General Newbie Questions... [Moved here]

[evil8beezle]

1, Wing mirrors, hedges and telegraph poles!
Having driven a week on B roads, I’ve learnt that I have to pretty much play tickle with the hedges using my N/S wing mirror. I’d like to know if it’s like this all year, or is it currently at it’s worst this time of year.
Also, I’d also like to know why the telephone company have a nice row of poles most about 18" back from the kerb, and then a single random pole right on the kerb edge!

2, Bridges
Driving under a bridge a few days ago that was supposedly 2" higher than myself, I wondered if the council have a safety margin at all on those marked heights. As I was clenching slightly as I made my way through and looked at all the scrap marks on the underside of the bridge.
Also, On the motorways, you sometimes get concrete bridges that have supports jutting out the banks at an angle, that look like they overhang the hard shoulder. So do you need to be careful of these if you have to use the hard shoulder. (Yes I know, my VAN’s not that high! )

3, Fuel
Is it only HGV services that require you to hand over your fuel card first before you can fill. Or is there some secret code I need to be initiated into while Dipper Dave dances around me bollock naked clutching a blow up sheep & singing a Wurzels track!
Why is my Adblue tank on the opposite side to my fuel?

4, Unsuitable for HGV’s
What exactly do they mean by that? As it doesn’t say “NO HGV’s”, so does it means; Be my guest Mr HGV, lets see you make a ■■■ of yourself! Or is a notice to discourage use of this route? As so far, I’ve bottled it when I’ve seen that sign, and reassessed my route to target. And in a couple of cases i’ve return that load to the yards saying that they need to send the 7.5t to do that drop. And if your wondering, my justification was that i didn’t want to bash the truck up, and they seemed happy with that, and if it was perfectly normal.

5, 7.5 ton weight limit signs
Why is it that as you approach a weight restriction, the first signs to it say just that, and only the last one before the limited area do you get the sign that says “except for access”
On one occasion I ignored the first 2 signs on the way to a drop, as I could see it was a long way around to use any other route on the SatNav map. Also i could see there was a railway line, so when i didn’t see a low bridge sign with the weight limit sign, i assumed it would be an issue. So anyway, when i got to the last weight limit sign that said “except for access” I found also a low bridge sign, and by then I could see the bloody thing!

6, Securing loads with a strap system like this.

For a start, what’s it called?
Next, would you really strap every load, or just the items you think might be an issue?
(Obviously the pic looks like an ADR load, so probably it should have the crap strapped out of it! )
As a lot of my deliveries I’ve not strapped, and when i have, it’s been the lighter and taller pallets. But the issue isn’t the load moving side to side, it’s falling forwards, and I’m not that impressed with putting a diagonal strap across the front of the load. It didn’t save a stupidly tall collection I made and then met a nutter on a roundabout.As I had to shove the anchors on when he changed his mind, and the first thing i though of was that pallet (well only after swearing to myself ) And when I opened the curtain back at the depot, I had a pallet to restack! - But at the same time, the client was taking the ■■■■ with paying for “1 pallet” of transport, as the pallet was the height of my wagon minus 2 inches!
So any tips about this system? i.e. When and how…

7, Taking control of the loading
At the place I’ve been for 3 days last week (which I really enjoy, and they want to tell me about their perm package! ) I’ve always been loaded and then told my truck is ready. But Thursday I had 2 runs to do, and was back ready to be reloaded at lunchtime. And this time the forklift driver said I was to tell him the order and placement of the loads. Well that was my expression at the time, but after the initial shock, it occured to me that this is the way I’d want it! And I shouldn’t rely on the forkies to think about how positioning will affect my drive, or using one load to support another under breaking. So should I be more assertive next week and try to get involved in the morning loading? I’m not saying take charge to start with, just watch and ensure it’s to my liking!

I think I better stop there, and thanks for any help!

[radar19]

For strapping, give the pallet a wiggle. If it moves then strap it! Some things you don’t need to strap, 1 high boxes for example. This comes with time as you begin to experience all sorts of different pallets and contents. Same with loading of your wagon, keep an eye on what you have at the front end because that is a really easy place to overload as you have you, your snap and your cab all sitting over the front wheels. Add two tons of paper and you’ll be massively overweight! As a rule of them, if you can’t get your foot between the front mudflap and the road then you are overloaded.

