thing is they can report you, and it can be a roll of the dice, particularly if you end up in magistrates court.
The TC though can be your best friend if you have done all you reasonably can to prevent an infraction. I have seen them bollock VOSA Operatives & Traffic Officers for wasting their time, just as severely as Drivers & Operators who have been naughty. I have found them to be impartial & fair, but they don’t suffer fools, and you really don’t want to be stood in front of them if you are planning to try and BS your way through. They are serious people and they take their duty to protect the public very seriously.
So whether you spend five minutes or an hour doing your checks - do your checks. But do them in such a way as to cover your bum, not just to please the DVSA. If something serious happens you want to be able to live with your conscience and to be stood in court or in front of the Traffic Commissioner with a genuinely defensible position. I am often surprised at the number of professional drivers who don’t know exactly what standards they have to adhere to.
Apologies to most of you, I am sure you will be familiar with this document, but I suspect it will be unknown to and interesting reading for some of the less experienced. If it is against the forum rules to post links- sorry, please delete it. If the link is deleted then google: Statutory Document Number 6. Some of it is a bit dry, but scroll through, it is worth it.
, maybe I’m a bit slow today but I come across drivers all the time who believe this guff 
Ah well, I’ll still post the chuff 
