I learnt the hard way on Thursday when it was blowing a gale in these quarters.
I thought I’d open both curtains to save some time later but quickly regretted it when the trailer promptly turned into a wind tunnel and ragged the curtain on my side so fiercely that one of the buckles whacked me round the side of my head and it zebideeing hurt .
Lesson learnt that one should only open one curtain at a time in windy conditions as the closed curtain acts as a damper and stop the other curtain flapping around madly.
or if you can tip one side on leeward side fasten up and turn the truck round so you always tip on the leeward side not always possible but is usually efective
also try to make sure when the trailers are serviced that the runners are greesed as a stiff curtain can put your back out (im not kidding here) if it is windy and you walking down the side of the trailer and curtain is unbukled DONT walk right next to the curtain walk a few feet away from it and be ready to put you arm up to protect your head ( i found all this out the hard way) a few you years ago when i worked at city logistics (WHO ARE THEY)
Yeah, and opening and closing the barn doors is just as bad. With a stiff breeze blowing even the world’s strongest man would struggle to push those past the force of the wind. I remembered once having to exert all my force behind the door to get it to close past the force of the wind but the wind decided against the idea and intensified, resulting in the door pushing me out of the way, me stumbling backwards and onto my arse on the ground with the door whacking me hard in the face as I was going down.
However, we often learn these things the hard way (as described above) and you most certainly make sure to adopt a different approach to the problem in the future and not get in the way of things that can hurt you lots .
yeah and don’t you feel sorry for the europeon drivers with them tilt trailers with a strap chucked over the roof to the other side and having to pull the curtain right over to enable them to get their frieght off.sod that.
And it doesnt help with those Speed Slider Euroliners when you have to release both curtains to slide the roof forward!!!
On a brand new trailer with the rollers all free and greased then it is fine, you can open any curtain or roof you like. Try it with a 5 year old leased Remorque
I hate to agree with Rob too many times in a millenium
Coffeeholic:
Best solution to this problem is a nice box trailer.
No no no no Neil . That means having to clamber / hoist etc yourself into the back of it when the awkward ‘H&S’ forkie says no you can’t stand on my forks and I’ll lift you up. It’s always the damned trailers that don’t have any pull out steps or a crash-bar at the same level as the back of the trailer so that you can use that to climb up instead of looking like a pleb while you attempt to use your total lack of body strength from eating too many bacon butties to haul your fat arse into the flaming thing .
I hate them - same with fridges as well .
Like Mal, I think I’ve spent far too much time on containers and anything that closely resembles getting short of breath (like getting in the back of a box trailer) is now a complete no-no
DAFMAD:
:shock: Never mind the curtains, ever had the support bar spring out as your releasing it and it smacks you in the head - OOWWWW for sure.
Yes Steve . I’ve mentioned this before. I was working for when this happened to me. Smashed into my right temple nearly 18 months ago and I have a nice scar to prove it. Lost a lot of blood and was unconscious in Jimmy’s for nearly 2 days. Can’t mention company yet as it’s going through court.
Coffeeholic:
Best solution to this problem is a nice box trailer.
No no no no Neil . That means having to clamber / hoist etc yourself into the back of it when the awkward ‘H&S’ forkie says no you can’t stand on my forks and I’ll lift you up.
Not on European work mate, they have people who unload for us. We are drivers so we drive, they are loaders/unloaders so they load/unload, then we all go home happy. Simple really:wink:
Mind you if really necessary have a tail lift I can use to elevate myself to the correct height top walk into the back, saves that embarrassing arse in the air scramble.
Coffeeholic:
Mind you if really necessary have a tail lift I can use to elevate myself to the correct height top walk into the back, saves that embarrassing arse in the air scramble.
Earlier this year I had just tipped our 7.5 tonner at Magna Park and next job was a pick up in Lincolnshire just short of Skeggy. It was blowing a gale and raining horizontally so I decided to tie the curtains back to help keep the truck vertical I released the curtain on one side and tied it back OK. Course I then had to do the other side. Released it and as soon as the wind caught it I then had a horizontal curtain at roof height flapping around. I then went and parked between two trailers - much better Eventually got the curtains tied down and off I set. Didn’t need to sweep out the bed that day
7.5 ton curtain siders and wind (not that sort either ) - not much fun.
Worse still, driving back down the A14 with a side on gale… when you can’t tie the curtains back because there’s a pallet truck in there… And that was it… I was all over the place.
Not nice. That was when I was tramping in that 18t Iveco.
i had a very basic easysheet on an artic bulker about 9 years ago,which got tangled up in the wind one day when i was about to tip a load of grain,i moved the motor alongside a barn out of the wind ,like an idiot i got up top and started to untangle it,the wind direction then changed and the next thing i remember is hanging off the ladder on the nsr of the trailer,before i had been near the front…scared the living daylights out of me, ever since i have extremely safety concious with curtains or sheets.
.
a few you years ago when i worked at city logistics (WHO ARE THEY) 
when this happened to me. Smashed into my right temple nearly 18 months ago and I have a nice scar to prove it. Lost a lot of blood and was unconscious in Jimmy’s for nearly 2 days. Can’t mention company yet as it’s going through court.
, that’s the one 
) - not much fun.