Hi all, I’ve been driving artics nearly 3 weeks now and it seems I’ve all the bad luck this week when it comes to trailers, having to defect four of them in four days! Because I’m new and got the bit between my teeth I actually check the trailer properly where as the ‘old hands’ tend not to bother. So today’s was two of the tyres v close to the legal limit, I’ve had two for curtain tears and broken buckles, and the best one was Tuesday the brake light and sidelight on a trailer were faulty, it’s one of those bulbs with two elements in it. Well I bloody slashed my thumb trying to remove said bulb and put the replacement in, but no joy nothing happened. So in the end I parked it up to be kept off road, went out on a different run and came back to find it had gone! Where one of our other drivers had just thought sod it, I’ll take this one, rather than get another one tipped first, lazy ■■■■■
So what would you do if it’s just a bulb out, and you really need that empty trailer? Would you just take it and ‘hope’ for the best, claim innocence to the plod, or would you see about getting it sorted, in effect wasting your day ■■■■■■■ about with bulbs that won’t unscrew?
Dan Bear 87:
So what would you do if it’s just a bulb out, and you really need that empty trailer?
Fix it. If its in one of our depots we can take it to the workshop, if its elsewhere every unit has a spare bulb kit. The only time I’ve not was when I took over one with a number plate light bulb out and upon taking it to bits found the centre +12V pin missing in the bulb holder. Being at Lockerbie truckstop and only a couple of hours from daylight and it being for the numberplate I took the decision to take it as it was and defected it when I got to the yard. What I’d like to know is why none of the previous three drivers who’d had it defected it when they were in a place with a workshop.
Dan Bear 87:
Hi all, I’ve been driving artics nearly 3 weeks now and it seems I’ve all the bad luck this week when it comes to trailers, having to defect four of them in four days! Because I’m new and got the bit between my teeth I actually check the trailer properly where as the ‘old hands’ tend not to bother. So today’s was two of the tyres v close to the legal limit, I’ve had two for curtain tears and broken buckles, and the best one was Tuesday the brake light and sidelight on a trailer were faulty, it’s one of those bulbs with two elements in it. Well I bloody slashed my thumb trying to remove said bulb and put the replacement in, but no joy nothing happened. So in the end I parked it up to be kept off road, went out on a different run and came back to find it had gone! Where one of our other drivers had just thought sod it, I’ll take this one, rather than get another one tipped first, lazy [zb]!
So what would you do if it’s just a bulb out, and you really need that empty trailer? Would you just take it and ‘hope’ for the best, claim innocence to the plod, or would you see about getting it sorted, in effect wasting your day ■■■■■■■ about with bulbs that won’t unscrew?
Opinions please
Regards. D’B
3 weeks driving and your calling the old hands , I’d be careful with that , you don’t want too upset them as you’ll need them over the years , I’d of never got by when I first started driving without there help , they’ve been there and done it , you haven’t
Dan Bear 87:
So what would you do if it’s just a bulb out, and you really need that empty trailer?
Fix it. If its in one of our depots we can take it to the workshop, if its elsewhere every unit has a spare bulb kit. The only time I’ve not was when I took over one with a number plate light bulb out and upon taking it to bits found the centre +12V pin missing in the bulb holder. Being at Lockerbie truckstop and only a couple of hours from daylight and it being for the numberplate I took the decision to take it as it was and defected it when I got to the yard. What I’d like to know is why none of the previous three drivers who’d had it defected it when they were in a place with a workshop.
As I’m one of the three previous drivers, I’ll bite. Please clarify. Did none of the three drivers defect it? Or did they? Or would they? Or should they? And were they in a place with a workshop? Or were they not?
the nodding donkey:
As I’m one of the three previous drivers, I’ll bite. Please clarify. Did none of the three drivers defect it? Or did they? Or would they? Or should they? And were they in a place with a workshop? Or were they not?
Or should they have acted like an agency driver?
No they didn’t defect it because if they had it would have had a great big VOR sticker put on the headboard until it had been fixed and not been allowed to be taken out the yard. And yes they were in a place with a workshop because one was one who took it up to Scotland from our site, one was the driver who took it to the Wincanton depot outside Glasgow that has workshop access, one was a driver based at that depot who brought it back down for the changeover.
I remember being a little over eager with the defect book when I first passed. Most drivers start like that. You learn to know what seriously needs defecting, ie dangerous and beyond you to repair it, what can be sorted easily and carry on, and what is just petty, and makes you look a down right fanny
Use common sense, where are you going, how far, driving in the dark with the lights down one side all out or doing a localish trip with one bulb out.
