Container Driver loses trailer

A Driver lost his trailer at 0900 today on the A95 Aviemore to Grantown-on-Spey road.

(Pssst - it’s in front of the unit, upsidedown in that field.)

Time after time we haul around 10", 20", 40" containers on flatbeds with twistlocks. Was wondering do they secure container properly.
Now I see they do! :smiley:

Zanfta:
Time after time we haul around 10", 20", 40" containers on flatbeds with twistlocks.

Was wondering do they secure container properly.

Now I see they do! :smiley:

Good point - the twistlocks appear to have stood up pretty well.

But I do hope that it was the pin for the fifth wheel that sheared off,
otherwise that Driver is in some deep trouble for not coupling up correctly.

Looks like it rolled off on a right hand bend looking at the damage on the left hand side of the trailer, doesn’t look as if it just came off on the back.

If you get any trailer that is loaded in a lop-sided manner weight-wise, then you can easily prise apart the trailer from kingpin-in-jaws when going over anything from an adverse camber to just going around a bumpy roundabout.

I’ve got into the habit of pulling a loaded trailer off a bay, going around a corner very slowly, and then straightening up before looking once more underneath to make sure there’s no air between the 5th wheel plate and the underplate of the trailer. Last time I found a big wedge of daylight there (a Sittingbourne job a month back) I straightened up, dropped, and re-hitched the trailer on the straight. The kingpin had been “tipped” out of the jaws partially (enough to worry me about taking it out on the road like that!) by a “puddle” type pothole in the yard the trailer wheels had gone into on one side. :neutral_face:

When trailers are parked very close together, I’ll not bother winding up the legs at first - instead, lift the suspension (a bit like the tugs do), pull the trailer out, level it up, THEN engine off, get out, wind up legs, check 5th wheel plate for daylight… If it’s nighttime, I’ll try and pull up somewhere with a decent light source in the background, and use the torch we’re all supposed to carry around with us in this job. :grimacing:

I see a lot more Drivers using those wind-up torches with LED lights.

They duck under the coupled trailer, behind the fifth-wheel, and shine the torch
to make sure that the fifth-wheel locking-bar is across the pin and that the belly-plate is
sat nice and squarely on the fifth-wheel with no daylight.

As long as you don’t go and bang your head, I see this as good practise.

Winseer:
If you get any trailer that is loaded in a lop-sided manner weight-wise, then you can easily prise apart the trailer from kingpin-in-jaws when going over anything from an adverse camber to just going around a bumpy roundabout.

I’ve got into the habit of pulling a loaded trailer off a bay, going around a corner very slowly, and then straightening up before looking once more underneath to make sure there’s no air between the 5th wheel plate and the underplate of the trailer. Last time I found a big wedge of daylight there (a Sittingbourne job a month back) I straightened up, dropped, and re-hitched the trailer on the straight. The kingpin had been “tipped” out of the jaws partially (enough to worry me about taking it out on the road like that!) by a “puddle” type pothole in the yard the trailer wheels had gone into on one side. :neutral_face:

When trailers are parked very close together, I’ll not bother winding up the legs at first - instead, lift the suspension (a bit like the tugs do), pull the trailer out, level it up, THEN engine off, get out, wind up legs, check 5th wheel plate for daylight… If it’s nighttime, I’ll try and pull up somewhere with a decent light source in the background, and use the torch we’re all supposed to carry around with us in this job. :grimacing:

What a load of ■■■■. You’ve been spending too much time in RDC waiting rooms or drive a lot of unroadworthy equipment, one or the other (or both). :unamused:

From a different view , (not my picture , borrowed from a mates FB page).

Luckily I don’t think anyone was hurt :open_mouth: .

