Evening all, I have recently passed class 1 a few months ago doing some weekend shift for an Amazon relay carrier. Just to gain experience, Up to now I have just been trunking single decker trailers however they want me to use doubles as well
I have no experience of these. My question is are they easier enough to
Use. And is the couple and uncouple the same I heard there is a levelling lever or something? Any help would be appreciated cheers
Double deckers require use on the Anderson lead being connected and airlines for the lifting and lowering the trailer. Also ensure the lever for the air suspension is pulled out before moving a trailer off a bay for driving ride height, if the handle is not pulled out and the suspension has been left raised the air bag plates will drag on the ground damaging them and leaving witness marks in the yards.
Treat them with more gentle conferring than a normal trailer and all mostly the rest is as normal as a normal trailer.
However as you have never used them it would be wise to ask for some training or at least someone to go through them with you and note anything of particular info with them.
My use of double deck trailers is shunting them on and off bays so not an exhaustive list. I’m sure others may be able to impart more useful knowledge regarding them.
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Know the height.
If you’re just trunking them, there’s no difference, they couple up the same. Make sure the air suspension lever is at drive setting. Ask if you’re at all unsure.
If you have to do anything other than couple up, drive and drop, make sure someone shows you all the ropes for those particular trailers. Different deckers, by different companies, for different companies, are all different in details. So there’s no point telling you the details of operating a different type of decker.
Driving wise, they’re usually fine, unless it’s loaded by an idiot team. I had a decker once, full deck of coca cola (might have been pepsi) on the top, full deck of crisps on the bottom 
I refused to take it from Chesterfield to Glasgow like that. They were not happy, I was, I was still alive. I was close to turning it over, at a crawl, in the yard.
Amazon don’t do drinks and crisps, so you won’t have that problem.
Be aware of weights though. A standard trailer can take 26 UK pallets, 33 Euros. A decker can take at least half as many more. So if it feels heavy to you, and doesn’t have a weighbridge slip, either get it weighed or ask someone you trust to try it.
I’ve also done deckers for Palletline. Again, loaded properly, they are fine, probably more stable than a standard trailer. Deep bottom deck, with the heavy stuff on it = low C of G. Light stuff on the upper deck = still low C of G. Also, they aren’t too bad in high winds either. Deep bottom deck, so the wind doesn’t get underneath them. Still treat them with caution, but don’t be worried about them, there isn’t anything to worry about. In a weeks time, you’ll be wondering why you bothered asking 
Know the height.
Remember they don`t go around corners and roundabouts to well at the same speed as a single deck. Other than that its the same advice thats already been given
A recently qualified driver…
Let’s send him off with a decker and no instruction at all. Luckily nothing will go wrong because the Dcpc ensures this kinda thing doesn’t happen.
I bet you get paid cash in the pub on Friday nights too.
yourhavingalarf:
A recently qualified driver…Let’s send him off with a decker and no instruction at all. Luckily nothing will go wrong because the Dcpc ensures this kinda thing doesn’t happen.
I bet you get paid cash in the pub on Friday nights too.
Recently qualified or not he has a tongue in his head ASK almost certain somebody will be able to help him out
OK this is the info you require
The vast majority of deckers dont have self levelling, so look under the trl at the airbags if you can see a couple of inchs on the bracket thats fine any more is not. These trls are 16’ 2 so if the suspension is fully up you will rip the back doors off.Some require the engine running to raise/lower suspension.
You cant see the top deck but very few Amazon loads have any weight to them.
As said above take care on roundabouts and sharp bends.
All Amazon double deck trailers will self level the suspension from the EBS. So make sure your ABS/EBS cable is working and you have no warnings on your dashboard about them. There is an EBS alarm fitted to all VD410*** trailers. This may come on when you turn your lights on and ignition on, don’t worry about it, the alarm sirens as it detects electric but not EBS, this is normal. However if you turn the engine on and the alarm still sounds then you have an issue, either the trailer or your EBS/ABS cable. Either try to switch them around or ask a shunter if you could borrow their cable to see if it is a trailer or unit issue. Do not take the trailer out of the yard if the alarm is on when your engine is running as the self level suspension won’t work and you’ll hit a bridge.
VD40**** trailers will have a button near the rear to lower and raise the trailer suspension. No doubt you’ll need to use them trying to connect to the trailer as the Amazon staff will raise the trailer suspension and you’ll struggle to get under. VD4101** trailers don’t have have any buttons to raise or lower the rear so before trying to get underneath them make sure the trailer is level if not ask the Marshalls to lower the rear suspension from the inside. All other VD410 series trailers have suspension buttons at the rear to lower and raise.
There is a switch inside the trailer, bottom left as you open the door. It can be twisted on and off. Make sure this off when travelling on the road. There should be a notice inside as you see the switch. Turning the switch off will turn the power off for the trailer so when you’re driving at night you won’t distract other drivers with all the power buttons illuminating at night.
