Yesterday a new driver asked me for help with a situation, which I did help them with, then I returned to complete my own walk round checks etc. Last week he spends 4 days with another driver learning the routine of the job.
As I continued with my tasks I kept an eye on him, he started to reverse under the trailer, stopping when the bulk head was over the centre axle? May be he is going to do a split couple, don’t know why though as it’s not a fridge trailer and he was not a fat bloke (not pc).
Next I hear the legs getting wound up, what the foxtrot I thought, as I got there he released the trailer brake. No kingpin locked in, no lines attached.
I asked him what routine he followed for connecting and dropping trailers, none was his answer. I told him I use the “BLACK”. I thought I had educated him on his wrong doing, so off I went.
Today I saw him start to drop a trailer, he reverses into area, jump’s out, disconnects lines and goes to lower the legs. Stop, “now what did I say yesterday?” I can’t remember what you told me.
Do I now turn a blind eye when I see him, report him with the possibility he will lose his job, or punch the info in?
So he’s took lines off wound legs down? I presume he will then go round the back take off his number plate continue up the other side before finally pulling the pin. And your problem is what exactly or have I missed the point?
I think. What he means is the lad did a split couple when there was no need but then released the brake before properly hooking up.
bigtruck:
So he’s took lines off wound legs down? I presume he will then go round the back take off his number plate continue up the other side before finally pulling the pin. And your problem is what exactly or have I missed the point?
The point is routine. If you read what I said about his getting under the trailer, he has no routine.
The king pin was not engaged when he lifted the legs and released the trailer brake. Worst case scenario could be trailer goes rewards, or he stands on the deck and the trailer rolls onto him.
It is about routine and a safe routine, that’s my point.
Hitching up, reverse actions of dropping a trailer.
Yes I agree absolutely with routine, his dropping sounds ok maybe he’ll get his hooking up sorted maybe he won’t you’ve done your bit so let him get on with it, when he drops one on her nose he will soon get into routine!
You now have to couple / uncouple in your test depends when he done his test as if he had to do this
The routine is drilled into you during the course
Clip, lines, legs, number plate and reverse the procedure to un-couple.
To be fair 4 days for a new driver is not a lot, there is an awful lot to learn, I would not wish to be a new driver today, everyone is in a hurry and drivers no longer seem to have the time to show new drivers what to do.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I will gladly go out of my way to help someone especially if it avoids and accident or damage through ignorance.
I get more annoyed with drivers who, despite doing the job for many years are incapable of performing the simplest tasks without wrecking everything they touch.
The easy way I remember it is to think about safety. So yeah, a drop would be brake legs cables kingpin plate. But safety is the number one… I don’t want to break anything and dropping a trailer on me would hurt
Done the same ‘routine’ for donkeys years and never lost a trailer or had a mishap and yet the company ‘driver trainer’ or ‘yes man’ says I MUST do it his/the company way and faster or it is wasting company time and money. Still do it my my tho’! Stuff 'em.
You apply the trailer brakes first when uncoupling. No arguments.
If you don’t you’re a ■■■■■
Follow the procedure as already outlined. Brakes, Legs, Airlines, Clip, Pin…
How hard can it be? 
there’s several different ways to couple/uncouple a trailer, but just because someone does it differently to you dosn’t make them wrong.
the more you interfere, the more chance of confusion and accidents.
i’ll use a trailer brake when lifting/dropping a fridge, but there’s pretty much no point with most other trailers.
sometimes i can’t wind the legs, or get to the trailer brake even if i wanted to. that’s because a dock shunter has jammed the 8’ wide trailer into an 8’ 2" gap.
Truckulent:
You apply the trailer brakes first when uncoupling. No arguments.If you don’t you’re a [zb]!
Care to explain why anyone who doesn’t apply the trailer brakes first when uncoupling is a [zb]?
tachograph:
Truckulent:
You apply the trailer brakes first when uncoupling. No arguments.If you don’t you’re a [zb]!
Care to explain why anyone who doesn’t apply the trailer brakes first when uncoupling is a [zb]?
