Hi all im a new driver been driving dustcarts for about 4 weeks today I had my first prang going down a narrow road tried to squeeze between 2 parked cars and ended up taking the back quarter of the one on my offside with my swing was to busy taking care with my nearside and have payed the price… no damage to the waggon smashed the back light and bumper on the car… the gaffer understandably wasnt very happy but he hasnt sacked me 
but it has knocked my confidence quite a bit been out the rest of the day and not been to bad settled down a bit now… anyway I was just wondering does this happen to people much looking for some honesty is it normal for a new driver to have a little prang ? Any stories of things like this that have happend to you ? Just looking to get it of my chest feel really stupid right thinking why didnt i look but im just going to have to learn from the mistake thanks guys
put it behind you no, it doesn’t happen to everyone… but it does happen to most of us.
think about it, the truck is x times bigger than a car, you spend many times more hours driving in a truck, and you go to places you would have no reason to in a car… then there are blindspots!
if I were a bookie… the odds of bumping a car and the odds of bumping a truck?
I have had a few prangs over the years. that’s how you learn. ideally you would learn without the bumps, but it does happen even to the best drivers. learn from it and move on
Thanks mate really good post it just makes you feel like a idiot when it happens just been ■■■■■■ off with myself for letting it happen but like you said im gonna try and forget about it now whats dones done and just learn from it… chin up ay 
I had my first whoops moment last night, first one ever since I started driving nearly a decade ago.
Narrow road, I had right of way. Some idiot trying to force his way past pushing me into the curb, the overhang from the rear clipped someone’s porch and knocked 3 tiles off.
attaboy! we are only human and mistakes happen. its how we deal with them that determines character if you had not given a zb then there’s something to worry about but you were shaken up and learned from the experience. trust me, it will make you a better driver
on my first week as an agency driver, I had a job on a bin lorry for cleanaway. I was on my own having to drive and keep getting out to empty the bins. near to the end of the shift I was knackered out and fed up. I had to squeeze into a tiny gap and reverse round a corner to get out. I was watching my mirrors as I rounded the corner, it was completely clear. the point at which I finished braking was when I must have just touched it. hindsight is a wonderful thing. anyway, when I put the gas on to reverse, nothing happened. I thought I may be on the kerb, so I gave it some boot to clear it… nothing! didn’t budge an inch! I switched on the rear camera… there was nothing there. I was exhausted, so I didn’t want to have to climb out, so one last time I gave it some clog! by now I’d come to the conclusion that the truck had a mechanical problem. I got out of the truck and walked around back. to my horror I saw a lamp post which I’d not seen in the mirrors and was just to the side of the camera! the light at the top of the lamppost was about 5 feet from the pavement, it was at an angle of about 30 degrees!!! I had not only reversed into it, I had sat there gunning the engine and spent about 5 minutes PUSHING IT OVER!
my reversing improved a thousand per cent that day! I have never to this day had another reversing accident
Thanks guys made me feel a lot better and yh I will definitely be learning from this one… jbaz thats a great story with the lamppost thanks for your honesty lots of people pretend and just say ive never had a accident im the best driver in the world its the first thing thats made me smile today and feel a bit more human… madmossy sorry to hear you had one yesterday how did your boss take it ? Judging from what people have said I think we just gotta get our heads up forget it but learn from it thank you all for your posts much appreciated
samstone90:
Thanks guys made me feel a lot better and yh I will definitely be learning from this one… jbaz thats a great story with the lamppost thanks for your honesty lots of people pretend and just say ive never had a accident im the best driver in the world its the first thing thats made me smile today and feel a bit more human… madmossy sorry to hear you had one yesterday how did your boss take it ? Judging from what people have said I think we just gotta get our heads up forget it but learn from it thank you all for your posts much appreciated
No idea yet, he wasn’t around yesterday night when I got back in and today is my day off. But no news is good news I guess. It’s certainly not the worst or last boo boo that will happen with our drivers, I documented it, took photos. Did my part I wasn’t even the primary person at fault, it was the idiot who tried to push past me when it was my right of way, of course the second he got past he was gone like the wind. So I didn’t even get chance to give him a piece of my mind!