If you use Scania truck drive with your middle axle down as if you run with the middle axle up you’ll have an increase risk of hitting a bridge at an overall height of 16 ft 5.
Simon:
A standard trailer can take 26 UK pallets, 33 Euros. A decker can take at least half as many more.
My record is over 140 gkns
32 (4x4) on the neck and the rest 2-4 high behind the next, with singles on top
lolipop:
Recently qualified or not he has a tongue in his head ASK almost certain somebody will be able to help him out
He is…
Asking. He’s asking here and there’s a wealth of good information from some very experienced decker drivers.
The point I’m making has nothing to do with being newly qualified. It’s disappointing to see a new driver just thrown in at the deep end by his employer. Decker’s are complicated pieces of very expensive kit. You’d think that someone where he works might just get him trained up to operate it with a bit of confidence. Another experienced driver giving 30 minutes practical on where everything is and the do’s and don’ts. Rest assured, if there’s a problem when tipping or loading, no one on the dock will help.
None of the advice here is worth anything at three in the morning when it’s dark when you’ve no real hands on experience at all.
yourhavingalarf:
lolipop:
Recently qualified or not he has a tongue in his head ASK almost certain somebody will be able to help him outHe is…
Asking. He’s asking here and there’s a wealth of good information from some very experienced decker drivers.
The point I’m making has nothing to do with being newly qualified. It’s disappointing to see a new driver just thrown in at the deep end by his employer. Decker’s are complicated pieces of very expensive kit. You’d think that someone where he works might just get him trained up to operate it with a bit of confidence. Another experienced driver giving 30 minutes practical on where everything is and the do’s and don’ts. Rest assured, if there’s a problem when tipping or loading, no one on the dock will help.
None of the advice here is worth anything at three in the morning when it’s dark when you’ve no real hands on experience at all.
He will have been trained. He’ll have been sent a link to a video, maybe received an email, or an online tick box exercise. You don’t get any interaction with other drivers, except on here.
stu675:
yourhavingalarf:
lolipop:
Recently qualified or not he has a tongue in his head ASK almost certain somebody will be able to help him outHe is…
Asking. He’s asking here and there’s a wealth of good information from some very experienced decker drivers.
The point I’m making has nothing to do with being newly qualified. It’s disappointing to see a new driver just thrown in at the deep end by his employer. Decker’s are complicated pieces of very expensive kit. You’d think that someone where he works might just get him trained up to operate it with a bit of confidence. Another experienced driver giving 30 minutes practical on where everything is and the do’s and don’ts. Rest assured, if there’s a problem when tipping or loading, no one on the dock will help.
None of the advice here is worth anything at three in the morning when it’s dark when you’ve no real hands on experience at all.
He will have been trained. He’ll have been sent a link to a video, maybe received an email, or an online tick box exercise. You don’t get any interaction with other drivers, except on here.
Rubbish. At our place you can’t even go out without a decker until you have done the skid pan training and been trained to use double deckers.
So not everywhere is just a video and tick box exercise without any practical training and use instructions
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stu675:
He will have been trained. He’ll have been sent a link to a video, maybe received an email, or an online tick box exercise. You don’t get any interaction with other drivers, except on here.
The impression…
I’m getting is that he’s received no formal training which is why he’s here asking Qs.
Statements like ‘I have no experience of these’ was the clue surely?
yourhavingalarf:
It’s disappointing to see a new driver just thrown in at the deep end by his employer.
As he’s doing casual weekend shifts he’s probably employed with an agency and they will only care about bums on seats
simcor:
Rubbish. At our place you can’t even go out without a decker until you have done the skid pan training and been trained to use double deckers.So not everywhere is just a video and tick box exercise without any practical training and use instructions
I’ve never ever been on a skid pan. Not even in a car, let alone an artic. Can I come and have a play 
■■
My only training for driving a decker consisted of, a walk around with a driver who had some experience with deckers, and only because I’d asked him.
The decker I refused to take from Chesterfield, that was in the early 90s. I got no training what-so-ever. I was agency, I turned up as instructed, got given a unit and trailer number by security, which turned out to be a decker. I took it to Chesterfield, dropped and hooked, and almost filled my nappy on the first turn. Happily that was in the yard. I very gingerly took it over to the loading bays and demanded they reloaded it properly. I was not going anywhere with it loaded the way it was. If I’d had a straight run to the gatehouse, I’d have put it on its side on the first curve. It was heavy, but not that heavy. It was only how much it leaned out, at a snails pace when I pulled away and turned, to go out towards the gate, that was enough to tell me it was badly loaded. I didn’t have the chance to see inside, it was on their trailer park, loaded and sealed.
