Something happened to me today … just wondered does anyone work for a company where the expectation is that the driver will rectify a defect (such as a light bulb out)? My understanding is that the driver would report any defects usually via the medium of a defect report sheet and then the company would arrange a fix thereafter?
It works like this: You report a defect, then FA gets done about it unless it’s a VOR.
I’m learning this game quick! 
If you reported a light bulb out at one of the firms that I recently did a few shifts with you where handed a screw driver and a replacement bulb and told to get on with it - only takes a few minutes to change a bulb so it’s no big deal as far as I am concerned.
Depends what company policy is and the attitude and competence of the driver.
Some companies won’t let drivers touch anything, some drivers won’t do a thing even if capable, some drivers arn’t capable of fitting a bulb 
, some companies and drivers have a decent common sense relationship where a driver if capable and willing is allowed to complete minor running repairs…if we fit bulbs or similar minor stuff we note it on our daily sheet as minor defect repaired, i carry lots of bulbs and fuses and a few tools for basic repairs.
texaspete:
Something happened to me today … just wondered does anyone work for a company where the expectation is that the driver will rectify a defect (such as a light bulb out)?
Yes. If I can fix it, I fix it.
There’s no fitters at our depot so it’s a case of needs must.
I’ve performed several running repairs already this year to see me through until it goes for its’ next inspection.
So… A driver picks up a pre-loaded trailer with a bulb out, and then he sits there until somebody changes it ? It that how it works ?
I spent half an hour under a trailer this morning, tracing and repairing a broken wire, so I could get on with a days work… I could put a call in for the fitters, but that would cost me 2 hours approx, which ultimately would lead to a night out, which I don’t want…
In truth, I don’t think I could work somewhere that wouldn’t let me change a bulb… but that’s just the way I roll…
Kate:
So… A driver picks up a pre-loaded trailer with a bulb out, and then he sits there until somebody changes it ? It that how it works ?I spent half an hour under a trailer this morning, tracing and repairing a broken wire, so I could get on with a days work… I could put a call in for the fitters, but that would cost me 2 hours approx, which ultimately would lead to a night out, which I don’t want…
In truth, I don’t think I could work somewhere that wouldn’t let me change a bulb… but that’s just the way I roll…
You’d love our place, plenty of oppertuntiy to get dirty scrabling about under trailers. Perk of running a ro-ro terminal.
Radar19:
Kate:
So… A driver picks up a pre-loaded trailer with a bulb out, and then he sits there until somebody changes it ? It that how it works ?I spent half an hour under a trailer this morning, tracing and repairing a broken wire, so I could get on with a days work… I could put a call in for the fitters, but that would cost me 2 hours approx, which ultimately would lead to a night out, which I don’t want…
In truth, I don’t think I could work somewhere that wouldn’t let me change a bulb… but that’s just the way I roll…
You’d love our place, plenty of oppertuntiy to get dirty scrabling about under trailers. Perk of running a ro-ro terminal.
No thanks, got enough of our own crap to crawl under… 
but then we are a haulage company… not a logistics firm
Company I work for defect sheet for every thing even oil,rad coolant cos some plonker fell down pit in workshop h/s madness took over
texaspete:
Something happened to me today … just wondered does anyone work for a company where the expectation is that the driver will rectify a defect (such as a light bulb out)? My understanding is that the driver would report any defects usually via the medium of a defect report sheet and then the company would arrange a fix thereafter?
Gosh, gee, it sounds like a bad day for you. I hope you put in a requisition form for some bog roll, and asked for help to wipe your ■■■?
Seriously replacing a bulb is hardly rocket science, just change it and carry on love. If they were asking you to replace a tyre on a rim, using only your tongue, it would be a different matter. Hopefully common sense prevailed, or did you add to the cabbage crop today?
F-reds:
texaspete:
Something happened to me today … just wondered does anyone work for a company where the expectation is that the driver will rectify a defect (such as a light bulb out)? My understanding is that the driver would report any defects usually via the medium of a defect report sheet and then the company would arrange a fix thereafter?Gosh, gee, it sounds like a bad day for you. I hope you puts requisition form for some bog roll, and asked for help to wipe your ■■■?
Seriously replacing a bulb is hardly rocket science, just change it and carry on love. If they were asking you to replace a tyre on a rim, using only your tongue, it would be a different matter. Hopefully common sense prevailed, or did you add to the cabbage crop?
I would imagine that he was told to put in a defect for something as simple as a bulb change by mangement. Now, putting two and two together, he might be asking if anyone worked for a firm that had this practise.
F-reds:
texaspete:
Something happened to me today … just wondered does anyone work for a company where the expectation is that the driver will rectify a defect (such as a light bulb out)? My understanding is that the driver would report any defects usually via the medium of a defect report sheet and then the company would arrange a fix thereafter?Gosh, gee, it sounds like a bad day for you. I hope you put in a requisition form for some bog roll, and asked for help to wipe your ■■■?
Seriously replacing a bulb is hardly rocket science, just change it and carry on love. If they were asking you to replace a tyre on a rim, using only your tongue, it would be a different matter. Hopefully common sense prevailed, or did you add to the cabbage crop today?
Thanks for the advice. It was more the way I was spoken to rather than the literal suggestion that I should just do it.
Radar19:
F-reds:
texaspete:
Something happened to me today … just wondered does anyone work for a company where the expectation is that the driver will rectify a defect (such as a light bulb out)? My understanding is that the driver would report any defects usually via the medium of a defect report sheet and then the company would arrange a fix thereafter?Gosh, gee, it sounds like a bad day for you. I hope you puts requisition form for some bog roll, and asked for help to wipe your ■■■?
