Friday night, 22:00 ish I had a rear tyre blow out on my trailer, VERY LOUD BANG, on the A303 near Mere.
Came to a stop in lane one because I needed to check the state of the vehicle, 1 tyre, 2 mudguards, 1 marker light and one cover of a fire extinguisher box. I decided not to move the truck any further and walked back down the dual carriageway waving my torch to try to divert traffic to the outside lane. 999 was the first call to get help with diverting traffic around the truck, next call to the tyre firm but gave up after 10 mins of being told “all our operators are busy on other calls”, ring the boss and get him to try. Meanwhile i’m half a mile behind the truck beside a warning triangle placed just kerb side of the left hand white line, wearing a hi-viz jacket and a hi-viz shirt waving a high powered torch to gain attention, another warning triangle placed 100 foot or so behind a truck with hazards on and tail lights. I suppose I was there 3 hours or so in total, 2 hours without police. On 2 occasions I had to jump off the road to avoid being hit and had the warning triangle near me blown over both times by rigid trucks. Half a dozen times cars came to a stop in lane one behind my truck and numerous times cars moved out as the passed me only to move back to lane one and then out again when they saw the truck. I now want some Kenny Everett large foam hands to help people realise that I was trying to get them out of danger, always on a Friday FFS!!
I would have drag it to the nearest exit or layby dont think i would have done anymore damage to the trl to risky to start playing frogger.
Dave, I don’t think you could have done much more tbh. Why risk damaging the truck more, possibly costing more money, when you are willing and able to warn coming traffic of the danger. I would ask why it took Police so long to attend. Appreciate Friday night is busy, but a truck in a live lane (unlit c/way?) is a life threatening incident, so response should match. Well done for standing there, a lot of drivers wouldn’t have bothered, which is ok until someone ploughs into the truck then it is your fault if you don’t do what is reasonable to warn drivers.
extrucker:
Dave, I don’t think you could have done much more tbh. Why risk damaging the truck more, possibly costing more money, when you are willing and able to warn coming traffic of the danger. I would ask why it took Police so long to attend. Appreciate Friday night is busy, but a truck in a live lane (unlit c/way?) is a life threatening incident, so response should match. Well done for standing there, a lot of drivers wouldn’t have bothered, which is ok until someone ploughs into the truck then it is your fault if you don’t do what is reasonable to warn drivers.
I’m 1 that wouldn’t have bothered.
2 warning triangles, working hazard lights, I’m safe behind a barrier, anyone who can’t see all that or chooses to ignore it is more likely to hit a pedestrian with a torch than heed any warnings.
The feedback from the Police was that they would have to come from Salisbury and they were busy dealing with drunks and fights, to be honest they did ring me a few times to check on the situation.
It was only due to the tyre fitter ringing them to tell them that he needed their presence because it was an off side tyre.
I was pulling an LPG tanker which influenced my decisions and action.
I’d do the same again but maybe get myself extra large hands to get the message over 
waynedl:
extrucker:
Dave, I don’t think you could have done much more tbh. Why risk damaging the truck more, possibly costing more money, when you are willing and able to warn coming traffic of the danger. I would ask why it took Police so long to attend. Appreciate Friday night is busy, but a truck in a live lane (unlit c/way?) is a life threatening incident, so response should match. Well done for standing there, a lot of drivers wouldn’t have bothered, which is ok until someone ploughs into the truck then it is your fault if you don’t do what is reasonable to warn drivers.I’m 1 that wouldn’t have bothered.
2 warning triangles, working hazard lights, I’m safe behind a barrier, anyone who can’t see all that or chooses to ignore it is more likely to hit a pedestrian with a torch than heed any warnings.
- 1
Most people can’t be helped no matter what you do.
Similar to the long line of cars that sit behind a tractor on a dual carriageway doing 10mph.
Hazards, lights, warning triangles, if they still manage to hit you up the arse then that’s down to them.
Jesus wept LPG tanker blocking a live lane? Would have thought the rozzers would be out to that!
Tis a bit of a dilemma, do you drag it off or leave it there? To be honest I’d drag it off, getting cannoned in to isn’t my idea of a laugh even if it damaged the vehicle further.
So many muppets about who pay very little attention to what’s going on.
I did weigh up moving but the nearest layby was maybe 3 miles away. There was a fair amount of damage that I could see and suspected there was a reasonable chance of unseen damage possibly to brakes. In front of me was one of the worst stretches of the A303 with bumps as deep as sleeping policemen. I didn’t fancy creeping long at 20 - 30 mph for that distance with the possibility of more problems. Normally we get help within the hour and I did expect a police car a bit quicker I must admit.
Just remembered an incident a couple of years back, a car ran into the back of me at a pelican crossing. Caved in my rear bumper and made a real mess of the car. Result 5 police cars 1 fire engine and 1 ambulance road closed with diversions set up, slight overkill I think. Different police force different time of day.
Silver_Surfer:
Jesus wept LPG tanker blocking a live lane? Would have thought the rozzers would be out to that!Tis a bit of a dilemma, do you drag it off or leave it there? To be honest I’d drag it off, getting cannoned in to isn’t my idea of a laugh even if it damaged the vehicle further.
So many muppets about who pay very little attention to what’s going on.
Time for the company to log an official complaint about the Police delay in response.
If this had all gone wrong you and the company would have been having to deal with smartarse parasite laywers trying to prove that you acted wrongly saying that:
If you had moved it: ’ you should have foreseen as an ADR trained driver that there was a risk of fire due to the damage following the tyre failure which resulted in the explosion which singed my client’s prize rhododendron bush, causing him distress and hurt feelings due to loss of reputation, following his failure to win the Mere gardeners competition, for which he seeks £ 28,000,000 in compensation.’
or:
If you didn’t move it : ’ you should have foreseen as an ADR trained driver that there was a 98% chance that 97 year old Mr X would have left his glasses at home and failed to notice that his car’s headlights were not working, so it is your fault that he and his 11 great, great, grandchildren who were all in the car with him and Mrs X, died in the explosion when his car collided with your trailer.’
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Perhaps I should have added that English heritage have also put in a claim against you for a chip to one of the lintels at Stonehenge, caused when a valve from your tanker, launched in the explosion, brushed past it en route to the North Sea.
Ah fair enough so Dave. I suppose if you dragged it for that distance with chaffing then you may have set fire to it anyway.
My last one, I couldn’t move it even if I wanted to as it knocked the airline to the brakes on that wheel out so after I stalled it, wouldn’t start anyway.
You also need to watch you don’t deform the wheel if freighted by moving it as the tyre fitter won’t thank you for having to go back and get a wheel as well.