Hi Folks
Did anyone see the truck fire that happened last Monday (12th) AM on the M6 near J4 Northbound?
It was a HGV2 rigid… Anyone see anything of what happened? I’ve been told that the wreckage is still there but not seen it yet myself…
nope…i didnt even get a news alert thru for it either mate 
I seen it
I stopped on the opposite slip road, I was going to call the fire brigade but I had seen the police there so did not bother,
It was one of those light greeny bluey access platorm things an Iveco 4x4
It looked like it just caught fire it did not seem to be accident damaged, Amazing how fast these things go up,
Looked very dramatic as when I stopped burning liquid was running across all three lanes with cars in the outside lane driving though it leaving a momemtary fire trail, Like back to the future!
For gods sake if your wagon catches fire get the hell away from it, I know a lot of drivers would love to see there wagon burning but there is a serious note there somewhere.
the vehicle was removed the same morning and there is a black patch on the hard shoulder now, the northbound side of the motorway was closed for a while while it was put out !
You can see the vehicle (if its still there)if you are travelling northbound, just after corley services as you start to go up the hill, look to your right and its there in a field, next to a barn, I think this is where the recovery people store the wrecks until the owners claim them.
Ahh, Good 
Someone did see it then… When I get back I’ll post what happened, as it was one of our firms’ 4x4 
Was the driver OK?
Last Monday whilst trundling along the M6 just before J4 towards Birmingham the rear prop “disconnected” from the gearbox. The propshaft dropped, hit the ground and punched a hole in the tarmac, the other end, the back axle end, was forced about 3ft up into the air and spun the truck around to be facing against the traffic, then dropped back down, it (the truck) rolled towards the hardshoulder, which was good as the only thing left working was the driver and the steering. The brakes were dead, probably broken lines, and he got it onto the hard shoulder and grassy verge.
The engine caught fire within seconds and he escaped unharmed (apart from his nerves). Â The driver was back at work next day, but he is one of the more experienced drives, often going out in the 50m trucks. I think he’s been with the company
from the beginning.
There are various things I can’t say here of course, but no doubt it will be fully investigated… I haven’t yet driven that particular vehicle as it was a HGV2 and I’m still a 7.5t driver.
Wow
When I seen the vehicle it was facing the right way, as if it had broken down, and…
Oh yes it was one big fireball!
As long as the driver is OK thats the main thing, Machinery can be replaced People can’t!
Watched a documentary on one of the Sky Channels last night about the Mont Blanc Fire in 1999
After seeing that I’m convinced that had the driver kept going he would have got out the other end, but stopping in the middle of the tunnel in hindsight was a big mistake.
Marvellous how the Truck was not carrying Dangerous substances only Margerine and Flour, but being a fridge the toxic smoke off the polystyrene walls of the trailer proved to be the killer with the cyanide particles. The Melting Margerine was as flammable as Petrol
Horrorfying to say the least, but when they went over minute by minute events, it just shows how un prepared the french and the Italians really were, and something that could have been just an incident turned into a major incident.
The trucks sometimes carry extra diesel strapped to the back of the trucks, as when we get on site we sometimes have to leave the engine running all the time, and thus drinks fuel
The driver is very lucky really. I think if I’d been in that situation I’d be rather singed, if not dented.
And I’ve got a reputation on denting things ;(
Thanks for all the replies. I’ve not had much a chance to speak to that driver and figured the’d be at least one person who would have seen it!
A few years back one of our wagon’s caught fire at Colsterworth on the A1 & he was carrying 26 pallets of chicken pieces. The driver had stopped in a layby because he thought he’d had a blow out so he decided to have a kip it wasn’t until this other driver had told him his trailer was on fire that he got out quick. He was ok until he got back to the yard when the leg pulling started.
Many years ago i drove an old e.r.f. was on my way back to london from wales. the floor was wooden and the hole where the gear lever came through was scorched over time…the workshop could do nothing with it.so left it…anyway i had just passed the bristol turn and started the big climb…then i smelled smoke, looked down and saw the old girl was on fire…so pulled onto the hard shoulder, casually got my belongings out…walked a few yards up the road, and watched it burn…and did it go…full tank of diesel too…nothing left by the time the fire brigade arrived…thought i`d seen the last of it…but it was rebuilt.new cab etc, we had proper mechanics in those days…not like today, who only want to fit new parts…thats why they are called fitters, cos thats all they can do…
have a nice day
truckyboy:
Many years ago i drove an old e.r.f. was on my way back to london from wales. the floor was wooden and the hole where the gear lever came through was scorched over time…the workshop could do nothing with it.so left it…anyway i had just passed the bristol turn and started the big climb…then i smelled smoke, looked down and saw the old girl was on fire…so pulled onto the hard shoulder, casually got my belongings out…walked a few yards up the road, and watched it burn…and did it go…full tank of diesel too…nothing left by the time the fire brigade arrived…thought i`d seen the last of it…but it was rebuilt.new cab etc, we had proper mechanics in those days…not like today, who only want to fit new parts…thats why they are called fitters, cos thats all they can do…
have a nice day
But diesel doesn’t ignite though. You can hold a lit match near diesel as much as you like and it won’t do anything 
But diesel doesn’t ignite though
Correct…
But any flammable substance such as wood, cloth etc if soaked in deisel will burn more feircely.
If the deiseltank ruptures due to impact or pressure from high surrounding temprature and the deisel leaks onto surrounding combustable material then the deisel will fuel the fire
But diesel doesn’t ignite though. You can hold a lit match near diesel as much as you like and it won’t do anything
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Strange Rob 
Try Heating diesel up and see what happens
If it starts to boil it will burn just like it was petrol, we used to have one of those parrafin heater thingys where you poured in the oil or diesel into the bottom, put a rag in that had been doused in diesel wrapped around a stick and leave for 10 mins, twas a great heater in a cold workshop,
Health & Safety Nahhh we never bothered with that in the late 70’s 
arr a salamander !!
Now I know why we had to regularly check the propshafts, when I was in the army,
I haven’t bothered for years but think I’ll make it a weekly check again.
Just got a new telly in my cab don’t want that going up in flames 