Guilty M’Lord
2 occasions too embarrassing to relay 
Thurrock services doing a changeover with old man Brian about 5 years ago. Hooked up, tug test, jumped out and was on the catwalk connecting the susies when i heard DAI-I-I-I-I! I looked around and the whole world is moving, and there’s Brian, bless him sprinting as fast as he could for my door.
Panic!!! Then i remembered. The red line! In my flustered state i couldn’t line the bloody thing up. Twisting, pulling, IT’S NOT COMING OFF! I calmed myself, look at what you’re doing, get it right. Twist, lined up, pull. PSSSHHHH. The wagon stops and i smack my face on the trailer.
I jumped down to see how close i was to hitting anything but i hadn’t rolled very far. Only a few yards. Seemed i was on the catwalk for ages. I guess time moves at different speed when you’re panicing.
And there was poor ol Brian, hands on his knees coughing his lungs up after his 1st bit of exercise for 40 years. Poor bugger’d had a heart op 12month before, and looked ready for another. I bought him a pint on our next night out
My mishap where I should have been banned from ever holding a licence was about 9 years ago after 21 years on the road, it was a Mercedes 13tonner with 2 car ramps inside. I had a twin wheel car trailer behind me with a post office van on it. Inside the truck I had a new Peugeot 306. I had to drop the trailer so I did put on the handbrake.
The bit I had forgotten about was the fact that these trailers are only braked on one axle, the front in this case. As I wound down the jockey wheel the air suspension of the truck compensated and eventually the 50mm ball hitch was clear, at the same moment the post office van, strapped onto the trailer decided it would escape down a slight slope not slight enough to prevent this van getting quicker than I could run
Eventually and luckily, the trailer hit the kerb, reared up, and then dropped back onto the jockey wheel, the van was undamaged, the trailer was ok. I had a sweat on and had to deliver this Peugeot to a worried looking customer who thought I had done it on purpose, she made me some strong tea as I explained what happened.
After that occurrence I always used to reverse the trailer up against a kerb before uncoupling and use a wooden chock as well.
done it twice, got lucky both times, 1st time hooked up suzies on etc everything fine trailer was dropped high so suspension was right up, legs in low gear the second they came off the floor the whole thing started rolling back, with it being a tilt the legs were the opposite side to the trailer brake, so i wound the legs down again an it stopped !! so handbrake applied ! phew, second time i was on the catwalk putting suzies on, all on then as the air built up on the trailer it took off just as i was leaving the catwalk, jumped up took suzie off, felt like a lifetime before it stopped !!
the other week in seaforth my dad was in the fridge park hookin up and was having a 15break, so everything was turned off next thing he looks up and there is a scania topline about 3 foot away rolling towards him, couldnt get the truck started quick enough, BANG !! smashed into his wagon majorly damagin the nearside, bendin the front axle on the truck an bending the cab, the other driver had took his dead man off at the rear of the trailer and off it went down the slope into my dads truck, my dad didnt hear a thing until he seen it, the engine on the scania was off, as my dad said imagine he was taking a leak at the side of the truck and would of hit it then ? could have been seriously injured/dead !!
I have to admit that I havent yet done it, but I do have a work colleguwii that has a tendancy to put my trailer brake on after hes been towing it. He is a member here but shall remain nameless. I jump in my truck, hook her up and go to pull off and dont go anywhere… D’OH
have read many stories on this forum about people putting the redline on and off she goes
begs the question, when you stop a vehicle do you not always put it in neutral and pull on the truck hand brake?
if you dont, youre a ■■■■■■■ ■■■■, simple as that.
I personally cannot claim to have done this but…
Years ago I drove for a dutch firm as a subby, And one of there old hands always in is his 2800 Daf
used the trailer brake instead of the Handbrake when parked (dont ask me why)
The last time he did this was when he reversed onto sloping loading bay in S Gravezand to undo the back
of the tilt trailer before putting it onto the bay.
