right here’s the story parks. up in the yard with a heavy trailer does all the necessary pulls the release arm out drops the suspension go to my other trailer moves under higher the suspension to correct height wouldn’t go under pulls out gets out to check only to find the release arm all bent now I don’t. think I did anything wrong but the company say i have anyone have an idea what could have done this as its not looking good. for Monday morning
Got a nasty feeling you’ll be awarded the DCM.
Was the vehicle a mercedes axor as ive broke 2 of the handles on them .
scally2:
…anyone have an idea what could have done this…
Could you have completely missed the jaws and smashed the trailer pin into the release arm?
What kind of company do you work for? The kind that understand we’re only human and sometimes make mistakes, or the kind that sack you if you’re caught on the tracker doing 31mph in a 30mph zone?
If it’s the latter, then it’s probably for the best if they do sack you now because you’re only going to get sacked further down the line for something else.
I’ve never damaged a company vehicle but I have made a couple of minor mistakes. The kind of mistakes that probably would have got me sacked at other companies. Luckily, my boss is human and when people make a mistake, he says “ah well, ■■■■ happens” and it’s forgotten about.
I couldn’t live with the stress and worry of working for a company that expects you never to make a mistake. I’d be a bag of nerves all the time. As it is, I’m very relaxed and I think that’s important in this line of work. Obviously you don’t want to be too relaxed behind the wheel of an artic, but you definitely don’t want to constantly [zb]ing yourself and worrying about stupid things.
So the worst that’s going to happen to you is that they’ll sack you and you can find a decent employer. Best case scenario; they say “ah well, ■■■■ happens” and it’s forgotten about. Either way, you’re on to a winner.
I hope this helps.
Well said, SmashedCrabFace 
don’t know yet but did pull out at an angle which I don’t. think helped but to be honest didn’t realize I’d done anything wrong .
I tried in vain to hitch up to a trailer one morning when on agency, it simply wouldn’t locate, so got me torch out, sure enough the bloody releasing handle was bent and the bend wouldn’t allow the arm to go home.
Course last bloke to use it was going to deny all knowledge and i was the agency knob so i was going to get the blame, so i levered and lumped the bloody thing straight and said nothing.
Its easy done IMO especially if you came out at an acute angle and the front corner (as it would be) of the trailer caught the handle, sometimes angle pick ups are necessary, if the bloody thing can’t manage that it needs sorting out anyway…was it a Scania with an overlong release arm?
Don’t fret over it, if thats the worse thing that happens you won’t have done too bad, some whinger’ll make a song and dance over it mind, but a bit of heat and it’ll be straight again in 2 minutes.
scally2:
gets out to check only to find the release arm all bent
when you say the release arm, do you mean the handle or the actual jaw clamp inside the fifth wheel?
I ask because you mentioned that you lowered the suspension then pulled out ! if that is the case you could have damaged the locking jaw as you should pull out a little so the pin clears the jaws then lower the suspension, If you lower first the pin could try to pull through the jaw and locking clamp as it would have the weight of the rear of the unit on it.
Hope that makes sense.
Madguy 
madguy:
scally2:
gets out to check only to find the release arm all bentwhen you say the release arm, do you mean the handle or the actual jaw clamp inside the fifth wheel?
I ask because you mentioned that you lowered the suspension then pulled out ! if that is the case you could have damaged the locking jaw as you should pull out a little so the pin clears the jaws then lower the suspension, If you lower first the pin could try to pull through the jaw and locking clamp as it would have the weight of the rear of the unit on it.
Hope that makes sense.
Madguy
They’re built to withstand that sort of stress if you do that and it does go it was knackered and needed a refurbing kit anyway.
Just for closure to this topic turned out I drove out at an angle the release arm caught a hook underneath the trailer which was right next to thr fifth wheel hence broken fifth wheel lucky no action taken and lesson very truly learned.