Citycat in Holland - Oops!

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
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I’ve just finished week five trying to cope with being a newbie truck driver, in a left hand drive truck, in a foreign land.

My reversing is getting better and I’m managing to get onto the bay with just a couple of shunts instead of the eight or ten when I first started. However, my trailer still resembles a weaving snake as I go backwards.

Last week wasn’t much fun. They closed off the motorway one night for roadworks. Unfortunately, the Dutch are notorious for diverting you off and then never posting any diversion signs as to which way to go. It was fifty fifty whether I turned left or right at the end of the slip road. I chose left and it was the wrong choice. Found myself at 1am in a piddly village, trying to make a U turn in tight poorly lit residential streets, in a black truck so could hardly see anything. It wasn’t much fun and the sweat was pouring off.

Last Wednesday night, I’d been delayed the whole shift for various reasons and been chasing my tail the whole time. I got to Tilburg and had ten minutes to do a trailer swap and get my notes signed before the RDC shut for the night, so I was rushing. However, we all know that when you rush you make mistakes. My mistake was that I forgot to disconnect the suzies.

I was slowly moving away from the trailer when I heard a bang on the catwalk, so stopped immediately and got out to take a look. Both airlines were fully stretched out but still conected thank god. The electrical cables had pulled out making the bang onto the catwalk but were undamaged. However, the ABS lead was damaged as it clips into the socket so the plug was wrenched off. ■■■■■■■ hell !

I backed the unit up and got the airlines off and coupled up to the new trailer, all the time thankful that I hadn’t had to make that midnight ‘sorry boss, it’s like this’ call. Aah well, we live and learn and I won’t be making that mistake again. Follow the rigid BLAK code to the letter. There is no ‘N’ as I don’t have to switch number plates.

I’ve stated before that I hardly ever see anyone at the office. I texted the boss to explain and apologise for the ABS lead. He never replied but there was a brand new ABS lead sat on my paperwork when I came in the next night for me to fit on the truck.

What I am amazed at is how far those airlines stretched though. Have any of you experienced blokes ever forgot the suzies in your career??

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Dozzzzzzzzzzy!

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yes…but we seldom admit it… :smiley:

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citycat:
I’ve just finished week five trying to cope with being a newbie truck driver, in a left hand drive truck, in a foreign land.

My reversing is getting better and I’m managing to get onto the bay with just a couple of shunts instead of the eight or ten when I first started. However, my trailer still resembles a weaving snake as I go backwards.

Last week wasn’t much fun. They closed off the motorway one night for roadworks. Unfortunately, the Dutch are notorious for diverting you off and then never posting any diversion signs as to which way to go. It was fifty fifty whether I turned left or right at the end of the slip road. I chose left and it was the wrong choice. Found myself at 1am in a piddly village, trying to make a U turn in tight poorly lit residential streets, in a black truck so could hardly see anything. It wasn’t much fun and the sweat was pouring off.

Last Wednesday night, I’d been delayed the whole shift for various reasons and been chasing my tail the whole time. I got to Tilburg and had ten minutes to do a trailer swap and get my notes signed before the RDC shut for the night, so I was rushing. However, we all know that when you rush you make mistakes. My mistake was that I forgot to disconnect the suzies.

I was slowly moving away from the trailer when I heard a bang on the catwalk, so stopped immediately and got out to take a look. Both airlines were fully stretched out but still conected thank god. The electrical cables had pulled out making the bang onto the catwalk but were undamaged. However, the ABS lead was damaged as it clips into the socket so the plug was wrenched off. [zb] hell !

I backed the unit up and got the airlines off and coupled up to the new trailer, all the time thankful that I hadn’t had to make that midnight ‘sorry boss, it’s like this’ call. Aah well, we live and learn and I won’t be making that mistake again. Follow the rigid BLAK code to the letter. There is no ‘N’ as I don’t have to switch number plates.

