Getting out of the carp

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

when it becomes your responsibility.

A couple of years ago during my thankfully short stint on agency i had one of those oh bloody hell moments.

Early start still dark, Scania tractor, inspected and looked OK, so i found the trailer and tried to hook up…despite several attempts the 5th wheel wouldn’t engage.

Out comes be trusty torch again, on close inspection i can see the 5tn wheel handle is bent backwards, not by a lot but just enough that it won’t slip past its cut out to allow the jaws to lock.
■■■■ it, i’ve already tried with it so as you all know its now going to be my, the agency idiots fault…the bloke who dropped the last trailer probably didn’t drop the suspension and most likely caught the handle as he pulled out, trouble is no bugger is going to believe me, they have plenty of agency but apart from some of the blokes i know there from 30 years ago, most of the regulars hate agency blokes, doesn’t help that their money is about £4 and hour lower than agency rates.

Course its Saturday morning so only the security geezer about, which might have been a blessing as it turned out, so no witnesses.

Found a scaffold bar and i’m trying to bend it back, when snap the bloody bolt that secures the handle extension breaks…Jesus wept how much worse can it get.

Never mind, now the extension is out the way i can now slide the scaffold bar over shorter piece of lever and give it some welly, righto so i’ve bent it enough and can now pick the trailer up.

So off i go and do the run…old school proper bloke on the fork truck where i’m going, and i had a word in his ear whilst i made tea for both of us (old school place too, all muck and bulletts)…told him the truth and asked him if he happened to have any nuts and bolts about i could fix the bloody thing…sure enough he rumaged about and found me a good bolt and two nuts to lock it, so i was able to bolt the extension handle back and save meself a shedload of grief.

I could have inspected the truck till i was blue in the face in the morning, no way would you have spotted the bent handle before trying to couple.

Anyway, i fixed it and just recoupled when 2 regular full timers turned up from the same firm, phew, close shave that was.

Any other tales of getting yourself out the carp for something you didn’t do.

2

Blumming agency drivers!! break everything, tell no one!! :wink:

Its near on impossible to see everything when you are doing checks in the pitch black.

Many of times ive done my checks, drove to destination, then walking back to cab you see half the front grill is missing and theres a massive crack down one side faring.

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Personaly i use a big net. or try and tickle them :smiley:

Look at the thread name

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r slicker:
Personaly i use a big net. or try and tickle them :smiley:

Look at the thread name

You talking about fish or your 36 wives :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

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Juddian:
I could have inspected the truck till i was blue in the face in the morning, no way would you have spotted the bent handle before trying to couple.

You reckon?? I bet theres a couple of blokes on here that would have seen it :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
There’l no doubt be along in a minute to comment! :unamused: :unamused:
Good post though, i can imagine your grief and the position you were in. Bloody good outcome though :sunglasses:

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haribo4000:
Its near on impossible to see everything when you are doing checks in the pitch black.

Many of times ive done my checks, drove to destination, then walking back to cab you see half the front grill is missing and theres a massive crack down one side faring.

/\ +1 Hell yes… :confused: