Yes you should have the suspension at normal level and if fully freighted you should have any lifting axles lowered.
Don’t know if it contributed to your blowout. At least you are in one piece to tell the tale 
It was fully loaded, all axles were in use. I managed to retrieve the top section of the mudguard from the HS, it wasn’t worn where, if the suspension was wrong, the tyre would have been in contact with it…maybe?
Thinking about it, i didn’t play with the suspension at Minworth either! Is it good practice to green button the suspension even if you didn’t put the trailer onto the tug i.e. as part of walk round check?
Must admit Dan, I thought it a was tyre on the steer axle at 1st 
the initial shuddering and loss of control, with a bridge support coming up certainly gets the adrenalin pumping! it was all I could do to NOT stamp hard on the brake. Luckily the shredded tyre didn’t rip any goodies out with
Tazbug
It’s good practice to keep your ignition switched on when tipping and loading to allow the suspension to adjust accordingly and not damage your mudguard tops, there should be a warning light on the dash to let you know if the suspension is in the drive position, if it’s on male sure your air is up switch on the handset and press the"green" or normal ride height button till you see the suspension sort itself out and the dash light goes out. Top tip sometimes it won’t do until you release the handbrake.
Hi fella,
It’s Dan. Had a look up after you said you were on here! I must admit I got a phone call from my manager saying you hadn’t got back to the yard, at that point I did get worried, thinking there could’ve been a accident and you’d been diverted under a small bridge etc! I later got a phone call saying you were back safe and had suffered a blow out(maybe I tempted fate after telling you about mine!)
Hope you enjoyed working with us.
Dan
Hi Dan , yes them hubs are amazing how many wagons go through each night and your right the forkies are like little ants buzzin around , looks like you were sorted an gone as i didnt hit j3 until around 0430 and was nothing around to say you had been there 
,
on some trucks you have a button that can put the axle down automatically when loaded and dont have to worry too much but if you just press the leveler before you pull away the light will go off on the dash 
in the pallet line hub we have to scan through a shed on arrival then q to be unloaded can take hours going forward about 4 trucks then waiting for another 20 mins or so , then your unloaded and wait in yard until shunter comes to find you to go onto bay to be loaded then back through shed to be scanned out then you can leave , must admit gets a bit tiresome pulling the cutains back and forth all the time as you cant drive with the curtains open around yards , and you have to go to each place sperate so sounds like they do it a bit quicker where you are , mind you handy for a kip whilst your waiting for a shunter to come an find you at palletline
hope many more are on the way for you
have fun
jen x
Hi Dan, good to meet you the other night and thanks again for all your help and advice…of course I blame you totally for the blowout, and the Polish chap who parked next to me with a duff tyre…jinx city 
I did enjoy working with Jays, a good operation, I was made to feel very welcome from OM to forkie, pleased I had the opportunity (although newer tug would be nice if I get a next time).
Hi Jennie, not sure if you last post was for me, or Dan above…i’m Colin by the way but if your last post was for me then you can call me Dan if you wish although I normally answer to Taz or Colin Minworth is quite an eye opener, I was unloaded and loaded in the same sitting as I was on a quick turnaround.
Hi Bigtruck and thanks for the tip! For some reason I can’t seem to get the suspension altering processes into my thick skull, it just won’t stay in there, I guess the more I do it, the easier it will become…any tips on how to get a unit through a 90 degree reverse into a parking bay? 
Tazbug
Yer I’d like to know that too. Especially when you have no room in front of you because someone has dumped some trailers in your swing space.
Also how do you get a tri axle to turn quicker. Today I have been wishing it was a single or dual axle trailer.
Phew…glad its not just me then
tazbug
Are you talking the sort of reverse like of a street into a gateway at ninety degrees to the street? - this is often called ‘jacknifing’ in at this sort of angle or worse.
Yes I guess so! The other night at Minworth I watched several drivers pull up 90 degrees to the parking bays and then calmly reverse, through the 90 degrees, to put the unit neatly in the bay…i’ve also watched it done when parking at services. I struggled somewhat reversing through about 50 degrees to get a wagon on a loading bay (7 shunts) (mind you, it was my first ever post test reverse, it was a tri axle double decker and I did have to consider trailers parked opposite the bay)
any tips or advice greatly received
Tazbug
Ok, I’ve found a video below on Youtube where someone is basically doing it (although totally unnecessarily as there’s loads of space and he could have come in at a much shallower angle and these sorts of manoeuvres scrub and wear trailer tyres a lot)
I’II also point out in the vid it’s a 4x2 unit which is easier than a 6x2. You need to approach it by making sure you’ve got just enough room (assuming not blindside) on your o/s between you and the row of trailer on bays or kerb to swing your unit in as you go back initially.