You do learn from it though, in future I stand my ground regardless of the half a dozen idiots behind hooting their horns. In fact I’ll probably just switch off the engine and have a cuppa while they get out my way!
Dustcarts & knocks go together like Jam & Donuts.(it’s the Law !) I’ve worked for 3 Waste Company’s & they’re all the same, you are expected to manoeuvre in some really stupid places, customers & the public think its a game & your crew will expect you to get as near to the bags or bins as humanly possible, don’t let either pressurise you. Take your time & If you don’t think it will fit ! It won’t !
I’ve had a few prangs, 1 or 2 my fault, it’s all part of the Learning Curve, don’t let it bother you, you’ll be laughing about it with your mates in the pub this time next week. Just try not to make a habit of it !
I drive a 26t 6 wheeler with rear mounted HIAB for a builders merchants & YES it does happen to everybody.
Please remember that not every LGV driver spends most of their day on the tight narrow backstreets of a town/city where the streetmap was defined in medieval times.
Half of the driving Gods on here have never ventured far beyond an ‘A’ road.
I wouldn’t let it bother you accidents happen…
Last year I took the front off an old ■■■■■■ sitting in my blind spot and reversed into newham colleges electric gate knocking it off the runners 
It’s the process of learning, the worst I got was a load of stick off the lads for being ‘the kid’ 
Madmossy: yh I know that feeling no new is good news lol but like you said you did eveything right so I wouldnt worry about it…
Martinviking: jam and donuts I love it 
thats class ill have to use that one in the future but its obvious youve done this work before because youve hit the bloody nail on the head there mate no space to swing a cat never mind at 26t lorry public and crews that think its like driving a car saying swing it in here and pointing at a gap for there rover metro would be tight. But your 100% right I ent gonna let them try and pressure me into trying to get into places it just wont go from now on theyll get a Nope from me…
Chas: ive got a lot of respect for all hgv drivers as it is a demanding job but I totally agree with you it seems some of the motorway and A road drivers forget or dont realise what it can be like in these tiny side streets with [ZB] that just stick there cars anywhere and call it parked
Maga: yh mate too right i know all about that im only 22 and most the blokes i work with are like 30’s and 40’s so you can imagine what thats like lol
Thanks again everyone youve all helped my confidence a lot ill go into work tomorrow to prove a point to myself that I can do this… youve all been fantastic and put a smile back on my face
it happens every day of the week. not everyone has the pleasure of the space of an rdc. tight streets will make you a better driver than most its all part of the challenge. as long as no one is hurt and theres not to much damage, that’s what the insurance company is for got to keep them robbing f****rs in a job
Truckerjimmy: your right mate thats the main thing no one got hurt and the damage wasnt that bad … and yh to right those bas***ds have so much of us let them see what it feels like to fork out lol… cheers for the post mate
My first job was on the bin lorries too but never had any hits or anything like that, came close with a roof once in an old farm as i was turning but knew it was there and had it covered. Now onto artics and i touch the buildings all the time when i’m reversing onto the bay but that’s supposed to happen ahha
that mention of the electric gates jogged another memory loose.
my first non agency class 2 job was at a place called tawny transport. all the trucks were double manned, and I was put with this guy who was a “driving god” an expert of 30 years yadaa yadaa!
we had an exercise bike to deliver to this really posh mansion. the problem was that they had remote operated electronic gates. they had to buzz you through, and the gates didn’t open for very long, fine if you are in a car, not so good if you’re in a long truck with about an inch clearance each side. I took my time going in, which annoyed the guy and prompted comments about how new drivers are useless etc.
