My first blowout 
Half an hour after leaving the yard, fully freighted at 44t, steady 50ish on the M1 when bang and all I can see behind is tyre smoke, cement dust, flying mudguards and tyre pieces…as well as cars and wagons diving in all directions. Got it over to the hard shoulder without any dramas to find the osr on the trailer has self destructed in quite spectacular fashion - a fairly new Bandvulk retread.
I’m now minus a mudguard, another is smashed but still attached, rear light cluster has gone as have the marker lights on that corner and there is an ominous hiss from the rear of the trailer.
I rang the office for advice, they got a tyre man and fleet support out and I rang the police concerned about debris in the carriageway. They took all the details and said someone would run down to check for me.
Fleet support were there quite quickly but despite giving notice of exactly what would be needed, he had no mudguard or lights with him 
I’m thinking it will be a while before I go anywhere. Another rescue unit turns up to see if his mates alright, and they call up for a light unit for the trailer. No tyre man as yet!
A third van turns up to take the remains of the light unit to match it up back wherever he came from and disappears again uttering the immortal ’ back in 10mins’
I’m starting to wonder if this is normal, thankful it isn’t raining and it’s well lit where we are. Still no tyre man…
A good 45mins and the guy is back with a new light unit which is duly fitted and I’m told the fitter is to do the bare minimum to get me back to the yard 15miles away hence no mudguards etc. I fired the unit up to check the lights to see the air was all but gone and the buzzer going off - hmmmm.
A quick check and he finds a small hole in the airbag, another phone call and long wait till he finds they haven’t got one in stock - I’ll have to risk it going back. Fitter packs up and leaves…Still no tyre man.
Been on the hard shoulder now for about 3 hours and now know my delivery has been covered so I can just run back slowly, rang the office to find out where tyre man was. 10 mins later I get a phone call from the tyre fitter, he can’t find me! says he’s going down the slip road where I am and asks where I’m at? Hmmm I’m on the exit slip not the entry slip so I’m behind you I’m starting to get a little bit miffed as it will take him a while now to get back round to me.
The young lad had a fair struggle to get the old tyre off but fair do’s he did it pretty quick and just as he was levering the new tyre on a police patrol finally pulled up ahead of us - rather than behind with blue lights to give the poor lad a bit of protection - to see if everthing was ok. I asked why it had been so long since I called about debris well over 3 hours ago? he knew nothing about it and drove off again
So all in all an experience - quite a costly night for the sake of putting a decent tyre on the trailer