+1 only ever when split coupling a fridge!
limeyphil:
sometimes i can’t wind the legs, or get to the trailer brake even if i wanted to. that’s because a dock shunter has jammed the 8’ wide trailer into an 8’ 2" gap.
fat git , LOL
First post.
Dts after reading your post a couple of times. It seems you have a conscious problem, do I dob this guy in or what?
The guy asked for help and you gave him advice, you then spotted him doing something the next time that you perceived as being wrong/dangerous I assume.
Again you intervened rightly or wrongly.
Now it seems you are in a tussle with your conscious and looking for advice on what to do.
Does your company have a specific procedure that they expect all employees to follow or are they 2 bit company that doesn’t give a toss as long as the job is done.
Unless people ask for help they may not take kindly to know alls sticking their noses in.
What box do you fit into dts?
heybabba:
First post.
Dts after reading your post a couple of times. It seems you have a conscious problem, do I dob this guy in or what?
The guy asked for help and you gave him advice, you then spotted him doing something the next time that you perceived as being wrong/dangerous I assume.
Again you intervened rightly or wrongly.Now it seems you are in a tussle with your conscious and looking for advice on what to do.
Does your company have a specific procedure that they expect all employees to follow or are they 2 bit company that doesn’t give a toss as long as the job is done.
Unless people ask for help they may not take kindly to know alls sticking their noses in.
What box do you fit into dts?
Eh?? Different people are tought in different ways how to do certain things, how does a company that trusts the person they’ve employed to do the job they’re employed to do become a 2 bit company?
I hate it when firms insist on things done in a certain way, if I go out of my own pattern then I always end up thinking I’ve forgotten something.
For me, it’s suzi’s, legs, trailer brake, number plate, pin - anti-clockwise walk, nice and easy - this is for dropping obviously.
For hooking up it’s pin/chain, suzi’s, legs, trailer brake, back into cab to set lights to test (nice feature of MAN / ERF, on fob on some Scania’s) or flick hazards lights fogs and wedge something on the brake, number plate whilst checking lights, damage and load security.
Dropping trailers can be different in different situations and still be carried out safely. Companies I have delivered to in Europe have chocks and blocking devices, the trailer is backed up to a bay and it isn’t going to go anywhere, on the other hand, dropping a ferry trailer on Hull Docks with the handbrake on, it will get dragged across the dock with the tyres smoking.
Shunters are the worst enemy, they either bollock drivers for using the hand brake or shop you to the management if you don’t.
When the handbrake button is fitted next to the red air line on the headboard, it will become consistent. When we had taps on the tractors. I bet you could count on your fingers and toes the amount of drivers who forgot to turn them on. It was just habit.
Wendy whats your point?
Wheel Nut:
Dropping trailers can be different in different situations and still be carried out safely. Companies I have delivered to in Europe have chocks and blocking devices, the trailer is backed up to a bay and it isn’t going to go anywhere, on the other hand, dropping a ferry trailer on Hull Docks with the handbrake on, it will get dragged across the dock with the tyres smoking.Shunters are the worst enemy, they either bollock drivers for using the hand brake or shop you to the management if you don’t.
When the handbrake button is fitted next to the red air line on the headboard, it will become consistent. When we had taps on the tractors. I bet you could count on your fingers and toes the amount of drivers who forgot to turn them on. It was just habit.
One of the jobs the workshop had to spend any idle down time on, at the last place I worked, was relocating trailer parking brakes to the headboard. Which was a good idea I agreed with. The problem was the shunt valve was still in the same box it had always been with a hole next to it where the parking brake used to be. No-one had told the drivers so they were defecting trailers as having no parking brake. Which was surprising considering it was obviously thought a lot of them weren’t using them originally.
It doesn’t seem to be stated anywhere explicitly on this thread.
So for newbies who are unsure disconnecting the red airline from the trailer applies the parking brake to the trailer automatically. This means it’s not unsafe to start the uncoupling procedure by disconnecting the lines. It should still be ensured the manual valve is in the pulled out position before being left for the safety of the next driver that hooks up (or to provide additional exercise for shunters)