Doing the nightshift and was picking up a trailer down in Appleton Thorn Industrial Estate, was a really old tatty bugger. You can imagine at 3 or 4 in the morning there’s not many people about, the odd truck came and went, Anyway to cut a long story short I hitched up to the trailer I was to get, and went to wind up the legs. I was sat winding and winding and nothing happening, bearing in mind I only have a year and a bit esxperience. I’m winding and winding and nothing happening, give it a good pull to make sure it’s in gear etc and it is and a kick as you do. Anyway I eventually swallow my pride and ask for help (not something I do easily) to a passing HGV driver.
Flag him down, and explain to him that I’ve just picked up this trailer and I can’t get the legs to wind up. He replies “If you can’t do it son then how am I going to be able to do it?” Fair enough really, but I’m little old me and you’re bigger and obviously stronger, so I’d appreciate id you could give it a go. He moans and he sighs for the next 15 seconds and I eventually said to him “look mate if it’s too much trouble just forget about it, i’ll struggle on myself.” and he shouts “sorry mate” out the window and drives off… yeah thanks very much, not!
I walk back around to the trailer, exhausted from winding these stiff legs up, or trying to when I hear the reverse warning coming on on his motor… He reverses back and shouts to me, “raise your air suspension on the unit and dump your trailer suspension that way it’s taking the stress of your landing gear.” I explain to him I’ve tried that, and he looks at the arches of my truck and said “that’s not fully up son” I assure him it is and I show him that it’s fully up by pushing the button and he says, “well I don’t know then” and drove off again.
I struggled for about another half hour, not able to get anyone in the office for some advice. I even tried dragging it incase there was something making it stick. It turns out that the little nut at the top of the landing gear was completely loose and I was able to just make it finger tight and I managed to wind the legs up and get on my way, feeling not only proud that I didn’t need the drivers help after all, but I gained a bit of valuable experience for the future in my driving career.
Moral of the story is that I swallowed my pride and asked a driver for help, not something I do easily, only to be refused. But I guess he musta felt back to come back and offer his sole piece of advice of lifting the suspension.
Sam Millar:
It turns out that the little nut at the top of the landing gear was completely loose and I was able to just make it finger tight and I managed to wind the legs up and get on my way, feeling not only proud that I didn’t need the drivers help after all, but I gained a bit of valuable experience for the future in my driving career.
Did you report the problem with the trailer when you got it to wherever you was taking it ?
Being a pretty newish driver to HGV to I have already helped those with years of experience, be it banging a tail lift with a hammer (worked) helping them reverse and like this morning flagging a couple of wagons down to stop them driving down a flooded lane (un-sign posted) I had to struggle to turn around in as it was too deep.
There are always selfish knobs but I like to think what goes around comes around and I will willingly help anyone when I can.
nick2008:
top tip carry a small pair of grips or small wrench
Carry them not needed so far (£2.00 in Morrisons )
But whenever I have asked for help there has not been a problem tbh & like you I dont do it easily although more now than I used to ( but that is more down to my health problems than anything as not young & invincible now still daft mind )
I always help out people when I can, for instance I was loading out of ■■■■■■■ in ramsgate last week, it was going to be a few hours to load so there’s not a whole lot going on. A Ukrainian driver who didn’t speak a word of English arrives with a tilt and the FLT driver and him fiddle with the curtain and eventually get the giant machinery on-board only to find that the curtain had been caught by lifting points on the machine and that the FLT driver was refusing to touch it again after he’d already put it down. Anyway, long story short, I was there for about an hour and a half in the fading light helping this guy sort it all out and explaining that if they didn’t take it off & reposition it, the machinery wasn’t going anywhere! Respect to the ones who operate tilts, they really aren’t easy work!
Another occasion a few weeks ago, I was in the transfer slots next to a person who looked like they had been in containers for many many years with a lot of experience, I watched as the straddle carrier dropped the box and missed the pins & then left. It was a big surprise to have the driver then walk up to my window and ask what he should do about it.
Everyone needs help occasionally & if you don’t ask then you might never get it, in my experience most drivers will help. Shame this one didn’t (well… much…).
I pulled into our yard and an artic (not one of ours) had been loaded with part ex trucks for Holland to be dropped at the docks and the driver and his young son where having a ■■■■■ of a time trying to reach and fit the cables through the curtain (flap at the back of the trailer) I jumped out of my wagon and got a FLT and a man up cage (I have all my FLT licences) and gave him a lift so to speak
He was chuffed to bits made a pain in the rear job a hell of a lot quicker, the guys who loaded the wagon should have helped him but buggered off (my old job).
It was good to see a driver teaching his lad the ropes too, they where out for a few nights.
nick2008:
top tip carry a small pair of grips or small wrench
Carry them not needed so far (£2.00 in Morrisons )
But whenever I have asked for help there has not been a problem tbh & like you I dont do it easily although more now than I used to ( but that is more down to my health problems than anything as not young & invincible now still daft mind )
yer not old Ang yeah I’ll help anyone out chicken I still get phone calls from blokes I worked with 20 yrs ago for directions or how do I do this an that Had Cargo Girl Txt me tonight for directions but her phone was busy then no answer so I reckon she got hold of someone and then was tipping…
I have had it with ferry trailers when someone has nicked the cross shaft or its just rotted off, then a bent screwdriver comes in handy. They normally start off straight but they soon relax.
