May sound a stupid question but how many people actually use it.
When i first passed my test first shift i was out on, i did a changeover and put on the trailer brake.
The guy i was swaping with told me, we never use the trailer brake when changing over there is no need because its a flat surface.
So next time out doing a trailer change i never bothered, and the guy i was changing with told me to use it. Told me about how a trailer ended up smashed into a wall luckly no one hurt because driver hadn’t used trailer brake and had forgoton to apply parking brake in cab.
Since then i’ve always used trailer brake, espec since doing fridge work a lot there is very little room and lots of guys tend to do a half couple.
Started with a company through agency the other week, and was picking up trailers in the yard not one had the trailer brake on was really annoying me, espec since the trailer brake on these trailers is right next to the trailer legs so its not like you have to go out of your way to put on the trailer brake.
Worked in a few companies where have checked trailer about to hook upto and trailer brake hasnt been on. A lot of the places ive worked you would get into trouble for not applying the trailer brake.
So was just wondering if most people use it or not because in some companies it seems no one does.
I use it. On almost all of our trailers it is halfway up the headboard next to the yellow air line coupling so it is easy to stick it on just before you start pulling the lines. The only downside is you can’t reach it from ground level to put it on before you start to couple up if it has been left off.
It should always be used (and is a self preserving must if split coupling) but shunters hate them being on.
They hardly ever seem to be used on docks… even when the trailer is parked right on the edge of a quay
I’m sure it would be a good safety issue if the position was standardised to by the legs.
Sometimes its hunt the brake… (rusty uncoloured washer with a nut on it) with the torch. Even have to get underneath & look where the pipes are heading sometimes to find it. Trailers with fairings are the worst for concealing it.
I always use it simply because I once nearly killed someone by not doing.
Granted, that was an old ratchet-style brake…But even so, I’ve picked up trailers which have had the air rocked out of them even recently and had to chase them across the yard, so it could potentially happen again.
It’s so easy to do, why on earth would you not bother? (And no, I don’t care if it ■■■■■■ off the shunters…I’d rather ■■■■ them off than flatten them. Honest… )
The problem with cable ratchet brakes was they never got used, so of you did then use it, it would stick or freeze on.
Which reminds me, i had a loaded flat with prefab concrete on it trailer to collect the other day. Couldn’t move it. Brakes frozen on! It had been tugged of the ship fine, then stood in the yard for 2 or 3 days of frost. 1st one i’ve ever come accross.
I think we all from time to time come accross trailers that have lost their air & the spring brake doesn’t work.
Often on docks trailers are parked back to back. We had a memo about not stripping down/building up rear lights in this position for obvious reasons, but most still do it.
I always apply the trailer park brake too, some of the trailers I use now have the brakes that are automatically applied when you disconnect the air line, but I always check anyway and apply it if necessary.
Driveroneuk:
I’m sure it would be a good safety issue if the position was standardised to by the legs.
Good idea that
Lucy:
It’s so easy to do, why on earth would you not bother? (And no, I don’t care if it ■■■■■■ off the shunters…I’d rather ■■■■ them off than flatten them. Honest… Wink )
I wish some of our shunters had the same attitude towards the rest of us, if they’re not crawling around at 2 mph they’re racing around at 40mph in a busy and often congested trailer park
If im picking a trailer up ill check its got the brake on first. I always use it when i drop a trailer.
27 tonnes of load plus 8 or 9 tonnes of trailer would take some stopping if it rolled i`d guess
and i need the exercise gained by walking up and down the trl
I would say put it on, only because I cant be mithered taking a day off to attend court to tell a judge how some dude got splatted into the concrete by a runaway trailer
Most of our drivers don’t.
One of them went onto the trailer park at some ridiculous hour to pick up a trailer, and spent ages trying to get it to move ( more like 30 seconds, knowing him), but had no luck.
Then he phones our fitter, get him out of bed to come sort the problem out.
Fitter was not too happy when he walked round the side and saw the handbrake was on.
Bone idle driver hadn’t even bothered to check the handbrake, and it turned out to have been applied by the agency driver who dropped it the day before. Good on that man I say.
On a change-over, I normally wouldn’t bother putting a trailers parking brake on.
For the short time a trailer is going to be left, the system should lock up its brakes and hold it, no problem.
If it’s going to be left for any length of time though, the parking brake goes on.
I was trained to use the trailer brake… I had to do it on test too. Company policy says I have to. Whatever the case may be I would always use the trailer brake. Nothing clever about leaving them off. Thats what they are there for so use em I say. Dont leave anything to chance flat suface or not it a good habit to be in…
Always apply the trailor brake as I have had to many close calls when I have had to pick up trailors drpped by some one else. I now check that the brake is on before I pick up a trailor as I said to many close calls in the past
I always put the trailer brake on. Yes, some shunters tell me not to, but sod them.
It’s fine to leave the brakes off up until the day someone gets killed/injured.
If the trailer runs away, or gets pushed around by someone trying to reverse under it, or something else happens, it’s me the HSE/Police/etc. will come after.
Will the shunter stand up in court and take responsibility for it? I doubt it. Therefore, the brake always goes on.
We don’t use them in our yard as the trailers are backed up against a kerb with a grass verge behind them, the yard is flat and so are the landing legs.
As well as that you will never get the French drivers to use them. If the trailers move when coupling up they still use chocks as do most of Europe.
However when dropping trailers against a rear loading dock or in the middle of a yard I will use them whether it annoys a shunter or not. A couple of our customers are sticklers for it and you could chock the wheels with the pile of memos they issue if you forget
To be fair if Im just doing a trailer swap with another driver, we probably wouldnt use the button.
One large snack company insists on it - last I heard it was written warnings if you don’t & they catch you out. Personally i always do & I always check before coupling up simply because I always have done so.
I am a bit puzzled by th several references to trailer brakes that go on automaticaly.
If these are the ones that I am used to pulling, then even though the brakes are applied there is still a valve/button to operate if leaving the trailer.
Or is there some new system?
Mmost of our trailers are less than 4 years old and some are only a few months old.
I always use the button when dropping a trailer and when I remember I check before hooking up to a parked trailer that the button is out.
Got to agree that these buttons should be standardised in the location, fed up of hunting around under the body looking for them in the dark.
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