we dropped the bike and he took over the driving to show me how it should be done. we got to the gates, and he pulled out. he’d only just got the front through when the gates closed with us still halfway through. the edge of the gates ended up lodged between the wheel nuts, so we couldn’t go back or forward without damaging the gates. he phoned the office on the mobile, they phoned the customer who didn’t answer the phone. they kept ringing for over an hour to no avail, while we sat trapped in the truck because the gates trapped the doors shut
after a while, my bladder would take no more, so I wound the window down, the gate had anti climb spikes on top, so with blatant disregard for health and safety, I very carefully climbed along the gates and got down the other side. I pressed the buzzer, and success!!! one of the staff pressed the button and set us free!!! my co driver who was in a rather angry mood by now moved the truck forward expertly navigating the tiny clearance on each side. I was so impressed, I wanted to be a proper driver just like him!!!
he was doing it much faster than I would have, but seeing as he was an expert, I had confidence in my hero!
imagine my horror when I saw the gates start to move. I waved my arms, but before the word “stop” had left my mouth, disaster struck! the gate snagged on the rear n/s wheel, tearing the gate off and ripping the wall apart!
his attitude towards me changed after that started treating me as an equal, not a kid he was training
Jbaz: thats a good story mate thanks for sharing that… shows that somtimes to be taken seriously some people need to remember there not invincible and evan with experience you still need to be on the ball all the time
jbaz73:
his attitude towards me changed after that
I dream of this day
Like others mate, I have had a prang or two and they wern’t all someone else’s fault! The first, I was straddling two lanes of a one way system in Lyndhurst, Hants preparing to turn left. As the lights were on red, a car krept up my inside and sat in my blind spot just beyond my curb mirror. When I moved off, I dragged the side rails of my crane trailer right down the side if his car. Although it wasn’t my fault and the chap behind him and me was of the same opinion it was partially satisfying in a “serves your right” way but it was nerve racking having never done anything like that before.
On the flip side, I sat in a layby one afternoon having a break and failed to see a car pull in behind me and park right behind my trailer. Before moving off I backed up to have a clearer run out of the layby when I stoved the front if his car in proper manner! Only realised I’d done it when I saw a puzzled looking chap stood in my mirror view as I waited for traffic to pass!
Bumping a car trying to get through a small gap is a minor but still a confidence knocker. Don’t beat yourself up but do make a conscious effort not to repeat it or get in similar situations.
As a newbie you got the odds stacked against you anyway not to mention probably a transport manager half expecting you to clout something every time you go out.
There a few few experienced drivers that have had bridge strikes totalling trailers and disrupting road/rail services. I’d take the scrape along the car anytime…it can be repaired which is more that can be said for a trailer after a bridge strike!
jbaz73:
attaboy! we are only human and mistakes happen. its how we deal with them that determines characteron my first week as an agency driver, I had a job on a bin lorry for cleanaway. I was on my own having to drive and keep getting out to empty the bins. near to the end of the shift I was knackered out and fed up. I had to squeeze into a tiny gap and reverse round a corner to get out. I was watching my mirrors as I rounded the corner, it was completely clear. the point at which I finished braking was when I must have just touched it. hindsight is a wonderful thing. anyway, when I put the gas on to reverse, nothing happened. I thought I may be on the kerb, so I gave it some boot to clear it… nothing! didn’t budge an inch! I switched on the rear camera… there was nothing there. I was exhausted, so I didn’t want to have to climb out, so one last time I gave it some clog! by now I’d come to the conclusion that the truck had a mechanical problem. I got out of the truck and walked around back. to my horror I saw a lamp post which I’d not seen in the mirrors and was just to the side of the camera! the light at the top of the lamppost was about 5 feet from the pavement, it was at an angle of about 30 degrees!!! I had not only reversed into it, I had sat there gunning the engine and spent about 5 minutes PUSHING IT OVER!
my reversing improved a thousand per cent that day! I have never to this day had another reversing accident
So did you drive round the other side of the lamppost and force it back into place?