Simon:
simcor:
Rubbish. At our place you can’t even go out without a decker until you have done the skid pan training and been trained to use double deckers.So not everywhere is just a video and tick box exercise without any practical training and use instructions
I’ve never ever been on a skid pan. Not even in a car, let alone an artic. Can I come and have a play
The rollover/skidpan training is done at bruntingthorpe. It is apparently rather good fun so I’m told. I think anyone could pay to do the course, but no idea how much it costs.
Some places will just send people out with no training on anything, others have certain rules like being decker trained.
It is pot luck to some degree but places should spend more time training people on different types of kit.
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simcor:
The rollover/skidpan training is done at bruntingthorpe. It is apparently rather good fun so I’m told. I think anyone could pay to do the course, but no idea how much it costs.Some places will just send people out with no training on anything, others have certain rules like being decker trained.
It is pot luck to some degree but places should spend more time training people on different types of kit.
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So it’s an artic sized, skid training, bed frame thingymajig, with outriggers so it won’t roll? 
And pay for it 
I’m Scottish man, retiring in 2 years time. I don’t want to pay for a training course, I just want a few hours playing on it 
The only civilian training I’ve had, was my HGV1, in 1991. DCPC and ADR excluded.
I’ve asked other drivers how something works/is done, many times over the last 30+ years. Usually they’ve been happy to show me.
Saying that, I did a lot of BOC work, through an agency. After well over a year of delivering gas bottles all over Scotland and North England, from various depots, I went in to the Glasgow depot for training on how to do what I’d been doing. This included a driving assessment, in a Daf 80. After it, I was no longer allowed to drive their Daf 85s, because I wasn’t assessed on them. I also was no longer allowed to hook up a wagon to their A-frame trailers, the best bit about that was, it was me who had taught their assessor how to drive and reverse an A-frame trailer. Obviously, as an agency driver, I drove every make and model of truck in general use on the road (and trailer), as a matter of course.
Hi all thank you so
Much for your replies, I just quite the Amazon relay job tonight because I asked for training in the double deckers and what I got met another driver at a yard and told me where the levelling buttons were and said that was it… so I went to Amazon Hemel tonight and guess what. Double decker to Birmingham. I’ll be honest I had a complete panic and said that’s it can’t do this. I can’t drive something that big without training.
Boss not happy but felt it was the right thing to do.
Back in the hunt for another job now that will give some proper training…
Cheers guys drive safe
Martinb78:
Hi all thank you so
Much for your replies, I just quite the Amazon relay job tonight because I asked for training in the double deckers and what I got met another driver at a yard and told me where the levelling buttons were and said that was it… so I went to Amazon Hemel tonight and guess what. Double decker to Birmingham. I’ll be honest I had a complete panic and said that’s it can’t do this. I can’t drive something that big without training.
Boss not happy but felt it was the right thing to do.
Back in the hunt for another job now that will give some proper training…
Cheers guys drive safe
Probably the best thing to do, when I was at Stobarts some years go, you had to be signed off before you were allowed to take one out. I know a lot may scoff at Stobarts but in my opinion it was at least correct in training you to take something out on the road that you wasn’t comfortable with. I would have done the same as Martinb78 in this circumstance. Better to have refused than to take it out without the correct info on it.
Simon:
simcor:
The rollover/skidpan training is done at bruntingthorpe. It is apparently rather good fun so I’m told. I think anyone could pay to do the course, but no idea how much it costs.Some places will just send people out with no training on anything, others have certain rules like being decker trained.
It is pot luck to some degree but places should spend more time training people on different types of kit.
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
So it’s an artic sized, skid training, bed frame thingymajig, with outriggers so it won’t roll?
And pay for it
I’m Scottish man, retiring in 2 years time. I don’t want to pay for a training course, I just want a few hours playing on it [emoji38] [emoji38]The only civilian training I’ve had, was my HGV1, in 1991. DCPC and ADR excluded.
I’ve asked other drivers how something works/is done, many times over the last 30+ years. Usually they’ve been happy to show me.Saying that, I did a lot of BOC work, through an agency. After well over a year of delivering gas bottles all over Scotland and North England, from various depots, I went in to the Glasgow depot for training on how to do what I’d been doing. This included a driving assessment, in a Daf 80. After it, I was no longer allowed to drive their Daf 85s, because I wasn’t assessed on them. I also was no longer allowed to hook up a wagon to their A-frame trailers, the best bit about that was, it was me who had taught their assessor how to drive and reverse an A-frame trailer. Obviously, as an agency driver, I drove every make and model of truck in general use on the road (and trailer), as a matter of course.
Yes they have 2 Dafs and a Volvo with tanker trailers with outriggers on so I’m told.
As I said people who have done it said it was good fun learning the limits of a truck with ABS enabled and disabled.
Like I said I don’t know the cost but it counts for DCP as well so I’m told.
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