It has been reported that a driver from YTL transport of Tilbury has died whilst coupling up to his trailer. It was noted that the driver had lain on the catwalk of his truck for at least 10 minutes until a member of staff found him and tried to resus him without fail. It turned out that the driver had omitted to secure the handbrake of the unit, and it rolled asphixiating him. The company were also fined £170.000 for breaches of the H&S regulations. r.i.p. to the young driver.
I might add that i believe the fine to the company is out of order, and dont see what they could have done, to educate the driver on coupling/uncoupling of trailers, as he should already have known the sequence for this task. If the company tells drivers not to use the park brake…fair enough…as some companies do ask their drivers to not use the park brake when dropping trailers to aid shunters…a risk i do not take…regardless the handbrake goes on…on this occasion it was failure to put on the unit hand brake which caused it to roll…sad day.
Already a thread running on it named easily done tragic ending
truckyboy:
It has been reported that a driver from YTL transport of Tilbury has died whilst coupling up to his trailer. It was noted that the driver had lain on the catwalk of his truck for at least 10 minutes until a member of staff found him and tried to resus him without fail. It turned out that the driver had omitted to secure the handbrake of the unit, and it rolled asphixiating him. The company were also fined £170.000 for breaches of the H&S regulations. r.i.p. to the young driver.
I might add that i believe the fine to the company is out of order, and dont see what they could have done, to educate the driver on coupling/uncoupling of trailers, as he should already have known the sequence for this task. If the company tells drivers not to use the park brake…fair enough…as some companies do ask their drivers to not use the park brake when dropping trailers to aid shunters…a risk i do not take…regardless the handbrake goes on…on this occasion it was failure to put on the unit hand brake which caused it to roll…sad day.
They got the a big fine because they did not keep there records and training up to date
Why doesn’t every driver as a matter of safe practice lift the tractor suspension up a bit when split-coupling so that any uncontrolled tractor or trailer movement that would potentially close the catwalk gap - merely results in the two parts clicking together on the 5th wheel instead?
It’s happened to me… On the catwalk, put red airline on, trailer rolls towards me (blue button pushed in, didn’t check. 
Trailer on downward slope - didn’t check. ) I only got away with it because the trailer clicks onto jaws of 5th wheel instead of over-shooting the 5th wheel entirely, and squashing me up against the back frame of the cab!
I never use any other method to split couple now.
Winseer:
Why doesn’t every driver as a matter of safe practice lift the tractor suspension up a bit when split-coupling so that any uncontrolled tractor or trailer movement that would potentially close the catwalk gap - merely results in the two parts clicking together on the 5th wheel instead?
It’s happened to me… On the catwalk, put red airline on, trailer rolls towards me (blue button pushed in, didn’t check. Trailer on downward slope - didn’t check. ) I only got away with it because the trailer clicks onto jaws of 5th wheel instead of over-shooting the 5th wheel entirely, and squashing me up against the back frame of the cab!
I never use any other method to split couple now.
Isn’t the idea of split coupling because there’s not enough room left on the cat walk with the trailer coupled up ?. 
But yes not making sure that the fifth wheel is higher than the trailer plate and lifting the trailer onto the fifth wheel from the start is obviously one of the potential danger points as I’ve been saying.
To which the answer by many is go under low then lift it using the air suspension to avoid grease being wiped off the table by the trailer or bs non existent mechanical sympathy issues.Which obviously creates loads of margin for error regarding mis couples resulting in either a trailer rolling off the back or over the front of the fifth wheel.
Strange how that isn’t actually how drivers are taught to couple up at the instruction stage so it’s obviously dangerous made up RDC bs that’s been accepted wrongly as fact.
youtube.com/watch?v=1GhULtaJNVY 11.00 11.30
That’s the correct way to couple up a trailer.Go under low then lift is dangerous bollox.
Winseer:
Why doesn’t every driver as a matter of safe practice lift the tractor suspension up a bit when split-coupling so that any uncontrolled tractor or trailer movement that would potentially close the catwalk gap - merely results in the two parts clicking together on the 5th wheel instead?
It’s happened to me… On the catwalk, put red airline on, trailer rolls towards me (blue button pushed in, didn’t check. Trailer on downward slope - didn’t check. ) I only got away with it because the trailer clicks onto jaws of 5th wheel instead of over-shooting the 5th wheel entirely, and squashing me up against the back frame of the cab!
I never use any other method to split couple now.
So, because of your laziness and failing to follow procedure, you could of been killed … and driver wonder why you lot have all the H&S.
TBH, we all have our own way of picking up a trailer…personally i reverse up to it…then get out and adjust the suspension where needed…i only get on the catwalk once its coupled…but there you go…each to their own.
Carryfast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GhULtaJNVY 11.00 11.30
That’s the correct way to couple up a trailer.Go under low then lift is dangerous bollox.
A bit off topic but just about every-time I’ve seen anyone go under the pin it’s been because they used the method in that video, going part way under the trailer then using the air suspension to lift the legs off the ground before going up-to the pin is by far the safest way to pick up a trailer.