If it’s an odd bulb out i’ll fix it meself, faults in the rear light cluster you can often get around by doing some wire waggling and once tracing where the wire is loose/broken fixing it…sometimes you can do a quick rewire if you have a dodgy bulb holder on those stop/tail bulb holders so the rear fog light one side becomes a brake light instead…i use the rear fogs on the road about once every 20 years on average.
I like two bright brake lights, i like a full set of rear lights, i like all working indicators, if the odd side marker or trailer front side light is out and i can’t fix it it’ll get defected at the end of the shift when i ‘discover’ the fault.,if i’ve got all day to ponce about i’ll pop down the workshops and get it fixed first.
Tooz:
Once i jumped into a unit and the drivers seat was jammed right down and back and i could hardly reach the pedals or see over the steering wheel…
i spoke to another night shift driver and he said he had refused to take it out and had defected it last night…
when i went back in to the office to defect it again, i was told the unit had been used that day and that driver never complained about it !!
Tooz:
Once i jumped into a unit and the drivers seat was jammed right down and back and i could hardly reach the pedals or see over the steering wheel…
i spoke to another night shift driver and he said he had refused to take it out and had defected it last night…
when i went back in to the office to defect it again, i was told the unit had been used that day and that driver never complained about it !!
Alternatively, he might have been a funny shape (like Quasimodo) and drove with the seat right back and down anyway?
Dan Bear 87:
Hi all, I’ve been driving artics nearly 3 weeks now and it seems I’ve all the bad luck this week when it comes to trailers, having to defect four of them in four days! Because I’m new and got the bit between my teeth I actually check the trailer properly where as the ‘old hands’ tend not to bother. So today’s was two of the tyres v close to the legal limit, I’ve had two for curtain tears and broken buckles, and the best one was Tuesday the brake light and sidelight on a trailer were faulty, it’s one of those bulbs with two elements in it. Well I bloody slashed my thumb trying to remove said bulb and put the replacement in, but no joy nothing happened. So in the end I parked it up to be kept off road, went out on a different run and came back to find it had gone! Where one of our other drivers had just thought sod it, I’ll take this one, rather than get another one tipped first, lazy [zb]!
So what would you do if it’s just a bulb out, and you really need that empty trailer? Would you just take it and ‘hope’ for the best, claim innocence to the plod, or would you see about getting it sorted, in effect wasting your day ■■■■■■■ about with bulbs that won’t unscrew?
Opinions please
Regards. D’B
If you keep being so thorough you’ll never get any work done, as time goes by you’ll realise, a small thing as a bulb out won’t kill anyone, a close to the legal limit will do you a shift an is stil legal, yes it is a defect but sometimes common sense prevails
I wouldn’t wind it in at all. A defect is a defect and needs sorting. SOMEONE has to report it. (If no one reports it, it will never get fixed) It’s already been said that some drivers will just take regardless, that is up to them. Personally I will sort it before taking it out - just to add my gaffer will INSIST that ANY defects are sorted before leaving the yard.
We all carry a full bulb set and tools needed (supplied) there are no excuses according to the boss. Major things - total different story!! Trailer stays where it is till sorted. His choice and he pays the wages. I quite like it to be honest, no worries as a driver and he’s not pleased with infringements either!
Dan Bear 87:
Hi all, I’ve been driving artics nearly 3 weeks now and it seems I’ve all the bad luck this week when it comes to trailers, having to defect four of them in four days!
…
So what would you do if it’s just a bulb out, and you really need that empty trailer? Would you just take it and ‘hope’ for the best, claim innocence to the plod, or would you see about getting it sorted, in effect wasting your day ■■■■■■■ about with bulbs that won’t unscrew?
It all depends, but the starting point should be an immediate fix for bulbs. If you’re at base, then you expect there to be some facility to handle the situation - whether that be a toolkit and spare bulbs for the driver’s use, a manned workshop, or a mobile mechanic on call. For smaller firms with a good attitude to maintenance, I might be willing to travel a short distance on a familiar route to a local workshop.
If the fault occurs away from base, I’d have a different attitude to a fog light bulb on a clear summer’s day (which can be dealt with when convenient), than I’d have to an indicator (which must always be fixed before the trailer moves).
If you’re finding that you’re getting trailers with defects on a daily basis, that might imply other drivers are not doing their checks (and sharing the burden of getting defects repaired), but it might also imply that the firm has unreliable equipment and does not have an appropriate, proactive attitude to maintenance (or even an appropriate reactive attitude - a firm running bent, in other words, and relying on not being caught).
You say that you have defected trailers for being very close to the legal tyre tread depth limit. Assuming you mean close but just about legal, there is no defect and you will be doing yourself no favours with those in the office by putting a defect note in for something that is roadworthy in the eyes of the law.