I’ve stated before that I hardly ever see anyone at the office. I texted the boss to explain and apologise for the ABS lead. He never replied but there was a brand new ABS lead sat on my paperwork when I came in the next night for me to fit on the truck.

What I am amazed at is how far those airlines stretched though. Have any of you experienced blokes ever forgot the suzies in your career??

Yeh, think we all have mate at one time, …and I had to back blind side down the side of a Medieval chapel in Belgium for a similar reason, eventually managed, but had visions of making the national Belgian tv news for demolishing a national landmark…but thankfully did not. . :laughing:

I always carry a spare red line and a couple of large adjustables for that reason, an abs or elec you can get away with, but if you get the chance carry those also, they can save you hassle… :bulb:
If your lines had snapped in that village you would have been up that proverbial creek, so that spare would have come in handy.

Left hookers are fine, and if you are driving on the other side of the road in NL all the time, there is virtually no difference to a rhd over here.
The problems can come when driving one in the UK, making sure not to hug the kerb too much and not creep over the white line on a single carriageway to take your, and somebody else’s mirror off.
It will come right mate, don’t worry, and it is all good experience.
Good Luck. :wink:

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It’s all good experience,young feller.

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Yes and you’ll only do it once!!!
How are doing with LHD? I’ve been over a year and much prefer it RHD now even in the UK

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jonesy5573:
Yes and you’ll only do it once!!!
How are doing with LHD? I’ve been over a year and much prefer it RHD now even in the UK

To be honest, I think I would find it strange to drive a RHD truck now.
It certainly helped me to drive LHD coaches this past summer so I’ve got used to having the steering wheel on the wrong side.

I’ve noticed that a lot of Dutch drivers still favour wearing the backless clogs that you sometimes see in truck shops. They have steel toe cap versions but I haven’t seen any cow hair ones yet.

Reading the thread on the blinged up Scania, I’ve seen a few over here. Just last night I looked in the mirror and saw a xmas tree rapidly closing the distance. As he passed it was a Scania with red mood lighting, a white steering wheel, and pimp style fur covered dash. Oh, and those loud exhaust pipes.

I much prefer my understated paint job.

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That’s a very smart truck mate :sunglasses: I’ve not forgot the suzies before but I did forget a hydraulic pipe (twigged before it did to much damage though)

You seem to be enjoying it so I wish you the best, it’s what you make it :wink:

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When i first started driving lhd i was the same but give it a few months and it will come second nature, biggest mistake i always used to make was getting in the cab the wrong side!
Thats about how close coupled i am on a long wheel base 4x2 on a long pin trailer,im so close i have to get out to couple up the lines before shutting the jaws…

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citycat:
What I am amazed at is how far those airlines stretched though. Have any of you experienced blokes ever forgot the suzies in your career??

suzies, no, hydraulics, well …

11

AndrewG:
When i first started driving lhd i was the same but give it a few months and it will come second nature, biggest mistake i always used to make was getting in the cab the wrong side!
Thats about how close coupled i am on a long wheel base 4x2 on a long pin trailer,im so close i have to get out to couple up the lines before shutting the jaws…

Much cleaner that way too. And no need to avoid the pies!

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citycat:
Have any of you experienced blokes ever forgot the suzies in your career??

Nah, never…* cough *

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Hi, that looks a nice clean smart outfit…you were lucky as a newbie to get treated so well…LHD do take a while to get used to, and you are mastering that ok from the sounds of it. We all have made mistakes and learn from them…seems your boss was understanding…good luck with your venture, and keep in touch with us on T/N to let us know whats happening.

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Well I’ve done the suzzies a couple of times over the years [emoji12]
Usually these things happen in two situations, you’re either stressing and rushing (neither are good in combination with trucks) or when someone or something interrupts the coupling/uncoupling steps.

LHD? Well yeah I’m the same, I think if I was given a RHD I would have to take a while to recalibrate myself back to that. I found it took me over a year to get used to LHD but that was due to me only driving during the night in totally unfamiliar roads a lot of which had two way traffic tunnels!