I was taught that way many years ago, before air suspension ( when trailers had a ratchet handbrake ) ha ha …and have always done it that way, and would teach the youngsters the same…so Tachograph, i have to agree with you.
tachograph:
Carryfast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GhULtaJNVY 11.00 11.30
That’s the correct way to couple up a trailer.Go under low then lift is dangerous bollox.
A bit off topic but just about every-time I’ve seen anyone go under the pin it’s been because they used the method in that video, going part way under the trailer then using the air suspension to lift the legs off the ground before going up-to the pin is by far the safest way to pick up a trailer.
It is the way I pick up a trailer too, no need to get out of the cab just watch for the trailer lifting in your mirrors, Also easier to wind up the legs as they have not got the weight on them.
UKtramp:
tachograph:
Carryfast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GhULtaJNVY 11.00 11.30
That’s the correct way to couple up a trailer.Go under low then lift is dangerous bollox.
A bit off topic but just about every-time I’ve seen anyone go under the pin it’s been because they used the method in that video, going part way under the trailer then using the air suspension to lift the legs off the ground before going up-to the pin is by far the safest way to pick up a trailer.
It is the way I pick up a trailer too, no need to get out of the cab just watch for the trailer lifting in your mirrors, Also easier to wind up the legs as they have not got the weight on them.
How can anyone possibly miss the pin if the trailer plate is sitting lower than the height of the fifth wheel table from the start and is therefore lifted onto the table from the first point of contact ?.
As opposed to the foreseeable potential for error in people going under low and slightly over shooting the pin.Then lifting the table against a fouled pin thereby leaving the pin sitting on top of the fifth wheel rather than in the jaws.Resulting in the possibility of a runaway trailer either running off the back or over the front when the lines are coupled if the driver hasn’t noticed it.
The miscoupled trailer scenario obviously being one of the main dangers regarding runaway trailers crushing drivers between the unit and trailer on the catwalk.Obviously together with the other possibility of not applying the unit handbrake resulting in a completely runaway vehicle.
Carryfast:
How can anyone possibly miss the pin if the trailer plate is sitting lower than the height of the fifth wheel table from the start and is therefore lifted onto the table from the first point of contact ?.
As opposed to the foreseeable potential for error in people going under low and slightly over shooting the pin.Then lifting the table against a fouled pin thereby leaving the pin sitting on top of the fifth wheel rather than in the jaws.Resulting in the possibility of a runaway trailer either running off the back or over the front when the lines are coupled if the driver hasn’t noticed it.
The miscoupled trailer scenario obviously being one of the main dangers regarding runaway trailers crushing drivers between the unit and trailer on the catwalk.Obviously together with the other possibility of not applying the unit handbrake resulting in a completely runaway vehicle.
You obviously don’t understand the method you’re criticising.
When using the air suspension to lift the trailer, if you go under the trailer anywhere near far enough to go under the pin before raising the trailer you’ve either got a trailer with the pin unusually close to the front of the trailer or you’re doing it wrong, in fact if you even come close to reaching the pin before raising the trailer you’re doing it wrong.
tachograph:
Carryfast:
How can anyone possibly miss the pin if the trailer plate is sitting lower than the height of the fifth wheel table from the start and is therefore lifted onto the table from the first point of contact ?.
As opposed to the foreseeable potential for error in people going under low and slightly over shooting the pin.Then lifting the table against a fouled pin thereby leaving the pin sitting on top of the fifth wheel rather than in the jaws.Resulting in the possibility of a runaway trailer either running off the back or over the front when the lines are coupled if the driver hasn’t noticed it.
The miscoupled trailer scenario obviously being one of the main dangers regarding runaway trailers crushing drivers between the unit and trailer on the catwalk.Obviously together with the other possibility of not applying the unit handbrake resulting in a completely runaway vehicle.
You obviously don’t understand the method you’re criticising.
When using the air suspension to lift the trailer, if you go under the trailer anywhere near far enough to go under the pin before raising the trailer you’ve either got a trailer with the pin unusually close to the front of the trailer or you’re doing it wrong, in fact if you even come close to reaching the pin before raising the trailer you’re doing it wrong.
To be fair the distance travelled,at the driving seat,from the front of the trailer plate reaching the fifth wheel table to the pin reaching the jaws isn’t that far.While if we’re talking about runaway trailers/trucks the driver has obviously already got it all ‘wrong’ at that point and do we really need to add more predictable room for yet more error in the form of a mis couple,with the pin possibly sitting ‘on’ the jaws instead of ‘in’ the jaws,situation caused by the go under low and lift method.
Rather than everything being lined up properly from the start and lifting the trailer,using the ramps and/or the fifth wheel forks for the job they are designed to do,just as shown in the training video.Which provides a fool proof guarantee that the pin will have to and can only go into the fifth wheel jaws properly from the start.Even in the case of a mis coupled runaway trailer running forwards as,just as described by Winseer,that’s as far as it will possibly get.Unlike if the pin is mistakenly sitting on top of the fifth wheel caused by a driver going under low and lifting too late and thereby fouling the pin against the fifth wheel and for whatever reason not noticing it. 