[muckaway]

“Unsuitable for hgvs” is an advisory sign (hence why it’s blue). 7.5t mgw (with lorry picture) is an environmental limit but like you say may have exemptions for access, loading and loading (means the same) or maybe timed like in London and subject to permits.
If you see the weight limit sign with the picture of a dead weight with the amount shown it is a structural limit like a weak bridge. Fines for breaching these tend to be higher and harsher than NIMBY limits.
I think if a sign says “except for access” you can drive past it to use facilities like a service station or to access your depot providing the depot is before the end of the limit.

[conor]

1. Usually like that all year round but gets better when the farmers trim them down once a year.

2. There’s usually a few inches tolerance but do not count on it. It isn’t uncommon for the highways department to forget to re-check the bridge height when they’ve resurfaced a road.

3. Anywhere you fuel up HGVs.

4. “It depends”. There’s one “unsuitable for HGVs” I go down at Radlett. Its an A road and its because the locals don’t like lorries driving through the place. Funny how it suddenly becomes suitable for HGVs whenever roadworks prevent you using the signed HGV route. There are plenty of others where you can get stuck real quick.

5. Its because the locals don’t like lorries driving through the place or you find there’s a width/length restriction because of the road making it not the best place to take a lorry past the point where the only place anyone would ever deliver to is. This is one such place. You can get to the timber merchant fine but the road where it is going off to the right after the timber merchant isn’t the best to take a truck down and you’re going to really struggle turning out of the T junction at the end with an artic.

6. Internal straps and yes you strap pretty much everything. Once upon a time you could get away with it but in the last few years DVSA tightened up the rules so if you’ve not strapped a load you’ve got a hard time convincing them why you shouldn’t be done for an insecure load. XL Load bearing curtains (proper ones with a certification number on them) allow you to not use straps but only within a certain limit. The load must be up to the headboard, no more than a certain distance from the curtains along the side and be uniform. The picture you posted would not be allowed to be unstrapped even with XL curtains.

7. Loading the vehicle is the drivers responsibility and when stopped by DVSA “well the forkie said it would be OK” is not a defence. An experienced forkie is one to take advice from as they usually know the best way to load it. An inexperienced one can leave you with a dangerous load or overloaded on one or more axles. At the end of the day its your responsibility, nobody elses.

[f-reds]

Wow Evil, that is a lot of questions… I’ll do my best for you.

1. OK so as your mirrors are priceless essential kit, don’t play hedge chicken with them. Put yourself, further into the middle of the road, and drive a little slower, if an on coming vehicle can’t get past your road position, assess the hedge and move over into a “soft” spot. If you start flouting mirror arms regularly it won’t be long before you are breaking lenses regularly… won’t make you popular with the office, and will make you very popular with the lads who will take the ■■■■ out of you for doing it. Once is a mistake, more than that is careless.

2. The only bridges you have to worry about are signed ones, if it hasn’t got a sign over it, it legally has to be how high? (This would have been on your theory test ) I also wouldn’t make a habit out of going under ones you are signed as being over height for, you can still be done for that even if you don’t touch the bridge in certain circumstances.

3. No. It depends. Usually signage to tell you. As for Adblue, that’s tough luck.

4. No prooooooooblemo, sometimes. Best thing to tell you if it unsuitable is your eyes! If it looks OK, it probably is. You’ll get know the more experienced you get.