Yes you have guessed it the trailer brake released and sadly crushed him to death !!
Lesson learned never mess with these beasts and do things properly no short cuts
Regards
Kenny
beattun:
have read many stories on this forum about people putting the redline on and off she goesbegs the question, when you stop a vehicle do you not always put it in neutral and pull on the truck hand brake?
if you dont, youre a [zb] ■■■■, simple as that.
thats a surprise an ozzie thats always right 
I’ve left the handbrake off just the once, I’d just finished coupling up to a trailer and released the trailer brake when I realised that I was moving towards the back of the vehicle without moving my legs 
I managed to stop the vehicle before it run head-on into a row of almost new DAF units
Now I rarely get out of a vehicle without double checking the handbrake is on.
beattun:
have read many stories on this forum about people putting the redline on and off she goesbegs the question, when you stop a vehicle do you not always put it in neutral and pull on the truck hand brake?
if you dont, youre a [zb] ■■■■, simple as that.
as stated these occurrences are mainly down to distractions during the hooking up routine ever since i refuse any offers of help and i stick to the same routine every time but just in case i never twist the collar until i’m sure the world isn’t moving without me!
DAF95XF:
Done it just the once, for some reason I was driving a Salevesen DAF CF instead of the normal Renault Premium and had just gone under the trailer, opened the cab door to complete the hooking up procedure and the unit told me in a voice that the handbrake wasnt applied, luckily the trailer brake was on
Don’t you think the voice sounds like victor meldrew off of one foot in the grave??
garnerlives:
DAF95XF:
Done it just the once, for some reason I was driving a Salevesen DAF CF instead of the normal Renault Premium and had just gone under the trailer, opened the cab door to complete the hooking up procedure and the unit told me in a voice that the handbrake wasnt applied, luckily the trailer brake was onDon’t you think the voice sounds like victor meldrew off of one foot in the grave??
Michael Caines voice would be cool - “you were only supposed to put the bloody handbrake on”
And the reason was, you broke your renault I think an airline?? and we had to give you one of our spare motors to go back in!!!
Mr B:
beattun:
have read many stories on this forum about people putting the redline on and off she goesbegs the question, when you stop a vehicle do you not always put it in neutral and pull on the truck hand brake?
if you dont, youre a [zb] ■■■■, simple as that.
as stated these occurrences are mainly down to distractions during the hooking up routine ever since i refuse any offers of help and i stick to the same routine every time but just in case i never twist the collar until i’m sure the world isn’t moving without me!
very wise mate and well said 
Is it a HANDbrake or a PARKbrake 
ROG:
Is it a HANDbrake or a PARKbrake
It is both, in truck terms they are synonyms meaning “a brake operated by a hand lever”.
ROG:
Is it a HANDbrake or a PARKbrake
It’s a PARKing brake operated by HAND.
It certainly aint no emergency brake/car hand brake if thats what you’re getting at, you kinda stop quick if you use it whilst moving, took a fortnight for the seatbelt bruises to disappear
In ye olden days, tractor units used to have a second lever in the cab which only operated the trailer brakes, so you could wear out the freight forwarders brakes instead of your own when on traction work. 
MADBAZ:
ROG:
Is it a HANDbrake or a PARKbrakeIt’s a PARKing brake operated by HAND.
It certainly aint no emergency brake/car hand brake if thats what you’re getting at,
No - not what I was getting at…
Many modern vehicles have this brake operated by other methods than by using the HAND so have been named PARKbrakes
One automatic car I was observing in recently automatically applied the PARKbrake every time it came to a stop and then released it the moment that the accelerator was applied - very handy - no more need for the lazy numpties to keep their foot on the footbrake and blazing brake lights
Harry Monk:
In ye olden days, tractor units used to have a second lever in the cab which only operated the trailer brakes, so you could wear out the freight forwarders brakes instead of your own when on traction work.
If I remember correctly that was called the DEADMAN brake - am I right Harry ■■