Usual agency worker bashing. I always check my pin height. Some of us take the time to check then get slagged off for wasting time by despatch/drivers. I won’t rush for no one.
Whilst still tramping forJRT I was left in the situation of having to leave my truck (obviously the truck that is allocated to me by my employer) at our cannock depot, no sooner had I taken my kit out of the truck an agency driver was wandering over to grab the keys, I did my usual hand over about fluid levels and so on and happy day until he was hitching up first stepped onto the nice clean carpet with dirty rigger boots for which he had a disapproving “Oi I’ve just cleaned that” then after stepping up onto the catwalk connected the lines and went to jump down off the recently polished diesel tank for which he got another “oi”. Upon collecting the truck the following week I found damage to the rear arch where the kingpin had been missed damage to the rear lights and coffee stains on the dash board. Whether agency or staff it’s simple courtesy to the regular driver to keep his/her cab clean especially when a lot of effort has gone into it and its not an accident to miss the pin by a foot to the left its plain incompetence. It’s a sad fact that some drivers just couldn’t give a t**s about the truck their driving, the company they work for or the load their carrying and it’s these drivers that give the rest of us a bad name.
Bking:
Maybe some idiot shouldnt have left the trailer so high that the table could slide under the king pin!And why not drop the tractor suspension then pull the tractor out instead of using fork trucks?
And how the hell did it bend the legs without smashing the tractor unit light cklusters?
Pair off iso sockets and a c coupling maybe 100 quid and an hour to fix so what.Where I work they put the fridge donkey through the back of the tractor.Now thats what you call damage!
You have not read all the above posts properly have you?
As for the rear lights they are ok simply because on the unit in question the centre rails or ramps or what ever you wish to call them have two air tanks mounted low down which stick out a fair bit more than the rear lights do.
Bking:
Maybe some idiot shouldnt have left the trailer so high that the table could slide under the king pin!And why not drop the tractor suspension then pull the tractor out instead of using fork trucks?
And how the hell did it bend the legs without smashing the tractor unit light cklusters?
Pair off iso sockets and a c coupling maybe 100 quid and an hour to fix so what.Where I work they put the fridge donkey through the back of the tractor.Now thats what you call damage!
What do you mean so what?? A few 100 quid here and there could be the difference in whether a company folds or not. It shouldn’t happen.
billybigrig:
Interesting priorities in this world. Smash into a cop car on the hard shoulder and it’s an accident and group hug for the poor driver. Drop a bollock coupling up and it’s send for the hangman
OP seriously get a life. [zb] happens get over it.
^^^this^^^
When [zb]kers drop trailers like this
It is easy to miss the pin, you will notice that I didn’t, because I pay attention to it, a lesson I learned the hard way more than once, again I never did any damage in the past, but winding trailers up (before air ride units) so I could get myself out from under it and start the process again taught me a valuable lesson 
Another valuable lesson is not to mock the misfortune of others, or give it the I’m perfect and never make a mistake bollox, because Karma is a ■■■■■… 
merc0447:
We had a belter last week but this agency guy has been with us for years which makes his actions really odd. But he went out on friday night with a heavy load from bellshill to grangemouth but he choose to go via avongorgeWhat is more scary?
He didn’t stop or he didn’t know what he hit or he drove from avon gorge to grangemouth with a heavy load with only 3 trailer wheels (2 axle trailer).
He told nobody, no accident form filled in. All he wrote on his trip sheet was he hit something on the A801 and he didn’t stop because of double white lines. Now like i say he was a regular and a nice guy to talk to but what happened that night was he drunk? Now if he had done it by the book stopped and reported it nothing would have been said he would just have been reassessed maybe he would have had to answer questions why he was off route. But because he just left the trailer in a mess and informed nobody, my boss went mental and really stuck the boot into the agency.
was it an 8 hour shift by any chance? trying to drag the shift out a bit by taking a longer, and very strange choice of routes in this case. either that or upgrading the A80 was a waste of money if people dont like the road
newmercman:
billybigrig:
Interesting priorities in this world. Smash into a cop car on the hard shoulder and it’s an accident and group hug for the poor driver. Drop a bollock coupling up and it’s send for the hangmanOP seriously get a life. [zb] happens get over it.
^^^this^^^
When [zb]kers drop trailers like this
It is easy to miss the pin, you will notice that I didn’t, because I pay attention to it, a lesson I learned the hard way more than once, again I never did any damage in the past, but winding trailers up (before air ride units) so I could get myself out from under it and start the process again taught me a valuable lesson
Another valuable lesson is not to mock the misfortune of others, or give it the I’m perfect and never make a mistake bollox, because Karma is a ■■■■■…
I used to face this problem down at Dover. The shunter would leave a load of trailers “standing on tiptoe” like this, so that even at full pump-up on the suspension buttons, you can’t quite reach the pin safely.
I’d come in for a night shift, and the shunter had long since gone home with the only keys to the only tug as well. 
Some incoming foreign tractors would have suspension that could be jacked up that little bit further, so if you asked very nicely… 
myself always take my gear out and leave noyhing behind use to leave me stuff in but they all seem take things 
off on the sick at mo so every man and his dog will be on it/ but anyway its not mine so how cares sad but thats the way it is
Gary wrote:
When you pull the red knob on the trailer park brake, what exactly happens? I understood that it dumps the air from the spring chamber, is that correct, or does it also apply air into the service side chamber from the tank as well? If it just dumps the air, then what does pulling the knob achieve over and above pulling the red line off? Not trying to start any arguments, just want to understand the technical side of things.