5. Brush up on your weight limit theory. It will save you literally decades of time. There’s plenty of times you will need to go down a limited road, so know when you can and when you cannot! Sometimes, you may even want to “risk it for a biscuit”, depending on where you are

6. & 7. Your load can never be too secure, although in your game, each load is different so will not require the same method each time. Also “live loading” (you supervising) is great. It’s the only way I roll. At my place I’m the only one that does, but that’s my choice. PS if something has gell over on the bed because you have had to react to something on the road, that’s your fault. Because it wasn’t secure. Flagellate yourself until you bleed. Or curse as you pick it all up. Either way you’ll soon learn how to stop it…

I hope I helped a bit…

[ash_001]

Wow lots of good questions there evil, trees are a nightmare mate just keep your mirrors safe like people have said, as for bridge heights unmarked are 5m but ones that are marked up give you an allowance of 3 to 4 inches so a 9ft bridge you can be 9.2 or 9.3 and still get under As for adblue where do you fill this up at depo then? annoying that is not the same side as your fuel tank How do the authorities take kindly to you going through restrictions if you are delivering there to residential addresses? if there are no signs for access only do you just take it back? as i will be doing house deliveries this would be some useful information.

[martinviking]

1, Wing mirrors- Slow down & be prepared to stop, especially if a Tipper is coming at you at 56mph. Your wagon is 8ft wide, the mirrors are about 12inches each, making it 10ft wide, mirrors can cost £400+. Telegraph poles are still there in the winter, the leaves might be gone but the branches still stick out.

2, Bridges- know your height & keep to the middle of arches, if it looks low, again slow down, wind your windows down & take it steady. The angled supports on motorway bridges ‘should’ be over 16’ 3" or they should be marked up, our Double Deckers are 16ft high & they go under the supports in the roadworks between J15 & J19 (M1) although I do tend to move out a little if there’s room. I would imagine that you wagon is under 14ft, so you shouldn’t have too many problems.

3, Fuel- 99.9% of the time we fill up in the yard, but if I ever do fill up at a service station or garage I always give them my fuel card before filling up, Adblue is where they can fit it, so you’ve got to live with it, sorry. [emoji4]

4, Unsuitable for HGV’s- there’s a clue in the description, if your not sure, don’t go down it, you can end up in a Whole World of Pain & lots of reversing if you get it wrong, use your phone or ask a local/Posties are usually pretty helpful.

5, 7.5 Ton Weight Limits- it’s illegal to run through a weight limit, Except for Access means access along the weight limit, not the factory 200 yards after the end, if you’ve gotta go round-go round ! Simples !

6, Securing Loads- that looks like Internal Straps with a Spanset/Ratchet Strap running along the wagon, as Radar says, if it’s a nice flat positive load it probably won’t need strapping, except the back pallets, although if they ain’t XL Curtains technically you should treat it as a flat & strap everything. If it looks like it’s gonna fall over, it will, so strap it or put it up against the headboard or another solid pallet. Don’t drive like a Teenager playing on Grand Theft Auto, slow down a lot earlier & read the road/roundabouts, come to a stop steadily if you have to & pull away gently, might cost you 10 or 20 seconds, but it’ll cost you a lot more in time & damages if it goes over, not to mention the ■■■■ being taken out of you back at the yard when no one will help you pick it up. [emoji12]

7, Taking control of the Loading- you’ve answered your own question, work with the forkies & don’t let them trap your straps,

[evil8beezle]

ash 001:
Wow lots of good questions there evil, trees are a nightmare mate just keep your mirrors safe like people have said, as for bridge heights unmarked are 5m but ones that are marked up give you an allowance of 3 to 4 inches so a 9ft bridge you can be 9.2 or 9.3 and still get under As for adblue where do you fill this up at depo then? annoying that is not the same side as your fuel tank How do the authorities take kindly to you going through restrictions if you are delivering there to residential addresses? if there are no signs for access only do you just take it back? as i will be doing house deliveries this would be some useful information.

- I’ll let you test that mate! As my question was more about being worried that I was close, not that i could risk being an inch or 2 over. As I’ll be doing a U turn mate! As for deliveries, as long as you can prove you need access and there isn’t a “weak bridge” sign, I’d crack on. It’s the getting stuck without somewhere to turn around that worries me… As for Adblue Ash, our place has an IBC, those 1m cubes of of liquid in the yard. But from what i understand, not all yards have this and you get at at the same time as fuel.

