Don’t you just love’em, old fashioned no nonsense hauliers, like old Hedley Shaw used to say 'brakes? what do you want brakes for? I pay you to go, not stop!! 
Happy days.
And nobody has ever told me how long I’m allowed to get out of the yard, and I’ve no idea how long it takes, I just did what was necessary - and left. 
i do not do this type of work but i would think if you are asked to pick up a trailer that is loaded and ready to go it should be signed off by the person who loaded it so as to assume responsability for it
fuse:
i do not do this type of work but i would think if you are asked to pick up a trailer that is loaded and ready to go it should be signed off by the person who loaded it so as to assume responsability for it
Nice thought but in law it is the drivers’ responsibility
I replied to this post last night when it appeared and took it that interlog was doing a time and motion study 
However when reading the rest of the posts and his reply, I may have jumped the gun.
Of course it takes as long as it takes but if the trailer is loaded and sealed then I want to know it is secured properly hence my original reply.
This week I picked up a trailer from Calais and on first inspection it looked like the tyres had been recut with a chainsaw. So on this occasion I spent around 30 minutes checking round, finding a cracked disc, broken reflector and several panels damaged or with dents. I took photos and sent a message to the office before returning to the depot. Of course no one had damaged the trailer but if I had just backed under it and gone to the delivery and dropped it in the yard. I know who would have got the blame.
So yes it makes sense to take as long as is needed to do a proper walkround
Sainsburys allow 45 mins to check unit, find trailer, check trailer, hook up & get of site.
I have found that depending on where the trailer is, unit is & how old the trailer is that this can vary for me from 30 mins to an hour at times.
Some times it takes a little bit longer to check the older trailers, some tend to be at the point of falling apart “literally”.
So in a nutshell No 15 mins is not enough itl take at least that walking around to make sure all the lights work.
Ask your self are you sure all the lights work & the tyres are legal etc etc etc…
If you drive the same truck & trailer day in & day out your checks will be quicker but if you dont then you can garuntee some numpty didnt fuel it or fix that faulty bulb…
robntl:
Sainsburys allow 45 mins to check unit, find trailer, check trailer, hook up & get of site.
I have found that depending on where the trailer is, unit is & how old the trailer is that this can vary for me from 30 mins to an hour at times.
Some times it takes a little bit longer to check the older trailers, some tend to be at the point of falling apart “literally”.
So in a nutshell No 15 mins is not enough itl take at least that walking around to make sure all the lights work.Ask your self are you sure all the lights work & the tyres are legal etc etc etc…
If you drive the same truck & trailer day in & day out your checks will be quicker but if you dont then you can garuntee some numpty didnt fuel it or fix that faulty bulb…
45 mins sounds about right to me , laughed at bloke the other day who went round truck , pen and check sheet in hand ,looked very proffesional, then drove out of yard with no number plate on
i got a check list that has to be compleated every morning…it lists things like check oil/water/fuel,flashing lights, wheel nuts,and check tools and jacks.and even has is the driver ok…
I’m amazed that anyone tries to put a time limit on this. Surely most of us have enough common sense to take as long as it takes. If all is well it won’t take long, if you have to fiddle about changing bulbs etc then it will take longer. How long are we allowed to breathe in for? and how long for breathing out? 
daily checks■■?
■■■■? check
red bull? check
cds? check
lets go 
scottbrown:
daily checks■■?■■■■? check
red bull? check
cds? checklets go
Hey Scott, i do the same. . But very shortly we can add…
cash? check
to the list as we are getting on the spot fines for stuff shortly. So the odd marker light missing isn’t going to be 'oh just go it’ll be ok ', its going to be you go with it and get stopped and YOU will be paying not your gaffer. Kerching, no marker light working thats a £25 statuotory penalty Mr.C ( or Mr.Scottbrown). All my stuff is going to be getting an MOT before i take it out soon.
scottbrown:
daily checks■■?■■■■? check
red bull? check
cds? checklets go
Want a job?
Usually takes me about 30 mins - an hour.
Unlock & start the truck, write card out, check tax disc, O license, Tunnel tags, fuel card, etc.
No need to slip its ■■■■ these days, it’ll let you know in no uncertain terms if oil is required
Check leg handle is onboard & bolt for same. Trailer no. plate, bulbs & lenses available…
Check lights, tyres, body/mirror damage etc.
Find trailer… can go straight to it or 3 times round the yard somedays.
Couple up (often having to split couple). Susies, legs, go and build up the rear lights & put no. plate on. Look in trl if not sealed. Will usually be strapped ok if it needs it as its just crossed the Irish Sea unaccompanied.
Cursory glance at tyres and wheel nuts.
Check lights.
