was hitching up to a tanker in the yard and it was stiff ish going on and i stalled the unit just as the pin clicked in.
"oh well " i thought and got out to put the saftey catch on , then the lines, whilst doing this had a strange feeling of movement, realised i was rolling backwards!!! first thought that came into my head was to jump off get to the cab and apply the park barke i had obviously forgot after the stall, but then truck net came into my head and a thread i read in which someone ( sorry cant remember who) said the best thing was to just take off the red line, if that was you thanks, further in that thread was reminders of how dangerous it can be to try the jumping off bit.
quite a sobering lesson learnt
so again thanks, quite possibly saved my life or limb
yes to the brown trousers and no the trailer brake check as this and all our tankers have automatic saftey brakes that need no extra buttons etc once disconected.
i know i did wrong as it were but have learnt from it, one of the reasons for putting this up here was to mybe help makesure no one else gets into the same situation
mucky:
yes to the brown trousers and no the trailer brake check as this and all our tankers have automatic saftey brakes that need no extra buttons etc once disconected.
i know i did wrong as it were but have learnt from it, one of the reasons for putting this up here was to mybe help makesure no one else gets into the same situation
The “automatic trailer brake” is not really automatic. For the brakes to release you need air pressure. No pressure= brakes on, pressure= brakes off.
The only way to prevent a trailer from moving is to give it no pressure, that is what a trailer brake does,it dumps the air until you push it back in.
(unless you have a ratchet hand brake).
Hope that makes sense, I’ve had a few to many and know I am off to bed, nite girls.
because of this happening on our yard twice in 2 months which resulted in major damage all our trucks were fitted with handbrake warning buzzers,even contractors that pull for us have to have them.a very good mate of mine was killed in the 90s when he coupled up to a trailer with out putting the handbrake on, when it started rolling he ran in front of the unit to try to stop it and got crushed between it and a trailer on the opposite side of the yard.we also have a policy of alltrailers must have park brakes applied when dropped.
I’m not sure- the problem seems to be that he attached the red airline without his handbrake applied, rather than it being a coupling problem. Just one of those silly mistakes we all make.
I personally always check twice that I have applied the handbrake, once when I put it on and then again just before the critical moment.
Harry Monk:
the problem seems to be that he attached the red airline without his handbrake applied, rather than it being a coupling problem.
Not disputing this, mate.
I was just surprised to read, 'i stalled the unit just as the pin clicked in. "oh well " i thought and got out to put the saftey catch on…’ without there being a mention of a tug.
Though I realise the problem was not a separation of unit and trailer, I’m surprised that there was no mention of a tug anyway, especially as mucky stalled the unit. Even more reason to give it a big old tug in my book.
I’m a bit paranoid about coupling though - I’ll admit that. I’ve never dropped a trailer, and I really don’t want to.
I’m also paronoid abour a runaway and also check twice before I put the red airline on ,this is probably due to me witnessing an event 20+ years ago at swifts Northhampton in the rockware yard when one of our drivers nicknamed “animal” coupled up to a 21tonne load of glassed doubled up pallets on a flat 40’trailer put the red airline on and she started to roll john
(animal) jumped off the catwalk and dived under the trailer and ratcheted on the handbrake running sideways as he did it
one slip!!!
also one shout from me to distract him ■■
your being to HARD on yourself,leave it at work and dont worry the trailer will live again next week,they may even reunite you with it as you seem to be good friends.
ROG:
No-one hurt and you learnt from it - cannot ask for more
sums it up really
for the first time in my short creer at this i did not tug test as i was taught due to beeing in a rush but you can bet that will not be an issue in the future.
as i said earlyer one of my main reasons for posting this was to highlight what shortcuts/rushing can potenially cause, ie hopefully it might help someone else just to not get into this situation in the first place, i was fortunate to have read the post and it came to mind, if i had not…?
Being in a rush should still do it properly, because saving what 30 seconds by not going a tug test, compared to loosing an hour odd getting a decked trailer lifted up and possibly being fired.
When your in a rush or running late don’t take short cuts because from personal experience and from what others have posted in the past thats when you really f*** up.
Stuff happens in this job, road accidents, etc… get delays bosses wanting stuff delivered in unrealistic times, you can either get stressed rush about make mistake or learn to relax and just accept ■■■■ happens somtimes and do what you can.
1 Check the trailer parking breaks ON
2 Check the trailer i.e. tire’s wheel nuts bodywork
3 couple up GIVE IT A TUG “”TWICE””
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99 trailer parking breaks OFF
100 get into cab and drive off
I personally always check twice that I have applied the handbrake, once when I put it on and then again just before the critical moment.
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It is still one of my worries every time I get on the train I put tacho to rest, I grabbed money for coffee and a pastry and locked door. Did I really put brake on?
I wonder if the train driver gets that same feeling as us when a load in a trailer has come loose
I’ve never dropped a trailer, and I really don’t want to. 