Thanks everyone for your responses and answers, and I chose to group a load of questions together, rather than a drip feed of topics in the forum.
Plus I figured that once the pro’s have had their input, the moderators could possibly move this thread to the Newbie forum…

[vid]

Trees & branches stick out/ down more after heavy rain (or snow), wind/ subsidence (which is more common after heavy rain)/ lightning strikes can also result in branches or bigger taking out your mirrors or even windscreen!

Bridges, there used to be 6" tolerance but these days it depends on whoever has control of marking the heights in any given area, so you may or may not have an inch or two to play with and of course if the stretch of road has been relaid and the height not remeasured accurately … A lot of firms seem to add their own extra layer of safety by adding 6-9 inches to the height indicator inside the vehicle.

[evil8beezle]

Vid:
Trees & branches stick out/ down more after heavy rain (or snow), wind/ subsidence (which is more common after heavy rain)/ lightning strikes can also result in branches or bigger taking out your mirrors or even windscreen!

Bridges, there used to be 6" tolerance but these days it depends on whoever has control of marking the heights in any given area, so you may or may not have an inch or two to play with and of course if the stretch of road has been relaid and the height not remeasured accurately … A lot of firms seem to add their own extra layer of safety by adding 6-9 inches to the height indicator inside the vehicle.

Thanks for the info about considering the weather, and for reminding me to put a tape measure in my kit bag!

[ash_001]

Evil8Beezle:

ash 001:
Wow lots of good questions there evil, trees are a nightmare mate just keep your mirrors safe like people have said, as for bridge heights unmarked are 5m but ones that are marked up give you an allowance of 3 to 4 inches so a 9ft bridge you can be 9.2 or 9.3 and still get under As for adblue where do you fill this up at depo then? annoying that is not the same side as your fuel tank How do the authorities take kindly to you going through restrictions if you are delivering there to residential addresses? if there are no signs for access only do you just take it back? as i will be doing house deliveries this would be some useful information.

- I’ll let you test that mate! As my question was more about being worried that I was close, not that i could risk being an inch or 2 over. As I’ll be doing a U turn mate! As for deliveries, as long as you can prove you need access and there isn’t a “weak bridge” sign, I’d crack on. It’s the getting stuck without somewhere to turn around that worries me… As for Adblue Ash, our place has an IBC, those 1m cubes of of liquid in the yard. But from what i understand, not all yards have this and you get at at the same time as fuel.

Thanks everyone for your responses and answers, and I chose to group a load of questions together, rather than a drip feed of topics in the forum.
Plus I figured that once the pro’s have had their input, the moderators could possibly move this thread to the Newbie forum…

I have already tested mate in my little puddle jumper I went under an 8 8 bridge in a 9ft puddle jumper, I did ■■■■ myself in the process but it was done

[ash_001]

also about the restrictions if you know you have to deliver down there and its a restriction but sign does not say access only can you go down there?

[yt03]

Regarding number 2, my cpc trainer made a point which got me thinking… Say a bridge is 12"4 and your vehicle is 12"2, how much tarmac has been put on that road since the bridge was last measured for its height…

[mrginge]

I was a little scared going under a 14.6 bridge the other day as that is my trailer height, got under without contact but was sweating a bit.

[evil8beezle]

mrginge:
I was a little scared going under a 14.6 bridge the other day as that is my trailer height, got under without contact but was sweating a bit.

And from the comments, that’s the line i should probably draw, as it’s just about defensible if it all goes wrong!

martinviking:
1, Wing mirrors- Slow down & be prepared to stop, especially if a Tipper is coming at you at 56mph. Your wagon is 8ft wide, the mirrors are about 12inches each, making it 10ft wide, mirrors can cost £400+. Telegraph poles are still there in the winter, the leaves might be gone but the branches still stick out.

Yep, I’ve had to pull up and stop. As the alternatives was mirror loss or trashed car. But then again, i am a newbie and not yet at one with the exact width of the truck, or that i can get the nose closer to things than i currently trust myself to chance. So I’m quite a cautious driver as i know I don’t have the “pro” caravan towers skills!