I’m pretty sure that’s a Duncan Adams trailer, if it is, that’ s the second one recently to end up upside down.
I’m wondering if there’s an issue with the way the boxes are loaded ■■?

alfa man:
I’m pretty sure that’s a Duncan Adams trailer, if it is, that’ s the second one recently to end up upside down.
I’m wondering if there’s an issue with the way the boxes are loaded ■■?

aye, the last on was loaded with stone…

So some say its how its loaded…well that depends how far he / she has driven…
It’ll be mechanical break down or driver error. Either way someone is lucky.

How do you get all these photos of accidents so soon after they have happened :question: :unamused:

Did he get under with a torch and check the bar was across when he hooked up?

Left hand down!:

Winseer:
If you get any trailer that is loaded in a lop-sided manner weight-wise, then you can easily prise apart the trailer from kingpin-in-jaws when going over anything from an adverse camber to just going around a bumpy roundabout.

I’ve got into the habit of pulling a loaded trailer off a bay, going around a corner very slowly, and then straightening up before looking once more underneath to make sure there’s no air between the 5th wheel plate and the underplate of the trailer. Last time I found a big wedge of daylight there (a Sittingbourne job a month back) I straightened up, dropped, and re-hitched the trailer on the straight. The kingpin had been “tipped” out of the jaws partially (enough to worry me about taking it out on the road like that!) by a “puddle” type pothole in the yard the trailer wheels had gone into on one side. :neutral_face:

When trailers are parked very close together, I’ll not bother winding up the legs at first - instead, lift the suspension (a bit like the tugs do), pull the trailer out, level it up, THEN engine off, get out, wind up legs, check 5th wheel plate for daylight… If it’s nighttime, I’ll try and pull up somewhere with a decent light source in the background, and use the torch we’re all supposed to carry around with us in this job. :grimacing:

What a load of ■■■■. You’ve been spending too much time in RDC waiting rooms or drive a lot of unroadworthy equipment, one or the other (or both). :unamused:

Education is also a ‘load of ■■■■’ to people who don’t have any, so I imagine your response to me here comes only from a position of ignorance & inexperience.

Dieseldoforme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0Of6LryWeWk

I see a lot more Drivers using those wind-up torches with LED lights.

They duck under the coupled trailer, behind the fifth-wheel, and shine the torch
to make sure that the fifth-wheel locking-bar is across the pin and that the belly-plate is
sat nice and squarely on the fifth-wheel with no daylight.

As long as you don’t go and bang your head, I see this as good practise.

Thats what i do now, it gives you that extra reassurance !! :slight_smile:

This is trailer obviously was not coupled correctly, trailers do not just un-couple themselves while driving along.
If the trailer was top heavy and it rolled over it would have taken the unit with it.

Drivers fault,case closed !

nick2008:
So some say its how its loaded…well that depends how far he / she has driven…
It’ll be mechanical break down or driver error. Either way someone is lucky.

This doesn’t look like incorrect coupling or really driver error particularly, for that matter, I would say it’s load shifting. Fifth wheel primarily hold the pin in such a way that even 30t+ dead weight won’t pull it out the back of the jaws but much, much less force to pull it directly vertical out of the top.

Whilst the authorities have an obsession with strapping pallets of bog rolls in curtainsiders they seem to think loading in containers or boxvans is a non-issue.

TTX boy:
This is trailer obviously was not coupled correctly, trailers do not just un-couple themselves while driving along.
If the trailer was top heavy and it rolled over it would have taken the unit with it.

Drivers fault,case closed !

Generally, if the unit and trailer are in a straight line then when trailer rolls is takes the unit with it.

If the unit is at an angle it’s more likely the pin, despite being correctly coupled, can be more easily prised out. One reason is with the unit at an angle much more force is required to topple it over effectively backwards and the other reason is as the trailer goes over the pin is forced against the open side of the fifth wheel, where it couples, which gives much more of a lever effect to prise it out of the jaws.

got to win something for landing the trailer in one field and the unit in another field on the other side of the road !

chaversdad:
got to win something for landing the trailer in one field and the unit in another field on the other side of the road !

LOL - Only if the trailer completed one full rotation! :smiley: