truckyboy:
I raise a glass to the poster for showing some compassion to that driver, the coffee was a great gesture and more than welcome I bet. The firm I work for carry spare wheels, and jack and wheel bar, if you don’t want to change a wheel, he will call someone out ( very expensive at 600 euros ) I will change one though. MB14 it depends on where you catch the ferry from, we use Brittany quite a lot and always have to book, and I would assume that the last one on xmas eve would need a booking.
All the longer crossings need to be booked
But dover and train is first available when you arrive
I used to work for a waste management company in Wolverhampton. Recently I googled them and found a Traffic Commisioners Hearing involving the company. Don’t know all the details but the result was that their O-Licence had been restricted, the TM had to be replaced, and they had to have their service records audited and submitted to the TC every 6 months until further notice. As part of this, it was specified that drivers were not to change wheels/tyres unless under the direct supervision of a qualified tyre fitter. It was common practice when I was there between 1999-2004 that drivers were not only expected to change wheels themselves but also the tyres on the rim. I had no experience of this and they offered no training as such, just expect you to get on with it. I felt that uncomfortable doing it with limited experience/tools that I had to pay the tyre fitters £5 out of my own pocket to carry out the change for me. Otherwise I’d have to struggle on myself with them laughing their heads off.
Even if he got the ferry to France on Christmas Eve, he can’t drive in France on Christmas day.It is a truck ban apart from the corridor.
coreysboys:
I used to work for a waste management company in Wolverhampton. Recently I googled them and found a Traffic Commisioners Hearing involving the company. Don’t know all the details but the result was that their O-Licence had been restricted, the TM had to be replaced, and they had to have their service records audited and submitted to the TC every 6 months until further notice. As part of this, it was specified that drivers were not to change wheels/tyres unless under the direct supervision of a qualified tyre fitter. It was common practice when I was there between 1999-2004 that drivers were not only expected to change wheels themselves but also the tyres on the rim. I had no experience of this and they offered no training as such, just expect you to get on with it. I felt that uncomfortable doing it with limited experience/tools that I had to pay the tyre fitters £5 out of my own pocket to carry out the change for me. Otherwise I’d have to struggle on myself with them laughing their heads off.
wheels, yes. tyres■■?
havent you seen the cages that they use just to deflate a tyre? there is a hell of a lot of pressure in those things and untrained persons should not even think about tackling a tyre change. i have and would swap a wheel but tyre changes are not my department
scanny77:
Olog Hai:
Well, having read the first post I can see why firms in this country employ ‘flip flops’ (almost as ridiculous a term to describe them as ‘Taliban’, but there we go). At least this one has no problems with changing a wheel for himself, whereas plenty of British drivers would refuse to do so on some H&S ■■■■■■■■, even if they had the equipment to do so, while at the same time telling themselves that the country would grind to a halt without truck drivers and that turning a steering wheel every now and then is worth £20 per hour.
To be more accurate, the company wont allow it. These days you cant check a fuse yourself which I personally think is ridiculous and downright insulting 
On the other hand, some people with an LGV licence shouldn’t have a TV licence
Yep that’s about the level off it, nothing to do with H & S all to do with Insurance liability. when I got My new truck august 2013, it didn’t have the wheel nut indicators fitted, so I mentioned this to the fleet manager, who rang the company tyre agents. 30 minutes later a tyre fitter arrives in the yard, goes to see the fleet manager, who hands over a sack full off these yellow indicators, the fitter just bangs them on and clears off, didn’t torque the nuts or anything. So I says this to the fleet man, and said I could’ve done that, he shrugged his shoulders and said that for Insurance anything to do with tyres/ wheels is either tyre agents or R&M contract. Bugger that, I whipped them off and borrowed a torque wrench of an Owner driver based in our yard, and checked them myself 
I wonder how long itl take for someone to say…and invalidated your companies insurance on that vehicle…jobsworths abound… 
dieseldog999:
I wonder how long itl take for someone to say…and invalidated your companies insurance on that vehicle…jobsworths abound…
Yep, that’s true, but I felt a lot more confident about taking it up the road. To be honest, when you dip the Oil on a brand new truck and find that its barely got enough to touch the bottom off the stick, you kinda think, is this a problem truck, or has it not been PDI’d. Then you start double checking everything if just to cover your own back
Ferry or bust!
by 3 wheeler » Wed Dec 24, 2014 7:03 pm
I do not feel sorry for the flip flop Brigade normally , but there is a poor sod outside the pub in the rain changing a front near side on a Merc space cab.
I took him a coffee out and he looks totally ■■■■■■ off, the ferry is 11pm tonight at Dover if I understood him right and he is still near Aylesbury at 5.30 ish !
That is just rough.
Fair play to you, it’s the little things that are appreciated.
I was working for a recovery company this time 2 years ago and was working Christmas Day. Outside the gate was a Turk in a space cab cf and that’s where he spent Christmas, 3 days on an industrial estate. We were having a fry up Christmas morning and asked him in. The chap was over the moon with the company and the bit of grub and it was nothing at all to us. He had a look around the yard and passed away a few hours before going back to his truck. My boss brought him down a bit of leftovers that evening and organised a room for him in a hotel nearby for Boxing Day.
About 8 or 9 months later he turned up in the yard one night with a dash table for our Daf wrecker as a thank you. It’s nice to be nice.
kitbuilder123:
Ferry or bust!
by 3 wheeler » Wed Dec 24, 2014 7:03 pm
I do not feel sorry for the flip flop Brigade normally , but there is a poor sod outside the pub in the rain changing a front near side on a Merc space cab.
I took him a coffee out and he looks totally ■■■■■■ off, the ferry is 11pm tonight at Dover if I understood him right and he is still near Aylesbury at 5.30 ish !
That is just rough.
Fair play to you, it’s the little things that are appreciated.
I was working for a recovery company this time 2 years ago and was working Christmas Day. Outside the gate was a Turk in a space cab cf and that’s where he spent Christmas, 3 days on an industrial estate. We were having a fry up Christmas morning and asked him in. The chap was over the moon with the company and the bit of grub and it was nothing at all to us. He had a look around the yard and passed away a few hours before going back to his truck. My boss brought him down a bit of leftovers that evening and organised a room for him in a hotel nearby for Boxing Day.
About 8 or 9 months later he turned up in the yard one night with a dash table for our Daf wrecker as a thank you. It’s nice to be nice.
That’s great, a little gesture goes along way. Maybe its time we started to think a bit more like the driver’s off a previous time, and less like the sat tracked Robots we’ve become 
.
My new years resolution is going to be to help a fellow driver, from whatever land He hails, in any small way I can
Does giving a lad £5 to pay for the petrol in Moped count(his debit card wasn’t working at the counter 
), even though it was so I could get on and pay for my petrol, was in my car, and it was a couple off years ago
Things have changed a lot in recent years with all this H & S bollox.
When I and many more guys who were running to the middle east 30 plus years ago, we used to carry 3 or 4 spare wheels which you would have to change yourself, no ATS out there, and no phones either. They would normally be enough to do the trip. However if you were unlucky, as I was on one trip, and you used all your spares, there came the time when you had to do some repairs, no tubeless tyres back then.
I had used my last spare up on one trip and spent a whole day sorting and repairing my tyres out at the side of the road half way across Saudi.
bestbooties:
Things have changed a lot in recent years with all this H & S bollox.
When I and many more guys who were running to the middle east 30 plus years ago, we used to carry 3 or 4 spare wheels which you would have to change yourself, no ATS out there, and no phones either. They would normally be enough to do the trip. However if you were unlucky, as I was on one trip, and you used all your spares, there came the time when you had to do some repairs, no tubeless tyres back then.
I had used my last spare up on one trip and spent a whole day sorting and repairing my tyres out at the side of the road half way across Saudi.
I’m always in awe at you guys who were doing that work.
Was it a bit off a welcome break to spend a day on running maintenance, instead off watching the endless asphalt pass by 
bestbooties:
Things have changed a lot in recent years with all this H & S bollox.
When I and many more guys who were running to the middle east 30 plus years ago, we used to carry 3 or 4 spare wheels which you would have to change yourself, no ATS out there, and no phones either. They would normally be enough to do the trip. However if you were unlucky, as I was on one trip, and you used all your spares, there came the time when you had to do some repairs, no tubeless tyres back then.
I had used my last spare up on one trip and spent a whole day sorting and repairing my tyres out at the side of the road half way across Saudi.
Love the Pic …and you had one of the best wagons to do it in .
One that I would like to own now…
Wages in those days were good for the times unlike now !
Driver-Once-More:
^^ WHAT “asphalt”
Oh sorry I forgot this was pendant united forum, It was turn of phrase
Yet another Proper driver…its funny this should appear for sorting through the junk in my garage a few weeks ago, I came across a little turk machine for holding the patches in place on inner tubes ( remember those ) and it also brought back memories of not only changing wheels, but stripping them, and repairing the tubes…oh those were the days ha ha