[radar19]

yt03:
Regarding number 2, my cpc trainer made a point which got me thinking… Say a bridge is 12"4 and your vehicle is 12"2, how much tarmac has been put on that road since the bridge was last measured for its height…

My truck is 12"9’, went under a bridge in Stratford that was 13", squeaky bum time that was.

[yt03]

Radar19:

yt03:
Regarding number 2, my cpc trainer made a point which got me thinking… Say a bridge is 12"4 and your vehicle is 12"2, how much tarmac has been put on that road since the bridge was last measured for its height…

My truck is 12"9’, went under a bridge in Stratford that was 13", squeaky bum time that was.

A few years ago when I was doing plant on class 2 we did deliveries to network rail daily, they was one site up near goole and I had to actually lower the ■■■ end just to get to them! Was a heart in mouth moment that first time though lol

[muckaway]

ash 001:
also about the restrictions if you know you have to deliver down there and its a restriction but sign does not say access only can you go down there?

Do you mean the 7.5t limit with lorry picture but no “except for” sign underneath? If so you’re not meant to (it’s a NIMBY limit) but there should be another way in, even if that itself is a weight limit (should have an exemption sign at the other end). Eynsham has a couple, one off the A40 at the lights and the most obvious and widest road into the village. It was put in to stop lorries going through the village to the trading estate which isn’t in the village. But, every sizeable building site in Eynsham has it in their planning restrictions that site traffic HAS to use said weight limit and not the unlimited road through the village centre. Stupid, conflicting rules. Thankfully it’s regarded as an “except for access” restriction as even the council have admitted how unsuitable the legal route is.

[muckles]

Evil8Beezle:
1, Wing mirrors, hedges and telegraph poles!
Having driven a week on B roads, I’ve learnt that I have to pretty much play tickle with the hedges using my N/S wing mirror. I’d like to know if it’s like this all year, or is it currently at it’s worst this time of year.
Also, I’d also like to know why the telephone company have a nice row of poles most about 18" back from the kerb, and then a single random pole right on the kerb edge!

Take it easy down tight B roads as you don’t realise how much you use your mirrors until it’s lying in a hedge.

Evil8Beezle:
2, Bridges
Driving under a bridge a few days ago that was supposedly 2" higher than myself, I wondered if the council have a safety margin at all on those marked heights. As I was clenching slightly as I made my way through and looked at all the scrap marks on the underside of the bridge.
Also, On the motorways, you sometimes get concrete bridges that have supports jutting out the banks at an angle, that look like they overhang the hard shoulder. So do you need to be careful of these if you have to use the hard shoulder. (Yes I know, my VAN’s not that high! )

The guidelines for Bridge height marking should mean there is a margin, the main thing is to know your height. Motorways arches look low, but only because of perspective, but nothing compared to the rest of Europe, I think I ducked quite a lot on my first trip abroad.

Evil8Beezle:
3, Fuel
Is it only HGV services that require you to hand over your fuel card first before you can fill. Or is there some secret code I need to be initiated into while Dipper Dave dances around me bollock naked clutching a blow up sheep & singing a Wurzels track!
Why is my Adblue tank on the opposite side to my fuel?

Most places require you to hand in your fuel card, I do know of places that don’t seem to worry, which is a bit annoying when you’ve walk to the till and stood in the queue for no reason.

Evil8Beezle:
4, Unsuitable for HGV’s
What exactly do they mean by that? As it doesn’t say “NO HGV’s”, so does it means; Be my guest Mr HGV, lets see you make a ■■■ of yourself! Or is a notice to discourage use of this route? As so far, I’ve bottled it when I’ve seen that sign, and reassessed my route to target. And in a couple of cases i’ve return that load to the yards saying that they need to send the 7.5t to do that drop. And if your wondering, my justification was that i didn’t want to bash the truck up, and they seemed happy with that, and if it was perfectly normal.

It means you probably can’t get a truck down there or the locals don’t like it, but then you see a local on farm work driving a spud bulker out of there. The rule I use is it’s quicker to have a look and check then get stuck or reverse for miles.