Bascially first you’ve got to put a lot of lock on and if you’re heavily loaded it will be hard work pushing the trailer round, the tyres will protest and can look like they’re going to come off the rims. (low reverse obviously and that would pretty much always be my choice for any reversing with a trailer on).
Now you watch the back of the trailer come round out the window and where you’re going to live and die is at what point you get back behind the trailer and that point is much earlier than you imagine because the trailer will keep going round while you’re straightening the unit up. It won’t matter too much if you don’t get it spot on as hopefully you’ll have got the back end in far enough to give you a bit of room for a shunt. Others might disagree but I tend to go hard lock on, push round, when it looks like it’s on the way enough take lock off as quick as possible, I think it’s easier to get into a mess if you keep constantly adjusting the amount of lock when you’re doing the sort of reverse where you’ve decided you’re going to need to push the trailer right round.
The other thing, that’s difficult to say, because I don’t want to encourage anyone to hit anything is you will want to let the trailer go back, before you start the heavy lock, further than you think.
Reversing is very much an aquired art, i used to be hopeless, but now can swing into any of those bays in 1 hit, shame you had a blow out really, you could’ve used the yard for practise!!
No worries with having a chat with you, and sometimes its nice to have little tips in the back of your mind when it comes to driving these, hence why I was rackign my brains to make it a tad easier for you. The automatics are alot nicer once you’ve learnt how to use them properly!
Own Account Driver:
Now you watch the back of the trailer come round out the window and where you’re going to live and die is at what point you get back behind the trailer and that point is much earlier than you imagine because the trailer will keep going round while you’re straightening the unit up. It won’t matter too much if you don’t get it spot on as hopefully you’ll have got the back end in far enough to give you a bit of room for a shunt. Others might disagree but I tend to go hard lock on, push round, when it looks like it’s on the way enough take lock off as quick as possible, I think it’s easier to get into a mess if you keep constantly adjusting the amount of lock when you’re doing the sort of reverse where you’ve decided you’re going to need to push the trailer right round.The other thing, that’s difficult to say, because I don’t want to encourage anyone to hit anything is you will want to let the trailer go back, before you start the heavy lock, further than you think.
Thats how I am too, its alot easier with the little 19.5 tri axle twin wheeled trailers as the reular super single tauts are alot easier to screw round,and react better to steering input.
Thankyou Own Account, I can see what you mean, I’m a long way off the skill of the driver in the video (bl***y impressive that) but, with practice, I reckon i’ll get the hang of it, I improved hugely when practising the reverse for the test, so much so that I did it in one!
Yes Dan, having the opportunity of the empty yard with no-one watching (or taking ths p**s) would have been ideal. When I got back to the depot I had a brief go at a blindside between 2 trailers (in the pitch dark ), luckily I got out to check where I was in relation to the space only to find I was on a collision course with the trailer that would have been on my right had I got it correct…I aborted that one, drove into the maintenance yard, rounded in one sweep and then drove up the the load shed doors, that then left me with a reasonable, almost straight, reverse back into a larger space. A forkie then came out and took the lorry off me 
.
Having watched the video, and read OWD’s advice, I can get what is required into my head…just practice now
Thanks for all your help
Tazbug
Tazbug:
Hi Dan, good to meet you the other night and thanks again for all your help and advice…of course I blame you totally for the blowout, and the Polish chap who parked next to me with a duff tyre…jinx cityHi Jennie, not sure if you last post was for me, or Dan above…i’m Colin by the way but if your last post was for me then you can call me Dan if you wish
Hi Bigtruck and thanks for the tip! For some reason I can’t seem to get the suspension altering processes into my thick skull, it just won’t stay in there, I guess the more I do it, the easier it will become…any tips on how to get a unit through a 90 degree reverse into a parking bay?
Tazbug
yes was for you colin (taz) sorry not paying attention properly lol posting when coming in from work !
jx
Hopefully I’ve managed to post pics of the 1st 3 trucks I drove following receipt of my shiny new licence. The lighter blue Scania is the truck that scared the life out of me with the blowout!
Hope it works
Tazbug
Great pics.
Have done work for C&D and Jays both on Rigid.
Hopefully more work will come in soon.
Both Jays and C+D i found really decent to work for, very helpfull indeed, I look forward to having the opportunity to work with them again…and Stan Robinsons! took me by the hand as it were
Hows the tramping going Dean? I do keep an eye out for Downtons trucks on the M5 Devon…don’t know if i’d recognise you though 
Tazbug
It’s going fine mate. Don’t get down south of Taunton much to be honest.
I’m over in Tilbury Docks tonight.
I have sharpened up my reversing (though not perfect yet) and getting on bay is coming much easier now. I still gulp if sliding between 2 trailers .
Loving the variety of places. Just hope I can stay on with them for a while.
Pleased to hear that mate, all the best and stay safe
Tazbug