I was going through some old photos and found these…
Must have been 2007 whilst I was working at Foulgers… I had just started shift, went from the main yard to a warehouse across the road where a driver was just coupling up to a bulk trailer full of beet, next thing I know the truck was heading towards the warehouse…no driver!
I took the photos on my phone so quality isn’t great but it shows the devastation this caused. The driver if I remember correctly turned out to be a tractor driver that was helping out during the busy period, and had forgotten to put the brake on. As soon as he connected the air the wheels started to turn and he just jumped out the side.
I also recall a phone call from the office whilst I was out during which the guy in the office told me that one of the trailers in the yard had blown over and landed on one of the bosses cars. I don’t think there was much damage from what I hear it neatly went through the curtain as the trailer landed on its side.
Finally whilst at the same company and queued for the diesel pump, the vehicle in front of me when full reversed instead of pulling forward. resulting in the damage in the picture below… or would be but that one isn’t playing ball.
Does anyone else have any stories of accidents in the yard?
Hiya… although i didn’t work at Kirks of Macclesfield i did hear that a new lorry arrived (ERF b series)
the driver reversed uphill and under his trailer, he put on his airlines, the lorry then rolled away and smashed
into his old lorry (another ERF a series)at the bottom of the yard. now that’s what you call a bad day.
next time put on you parking brake or get ready to pull the red line quickley
John
3300John:
Hiya… although i didn’t work at Kirks of Macclesfield i did hear that a new lorry arrived (ERF b series)
the driver reversed uphill and under his trailer, he put on his airlines, the lorry then rolled away and smashed
into his old lorry (another ERF a series)at the bottom of the yard. now that’s what you call a bad day.
next time put on you parking brake or get ready to pull the red line quickley
John
We had a few funny ones, but did still do a lot of damage.
Wide spread 3 axle steered bulktrailer, driver didn’t couple proper up, there is a wedge behind the kingpin that need to sit correctly in the fifth wheel.
Driver spun around in the yard on the shunt button, the trailer came loose and run straight into the workshop. Due to being wide spread and empty, the legs didn’t touch the floor.
The other one was our old driver trainer showed to one of the new driver his reversing skills and reversed over his own personal car
Then he proceeded to tell the new driver always put the handrail down, and drove into the customer warehouse with the handrail up. did a hell lot of damage.
Am I right in thinking that if you put the yellow airline on first and there’s no pressure then you’ve left the parking brake off? I’m just a newbie and I don’t know ■■■■, but doing this has saved my ■■■ on more than one occasion when I’ve jumped out to couple up without applying the parking brake.
SmashedCrabFace:
Am I right in thinking that if you put the yellow airline on first and there’s no pressure then you’ve left the parking brake off? I’m just a newbie and I don’t know [zb], but doing this has saved my ■■■ on more than one occasion when I’ve jumped out to couple up without applying the parking brake.
I hope this helps.
Depends what kind of unit it is SCF. Not all units pressurise the yellow airline with the handbrake on. Scania and Volvo don’t, DAF do for example. Seems like a sensible enough idea to me though fella
Santa:
Coupling and uncoupling must be the most dangerous thing we do these days.
Agreed - but I can’t understand why a large multinational company ( every little… ) company policy is to as they call it "split couple " when all trailers in the depot have sliding suzie booms on the trailers and can be coupled up perfectly safely from ground level.
Their procedure -
1 - reverse up,hbrake on get out and check fithwheel plate to trailer height and 5’th wheel slid back.
2 - slide under - but not couple up
3- apply hand brake
4 -connect suzies and check park brake on trailer on
5- couple up ,apply dog clip
6-slide fith wheel to forward position
7-release park brake on trailer .
8- carry out saftey/ temperature checks .
between 2 - 5 theres a real danger if a park brake isn’t on of a trailer coming forward and crushing someone putting on the lines .
hiya… goinggggggggg back many years if you put a trailer brake on at Dover the trailer would miss the ferry.
the tugs didn’t have time to mess with handbrakes. the trailers were zooming around like mad. also the trailers
were parked so close you couldn’t get down the side of one to get to the handbrake.
John
Someone at the first company i worked for smashed a brand new lorry into the racking they use for timber, done all the A piller in, windscreen obviously plus the grill etc. Driver didnt even get a warning, only been there for 3-4months.
Saaamon:
At the first company I worked for, I smashed a brand new lorry into the racking they use for timber, done all the A piller in, windscreen obviously plus the grill etc. I didnt even get a warning, only been there for 3-4months.