Evil8Beezle:
5, 7.5 ton weight limit signs
Why is it that as you approach a weight restriction, the first signs to it say just that, and only the last one before the limited area do you get the sign that says “except for access”
On one occasion I ignored the first 2 signs on the way to a drop, as I could see it was a long way around to use any other route on the SatNav map. Also i could see there was a railway line, so when i didn’t see a low bridge sign with the weight limit sign, i assumed it would be an issue. So anyway, when i got to the last weight limit sign that said “except for access” I found also a low bridge sign, and by then I could see the bloody thing!

Should take these seriously, could get you and your company into trouble, normally put them to stop trucks taking a shortcut into an industrial area, the problem is councils are fond of putting them up, but not fond of signposting the alternative route. The local NIMBEYS take great delight in reporting trucks going into 7.5t weight limits.

Evil8Beezle:
6, Securing loads with a strap system like this.

Next, would you really strap every load, or just the items you think might be an issue?
(Obviously the pic looks like an ADR load, so probably it should have the crap strapped out of it! )
As a lot of my deliveries I’ve not strapped, and when i have, it’s been the lighter and taller pallets. But the issue isn’t the load moving side to side, it’s falling forwards, and I’m not that impressed with putting a diagonal strap across the front of the load. It didn’t save a stupidly tall collection I made and then met a nutter on a roundabout.As I had to shove the anchors on when he changed his mind, and the first thing i though of was that pallet (well only after swearing to myself ) And when I opened the curtain back at the depot, I had a pallet to restack! - But at the same time, the client was taking the ■■■■ with paying for “1 pallet” of transport, as the pallet was the height of my wagon minus 2 inches!
So any tips about this system? i.e. When and how…

I’m a firm believer in strapping loads, but then I’ve also done a lot of flatbed stuff, can’t hide it behind the curtains.
If you don’t like what you’re loading then you can refuse it, but obviously that can cause problems and there is always the driver who would take it. I think you really need something solid to the front, far more forces going that way than to the side or rear.

Evil8Beezle:
7, Taking control of the loading
At the place I’ve been for 3 days last week (which I really enjoy, and they want to tell me about their perm package! ) I’ve always been loaded and then told my truck is ready. But Thursday I had 2 runs to do, and was back ready to be reloaded at lunchtime. And this time the forklift driver said I was to tell him the order and placement of the loads. Well that was my expression at the time, but after the initial shock, it occured to me that this is the way I’d want it! And I shouldn’t rely on the forkies to think about how positioning will affect my drive, or using one load to support another under breaking. So should I be more assertive next week and try to get involved in the morning loading? I’m not saying take charge to start with, just watch and ensure it’s to my liking!

I think I better stop there, and thanks for any help!

It’s your load, but sometimes worth listening to the fork lift driver as they load it all the time, but if you’re not happy don’t accept it, I’ve had some good run in with forklift drivers and even got a company to send somebody in on a Sunday to re-load a trailer as it was already loaded, but would have put me over on the drive axle, I wasn’t the most popular person, but I wasn’t taking the chance and we’d had several goes at them in the past about it. Although I understand it’s not easy when you’re new to the job.

[evil8beezle]

Wow, a really detailed and helpful set of answers muckles! Along with all the other posts, so thank you all, very helpful!

And so far, not a single bit of ■■■■ take, i feel honoured!
So start when you’re ready people!

It’s my wing mirrors, and losing them that has scared me the most in my first few days of driving. And on the first day i almost wanted to close my eyes when I saw another truck coming towards me, as I felt like the truck was 16 foot wide. But after a few days I got a lot more comfortable about my width, and watching things through in my nearside mirror has helped a lot in that… I do move out to keep my mirror clear when i can, but at the same time I don’t want to be straddling the road, and when i was taking lessons, my instructor was trying to get me closer to the nearside quite a few times, so maybe I’m a little paranoid. yet on the flip side of that, I’ve started to tickle the hedge a bit when I’ve still thought I had a bit to spare!
I had great fun on one road where they had trimmed the hedge on the lower pass that worked for car, but hadn’t touched the higher level meaning that there was a 12 or more inch difference on how tight in you could get. I was dreading meeting another HVG!

But so far, I’ve not damaged my mirrors while I’ve been driving professionally!