Gary all Park Brakes have to be mechnically applied (by law) but today are air assisted, Units once had ratchet handbrakes and so did trailers for parking. When Spring Brake Chambers came into use all they consisted of are a normal brake chamber with a section attached to the rear that stores a powerful coiled spring, this spring is held compressed during normal driving by air pressure pushing on a piston. The front part of the chamber operates normally during braking/driving.
When parking,(by pulling/pushing button depending on type) the air is released from the rear part of the spring chamber until the powerful spring pressure overtakes the releasing air and applies the brakes, so mechanically applying them. If air is lost in the system overtime its no problem as the large spring keeps the brakes applied no matter what. Air again fills the system, the button is reset and air then forces back the piston and the spring is compressed again allowing the brakes to release, this action works the same on the tractor except you use the Hand/Park/Secondary brake lever.
The large nut on the back of spring chambers can be unscrewed which compresses the spring and allows the brakes to release when no air is available (during breakdowns etc). The spring brake system is also your Secondary brake system, by pulling slowly on the Park brake lever it uses the release of air to apply the brakes instead of the increase in air as used during normal service (foot) braking. Hope all this wasn’t too technical to understand I’ve kept it as basic as I could and as a matter of interest, how many guys check the Secondary system ! Franky.
scaniason:
When you pull the red knob on the trailer park brake, what exactly happens? I understood that it dumps the air from the spring chamber, is that correct, or does it also apply air into the service side chamber from the tank as well? If it just dumps the air, then what does pulling the knob achieve over and above pulling the red line off? Not trying to start any arguments, just want to understand the technical side of things.Gary
Sometimes pulling the red line will cause the spring brakes to come on and the park knob to pop out and apply. Sometimes it will just cause the spring brakes to apply and the park knob will just remain depressed. By actively pulling the knob you’re making it safe for the next person that comes along and couples (shunters & lazy-arses won’t agree though).
What happens is the driver reverses into the pin and because the truck isn’t rolling anywhere they forget to put the unit parking brake on. They then get on the catwalk and connect the red line, if the parking knob hasn’t been pulled (or popped automatically) out, the air from the red line will fill the chambers and release the spring brakes. As the handbrake has been forgotten to be applied in the unit the whole lot will now start rolling away. Unfortunately, instead of just disconnecting the red line causing the spring brakes to come back on again they panic and try and get off the catwalk and into the cab sometimes with fatal consequences.
Some units, depending on make, do apply pressure to the service portion of the chambers when the parking brake within the unit is applied but this isn’t really relevant to the main thrust of your question.
Thanks Frankydobo & Own Account Driver - this is how I thought things worked - I just couldn’t understand the emphasis on pulling the button for the park brakes, particularly on the test, as it does the same as pulling the red line. Reading the answers again though it makes sense, as you say when the driver forgets the unit park brake (did that the very first time I coupled, whilst learning ), and also when split coupling - although hopefully this would be checked as the first thing to do.
I remember the ratchet brakes when my Dad was driving, along with having to swing yourself under the trailer to kick them off when they were being stubborn. Back in the days of 3 air lines and only one electrical.
As for checking the secondary brakes - often do that if I’m moving across the yard and going to stop, I’ll often use the secondary instead of the footbrake.
Thanks again
Gary
scaniason:
When you pull the red knob on the trailer park brake, what exactly happens? I understood that it dumps the air from the spring chamber, is that correct, or does it also apply air into the service side chamber from the tank as well? If it just dumps the air, then what does pulling the knob achieve over and above pulling the red line off? Not trying to start any arguments, just want to understand the technical side of things.Gary
When you pull the button it "disconnects " the red line from the emergency relay valve.This then stops supplying air to the top of the quick realease valve which then allows the spring brakes to dump the air in the chambers and bang the springs on.Thats why when you take a trailer for test you have to pull the park button to check that you dont have a weak or broken spring in one of the brake chambers.Secondary on the hand valve is just a “controlled way” of applying the spring brakes by allowing a slow reduction in pressure on the spring brake membrane instead of going through the quick realease valve.
Newer trailers with full EBS use tank pressure to hold the brakes on when you pull the button and as the pressure drops over time the springs take the strain via an anti compounding valve to stop both systems being applied at once which could crack the drums.When you pull the button on these trailers there is no air exhaust from the QR valve.With full EBS trailers you dont even have to connect the yellow line as the tractor EBS tells the modulator block on the trailer how hard the tractor brakes are being applied and the trailer just follows the can signal and applies its brakes to suit.
I have read the posts on here, I am quite alarmed at the " don’t give a ■■ attitude"
Some drivers are proud and want to keep things maintained and clean. It is annoying when other drivers get in the cab you drive and then treat it like crap.
Shows the general attitude of the new breed, absolute cretins.
Check trailer brake is on. Drop air on tractor, reverse till 5th wheel is slightly before pin, lift air to raise trailer legs, reverse slowly till the click.
Not that difficult even for noobs.
OMG, a post said the trailer was left too high by the previous driver, so when they reversed under they missed the king pin and smashed the deflector and back of the cab !
Ok, so must be the last drivers fault (sarcasm)
Unbelievable.