Trailers can vary from brand new Schmitz Cargo Bulls (good!) to 11 year old, hard life, millions of miles, dropping to bits, tandems.
Drive to near gate. Park up & walk to gatehouse to get release card.
Out of the gate and stop next to my car on the wide road, load my bag & night out gear.
… and finally… GO!
Watched 2 (well 3 actually, think 1 had his teenage son with him) do a trailer change in Poplar 2000 at Lymm on Friday night.
The collecting unit driver took 3 attempts to get hold of the pin and almost over shot it. The previous unit was higher, the collecting driver didn’t bother to raise the suspension once part under.
The lad went to wind the legs up & ofcourse couldn’t do it because the weight of the load was stood on them. So the 2 of them struggles to wind them up. Never thinking (not knowing?) to push the handle in into low gear.(they had raised the suspension by now, but it still hadn’t taken the weight).
The previous driver had swapped the number plate.
Lastly the susies went on, in they jumped and roared off… nobody walked around the back of the trailer to see if the lights were on.
Amazing!
Why am i a menace if i do 40 on a single carriageway thats the speed limit.
Theres no desputing that its the speed limit, its just far too slow! By having such a disparity between limits for diffent vehicles, especially on roads for which ithe 40 limit for trucks is wholly inapropriate, can / will / and has caused accidents. I see it on a regular basis on the A40 Cheltenham to Oxford cars which cannot stand to be stuck behinsd a HGV doing the limit, when the road is fairly straight and clear.
This post is getting side tracked
Sainsbury’s like many give out a rediculas list of items to check & yes b4 you say yes most of 90% need to be checked, but on a daily walk around & by getting into a routine yo can check these items. Those of us who have past our tests in recent years wil know exactly waht im on about unless you just dont gave a rats.
it just becomes the norm every day routine check the important bits that need checking & tick the relevant box’s, I will only tick the box’s of the items that i can feasably check after that comes that old argument “well are you a qualified mechanic” to that i can say almost yes i am a qualified engineer but in the eyes of the company “no” I am just the mug driving the motor today, so on that basis I will cover my backside where needed & let the company take the rest. If I dont like the look of something I defect it & get a second opinion that way if it goes wrong out on the road I can say well the VMU “qualified mechanic” person said it was ok so go speak to them.
So in a nutshell people cover your own backsides you never know when you will get stoped by Vosa & given a probition notice for negleting to check something “it happened to me”
On the subject of wheel nuts one of the most important peices of the vehicle a driver is not techincally qualified to check them properely so use your commen sense & just visually check them, if you start tapping them & listening for the ring then out comes the “are you qualifed & do you know what your listening for” bit. After all all thats required for the test is a visual check.
Agree the 40 is too slow, but there are plenty of smart mobile cameras out there now that will cross-reference your speed to your taxation class from your registration on the DVLA database & hey-presto you’ve got 3 points.
This happened to a colleague of mine driving a van at 60 in a national speed limit single carriageway !
Sainsbury’s like many give out a rediculas list of items to check & yes b4 you say yes most of 90% need to be checked, but on a daily walk around & by getting into a routine yo can check these items. Those of us who have past our tests in recent years wil know exactly waht im on about unless you just dont gave a rats.
it just becomes the norm every day routine check the important bits that need checking & tick the relevant box’s, I will only tick the box’s of the items that i can feasably check after that comes that old argument “well are you a qualified mechanic” to that i can say almost yes i am a qualified engineer but in the eyes of the company “no” I am just the mug driving the motor today, so on that basis I will cover my backside where needed & let the company take the rest. If I dont like the look of something I defect it & get a second opinion that way if it goes wrong out on the road I can say well the VMU “qualified mechanic” person said it was ok so go speak to them
Totally agree with what you have said. If you’re not sure about something and it looks “broke”, seek advice from the VMU (that is a typical Sainsbury term 
and for those that don’t know what it means: garage, fitters, vehicle technician) and let them make the decision on roadworthyness.
Mark
Vehicle Maintenence Unit
ROG:
Knowing that it is ALL your responsibility, then, if you are totally satisfied that all is in order, I dont see that the time factor comes into it. If you have a good routine that checks EVERYTHING and are nifty on your feet (without rushing), why should the time factor come into it.
IT TAKES AS LONG AS IT TAKES - FOR SAFETY
In my current profession (not for long though ) we are only allowed 10 mins to clock on find our vehicle and do a full first use defect check - This is in preparation to carry up to 80 people ! 
My first post but what the hell…
Some are moaning about not being given enough time to check the vehicle/load.
I’m in the fortunate position that I can take as long as it takes, I get paid
regardless…however…
If you showed some responsibility you’d get to work earlier and take the required time to do the checks properly, regardless of when you start
to get paid.
For me it’s not worth a day’s stress wondering if…