Seriously replacing a bulb is hardly rocket science, just change it and carry on love. If they were asking you to replace a tyre on a rim, using only your tongue, it would be a different matter. Hopefully common sense prevailed, or did you add to the cabbage crop?
I would imagine that he was told to put in a defect for something as simple as a bulb change by mangement. Now, putting two and two together, he might be asking if anyone worked for a firm that had this practise.
That’s correct. Told to enter any defect however big or small on this sheet and not to simply fix it first. Initiative seldom encouraged where I work so thought it strange when it was implied thats what I should have done.
texaspete:
Radar19:
F-reds:
texaspete:
Something happened to me today … just wondered does anyone work for a company where the expectation is that the driver will rectify a defect (such as a light bulb out)? My understanding is that the driver would report any defects usually via the medium of a defect report sheet and then the company would arrange a fix thereafter?Gosh, gee, it sounds like a bad day for you. I hope you puts requisition form for some bog roll, and asked for help to wipe your ■■■?
Seriously replacing a bulb is hardly rocket science, just change it and carry on love. If they were asking you to replace a tyre on a rim, using only your tongue, it would be a different matter. Hopefully common sense prevailed, or did you add to the cabbage crop?
I would imagine that he was told to put in a defect for something as simple as a bulb change by mangement. Now, putting two and two together, he might be asking if anyone worked for a firm that had this practise.
That’s correct. Told to enter any defect however big or small on this sheet and not to simply fix it first. Initiative seldom encouraged where I work so thought it strange when it was implied thats what I should have done.
Would they provide you with a bulb or two if needed? What happenes if you’re 100 mile down the road and you find a bulb out, I stil struggle to believe firms are paying fitters to change bulbs. Those guys must be making a killing.
Tell you how bad it is at some places.
Turned up one morning when on my last agency limp session at supermarket RDC, get handed keys to Scania…lift bonnet to check oil first thing and with Scanias i always cast an eye over the front cab mounts cos they’re made of cheese and break off at the base of the damper unit (snaps clean) regularly enough.
Sure enough there the bugger is snapped, so popped back to tell 'em was VOR for broken cab mount…greeted by stunned silence, them after some umming aahing will you take the vehicle round to the yard man (he’s the one who fits new bulbs and suzies etc when needed)…i know whats coming but to humour them and keep the clock ticking off i trot.
It had been snapped a while cos the tell tale scoring marks were on bracket and the bonnet, any driver should have noticed it cos the cab bangs and clicks and bounces higher and lower than the other side cos its undamped and unattached, most uncomfortable sensation.
Hello mate, have you got a cab mount in your back pocket and could you slip it on with your torx screwdriver and pliers please…WTF have you brought that round here for its a bloody main dealer cab lift repair…no mate the office reckon you’re the man who does all minor defects 
…so we had a bit of a laugh at the idiocy of the whole situation and VOR’d the lorry.
This is what life is like at some places where they’ve dumbed the job down to utter disillusionment (if thats a word) level, all you can do is ask what the form is where you are working and the abide by their rules, they want bums on seats that’s what they get, a bum on a seat nothing else.
At my place you do as much as you can. Most of us have tools, bulbs, straps, cable ties, red/yellow lines, air line to pump up tyres, both grey and red Anderson leads etc with the unit.
So when we are stuck in queues or on a night out we can fix/bodge things up to get us by until we get to one are fitters premises.
When I worked at DHL my boss had a word with me about changing a headlight bulb when not trained and was told to just VOR it and take another unit next time.
My place is worse defect sheet for oil drive to vmu hand in defect sheet go back to cab wait for mechanic to open shutter door, drive in switch off engine not allowed out of cab mechanic tops up cf then off I go h/s insanity
I remember the days when all drivers carried a ‘get you home tool kit’ and even changed their own wheels on the hard shoulder.
But…Things have changed (thank Christ 
) and it would be very easy to take the ■■■■ out of the o/p’s question, as some already have, but I’m with him and see his point entirely with the way things are today.
Ok fair enough, if I was in a hurry for my own benefit …Friday etc, screwdriver out, spare bulb out, and I have done countless times.
However these tossers, (of the type that Juddian refers to ) make these rules to justify their job and existence…, so just play along, chances are you will get another couple of hours pay for all the ■■■■ ing about that it generates so every body is happy. 
so don’t knock the o/p he is doing as he is told.
robroy:
I remember the days when all drivers carried a ‘get you home tool kit’ and even changed their own wheels on the hard shoulder.But…Things have changed (thank Christ
Ok fair enough, if I was in a hurry for my own benefit …Friday etc, screwdriver out, spare bulb out, and I have done countless times.
However these tossers, (of the type that Juddian refers to
I wondered how long it would take for you to turn up and chime in with some story about “back in my day when truckers were real men…”
I’m sure your next post will be something about getting stuck on a highland road with a flat, and because you didn’t have a spare, set about on a block of granite with a hammer and chisel!
It all depends on the type of Co you work for tbh. Where I work it is absolutely verboten for a driver to carry out a repair of any kind, it’s a fitters job.
An example of their attitude being that the Co policy where I work is tyres with less than 3 MM. of tread are changed. I picked a trailer up a few weeks ago and one of the tyres was under 3 mill, the result was that the load was transshipped to another trailer but because of the time taken I’d not have made the delivery time so the load was failed at God knows what cost. Now a few years ago I’d probably have bitched about it as it was road legal if not company legal, but now I just chill out and think “it’s their train set and if that’s the way they want it then so be it”.
So to the op I’d ask what the company’s specific policy is on these matters. Nowadays it’s less about doing the job you’re paid to do and more about satisfying the ego of a 22 year old “compliance manager” .