Hi all,
Being told to go out in a lorry with a water leak and being told to just stop every hour to put water in it… dont sound safe to me…
simonglovers09:
Hi all,
Being told to go out in a lorry with a water leak and being told to just stop every hour to put water in it… dont sound safe to me…
I know what I would say … no chance
It depends on what your definition of not safe is and how bad the leak is. Yes you could be scalded if it was overheating and you do need to be careful releasing the pressure cap once the engine has been running for more than a couple of minutes. Yes if you have to tilt the cab to do so then something could go wrong. Yes if you parked somewhere stupid to attend to it then passing vehicles might be a danger. Yes if you don’t keep an eye on the temperature gauge then it could overheat,damage the engine and come to a halt suddenly. But given that you have a 25 litre drum of water and a watering can and have been shown what to do and more importantly what NOT to do and you are capable of following simple instructions then it seems a reasonable request. You will know within the first few miles whether you are going to be able to carry on or not.
What you do need to ensure is that the vehicle owner accepts that any consequential damage to the vehicle is at their risk and not yours.
Just get it I writing that’s what they want you to do to cover your ■■■. then
Go drive 1 hr stop 15 mins ( do naff all)
Go drive 1 hr stop 15 mins ( do naff all)
Go drive 1hrs You get the picture
BANG not my fault boss you said 
not your problem and boss has learnt an expensive lesson…crack on sailor
Tell 'em to get it fixed. Get banned from site, move onto another, perhaps more decent employer.
If you knowingly take a vehicle out unfit for the road - and get pulled - you’ll get busted. It’s your licence.
RIght now, there’s plenty of other fish in the sea. Not only that, but the major recent falls in fuel prices will mean there will be a lot of “new” transport yards starting up, that are going to try on all the [zb] tricks under the sun - on both their drivers, and their customers. I wouldn’t be surprised to come back to your car in the “park at own risk” car park to find it had been siphoned whilst you were on shift, and out in a truck somewhere…
Employers like that need to be given a wide berth.
simonglovers09:
Hi all,
Being told to go out in a lorry with a water leak and being told to just stop every hour to put water in it… dont sound safe to me…
It’s not unsafe, not really a good way to run a truck, could prove costly to the operator, but if it’s how he wants to do things then crack on. I’ve known a few drivers who’ve had to top up water in their trucks during the shift, it’s not as uncommon as you think.
I didn’t know they ran on water now - the future is indeed bright 
Radweld or even egg whites could stop the leak. But that’s only a get you home fix, not a way to take it out at the start of the day.
Is it really a water leak, or maybe a blown head gasket that could fail at any time.
Taking it out knowing it already leaks is a bad idea, the leak is only going to get worse and fixing a seized engine will cost a lot more than fixing a leak!
While the truck itself is not ‘unsafe’ there is the risk of injury when trying to top up if there is still pressure and heat when removing filler cap.
Leave it to cool before topping up and if it goes bang because you forgot, maybe it will teach him a lesson.
You are sure it’s not one of these? 
Ask your self this … if it was your car would you drive it in that condition if the answers no then dont do it we all need to remember that whilst we work for people in essence we rent them our licence the key being its ours not theres so the responsibility rests with us
Just run it till it overheats but tell them you have put water in then the ball is back in there court , like nick2008 says get it in writing or ■■■■ the job off from the start its not unsafe to run it its a bodge job let the driver arse about topping it up every hour ,its taking the ■■■■ 
ROG:
I know what I would say … no chance
I thought you never bothered with water or oil checks Rog
Run it without the cap on then it won’t leak as much because not pressurized. Unless your climbing mountains fully freighted it shouldn’t get up to 100*C.
(for those unaware a pressurized system increases the boiling point to beyond 100*)
Wot a load of b******s. It’s not unsafe, it’s unreliable. Take it steady and do as driveroneuk says, run without the cap on. If it still leaks from wherever it’s been leaking it must be really bad… still not unsafe. The worst that can happen to you if it goes off bang is that you’ll be stranded. Worse things have happened to a lot of us on the road.
peterm:
Wot a load of b******s. It’s not unsafe, it’s unreliable. Take it steady and do as driveroneuk says, run without the cap on. If it still leaks from wherever it’s been leaking it must be really bad… still not unsafe. The worst that can happen to you if it goes off bang is that you’ll be stranded. Worse things have happened to a lot of us on the road.
+1…its getting embarrassing reading some of these beancounter posts…why cant you just do as your told,get on with it and show a bit of hands on initiative . its not unsafe,its only unsafe if your a zoomer and cant do a simple topup.if you cant do that,then what use are you to your boss.remember its him that pays you,after he makes his wages from people like you. try role reversal,and see how long you would last if you were the boss wanting someone like you to nurse a truck for a day or 3.
See the usual yes boss, no boss, 3bags full boss brigade have arrived. These are the beancounters to worry about.
A waterleak may not be unsafe but it has the potential to become a big issue, sure I would limp it home like this but no further. Why because I choose independant thought over blindly doing as I, m told.
That said my cars had a waterleak for years and needs topping up once a month… 
it’s safe to drive, topping up is not a problem at all, the brakes won’t fail, the steering won’t fail, even the lights will work normal.
a lot of these people on here work on the " 2 rule system"
Rule one: if it suits me
Rule 2: if it doesn’t suit me
You would be surprised how many steering wheel attendants are very handy when the vehicle develops a fault to bring it home (especially on a Friday) at that point is even topping up water to bring it in no problem BOSS.
Drive it, it’s a risk for the Bossman that you overheat it, but he is willing to take that risk.
By the way half of the steering wheel attendants don’t even know where you top up the water, or where the dipstick for the oil is for that matter, so see it as something new learned today.
It’s getting worse everyday with people who are so H&S or use it that you cannot even go to the toilet yourself (What do I do Boss, if the toilet has been cleaned with chemicals? do I use my HAZchem PPE?? maybe I should ask on a forum what to do, would it be safe to have a ■■■■■?)
Drive it…
Keep an eye on the temp, but ultimately if it goes bang it’s not the OP’s problem. He did (honest guv I topped it up ) exactly as instructed. He’ll get paid, the boss gets the bill for the repairs
caledoniandream:
it’s safe to drive, topping up is not a problem at all, the brakes won’t fail, the steering won’t fail, even the lights will work normal.
a lot of these people on here work on the " 2 rule system"
Rule one: if it suits me
Rule 2: if it doesn’t suit me
You would be surprised how many steering wheel attendants are very handy when the vehicle develops a fault to bring it home (especially on a Friday) at that point is even topping up water to bring it in no problem BOSS.
Drive it, it’s a risk for the Bossman that you overheat it, but he is willing to take that risk.
By the way half of the steering wheel attendants don’t even know where you top up the water, or where the dipstick for the oil is for that matter, so see it as something new learned today.
It’s getting worse everyday with people who are so H&S or use it that you cannot even go to the toilet yourself (What do I do Boss, if the toilet has been cleaned with chemicals? do I use my HAZchem PPE?? maybe I should ask on a forum what to do, would it be safe to have a ■■■■■?)
I agree. There are few here who could, for instance, fetch one back from Europe, including on & off ferries, with no clutch.
I once had to stop for water about every 20 minutes one summer’s evening to get a brand new Volvo dray wagon into the Exeter dealer.
When I had my own Scania 112, the rad started leaking badly, had to put about 20 gallon a day in her, but I completed the weeks work without ever over heating the engine.