i would drive it to the next slip road or services, then put the spare on.
no point calling anyone out to do a job you can do yourself. and i can’t see any point in closing a lane. it’s bad for the ecconomy.
As far as i know ATS will not change offside hgv tyres without HATO’S on scene,even if lane closure is not required.In my area,ATS have had two fitters seriously injured whilst working behind hgv’s on the h/s.
The HA’s view is that it is better to have a lane one closure and cause slight congestion for 10-15 minutes than have a trye fitter struck and major congestion for 4-5 hours.
Everybody has an entitlement to a safe working area,tyre fitters included and now there is ‘corporate manslaughter’,a company that does not provide a safe working area could be in deep s*^t.
Moving into lane two not only gives workers/vehicles on the h/s a wide berth, it also gives following traffic a better view of the road ahead.
That is why i always thank drivers that do make an effort to move over,even if just to white lines when im standing on h/s or the verge.
extrucker:
The HA’s view is that it is better to have a lane one closure and cause slight congestion for 10-15 minutes than have a trye fitter struck and major congestion .
But not during a peak period, it wil wait or the better option for the economy/several thousand motorists just lift it and shift it at driver/company expense either £350 or £450 even for a short tug 
, especially if it’s not a front un and the driver is not willing to try and slide over/along a bit.
A lot of problems can be overcome with a bit of thinking 
Lane closures for o/s tyre changes should not be implemented during rush hour.Keeping the lorry on the h/s is always the last resort.If it can be limped to a slip road/lay-by etc,it will be escorted to a safer place.We want vehicles on the h/s as less time as possible but congestion caused by a lane closure is a factor.
ive spent over 30 years as a truck mechanic,and now driving full time for an easy life…i have done countless breakdowns on the hard shoulder and have literally had to run for my life on several occasions…mostly down to a simple couldnt care less attitude by car and truck drivers.
in our health and safety overkill society im surprised that any work on the hard shoulder is not protected by a lane closure?
the hard shoulder of a motorway was once described as the most dangerous place on the planet…i tend to agree with that.
not moving trucks with a front axle blowout i can understand , but i saw a car (Rover 75 ) with a rear flat tyre waiting for AA or RAC to change wheel. He was on hard shoulder about 100 yards from the mile marker for the next exit.
Most Rally drivers can drive at 120mph on 3 wheels around a twisting gravel forest track without hitting anything. Im sure the Rover driver could have limped to the slip road. …numpty
Adam_Mc:
speedyguy:
With regard to Iggy’s comment on tyre changes, i’ve been thinking of posting this subject since january so here goes.
There are pictures somewhere of the truck that ploughed through a closure on the M6 in lancashire, in a fully lit vms’ed up motorway and wiped the patrol car into the truck having a wheel changed while the hato’s pulled the tyre guy clear.Where are these pics?..I’d be interested in seeing them?
Prob locked away in a dusty cuboard now 
, if you could see a 1000th of the stuff that is seen or recorded if an incident is “caught” on camera and if necessary burnt to disc for future use you would probably never go on a motorway again 
One of the more recent one’s shows an rtc of a car overturning and an object “flipped” out of the back window and over central res, said object shook itself and started running about on 4 legs 
, all the traffic stopped on that side of the m/way, while everyone just carried on round the car with the driver still inside 
.
If you want to be safe on the M/way carry a dog or swan and everyone will stop for you
Cruise Control:
What is the crack with offside tyre changes, are there ‘official’ procedures fitters have to follow when attending one of these
So my question to all you wrecker drivers/fitters is or even the HATO’s is your presence compulsory at a o/s tyre change or is it only if the fitter request it
cheers
Speaking as a HATO , (and ex trucker and 24/7 mechanic/recovery )
if the recovery or tyre fitter/customer or driver request assistance we will attend and liaise with them at the scene and conduct an agreeable and suitable and safe outcome for all parties, whether that be recovery or repair or lane closing or to an attempt of a safe re-location of stricken vehicle and consider as many options and possibilities as suitably possible with whoever.
Same applies if we stumble across it on a routine patrol sweep or it is picked up on observation by cctv or other sighting or the driver rings it in. we will endeavour to make SAFETY paramount for all.
Each situation will be viewed and an assessment for whatever various options and possibilities taken into account for best SAFE WORKING PRACTICE.
Best thing one CAN DO IS please attempt to use the nearest roadside emergency telephone (ERT), if it is safe to do so, and safe to access it, and Phone in your location and nature of breakdown/incident , (be aware of your surroundings at all times) .
That way - Someone will know you are there and awaiting some form of assistance.
As for the occasions where a tyre fitter is already doing an offside wheel/tyre change on their own with no protection was clearly down to their own choice to crack-on,
and on the odd occasion this can be a blatant disregard for safety … Standing on the vibra-line + in lane 1 without assistance/protection + changing a wheel / tyre is not big and not clever. And Yes , if we stumble across it and deem it unsafe working we will speak to the person and request to stop working unsafe and if necessary carry out temporary emergency action if needed. All depends on each situation and upon its own merits.
For a Hato crew to attend and assist = No charge 
For a Hato crew to implement a lane closure = No charge
For a Hato crew to attend and assist with request for safe working = No charge
For an undertaker to attend and complete his role = price varies on option choices … your choice.
We have one or two fitters in our area who clearly prefer to rock up and just crack on with the job and clear off asap
(fair enough, we all want to get the job done as smoothly and quickly as possible, cant argue with that),
but on odd occasion with very little regard to personal safety.
Saying that , I feel we have a very good working relationship with 99.9% of our working partners /stakeholders/customers out there .
But then you cant please all , all of the time .
One whipper snapper who doesnt even have the courtesy to say “hello” 
even brings his gf along for the ride in his van —
duly noted – you know who you are .
Speedyguy ,
Why are you getting into phone conversation arguments on the shelf with a tspt TM They are , as you clearly say , sat behind a desk on the end of a phone miles away and clearly do not have a 1st hand view of what scene situation is i agree .
All the Transport Co. wants is a quick cheap resolved solution and done safely and quickly , time is money .
Leave the phone conversation to the driver reporting to transport TM, and otherwise let your RCC deal with speaking to the transport clerk/owner /operator.
deal with the situation at hand and NOT argueing the toss over a mobile phone matey .
At the end of the day , Safety is what it is all about for ALL .
We all want to go home intacto 
Where are these pics?..I’d be interested in seeing them?
[/quote]
heres 1 story from paper…no pics here.
dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott … -19980945/
short video of it…see the van under the cover at 50seconds…And the bad bit the driver got 18 months I believe, the video does say 2.5 years thought.
news.stv.tv/scotland/north/10397 … oad-death/
Cruise Control:
What is the crack with offside tyre changesI ask as I was driving s/b in an e/b direction
But never the less as I approached I still indicated and pulled into lane 2, so did the truck in front of me. As I have read far to many stories of horror stories of fitters and drivers being injured by passing trucks
What was unusual there were no HATO’s this seemed strange as normally when you pass a truck having a o/s tyre change they have coned off lane 1 completely
So my question to all you wrecker drivers/fitters is or even the HATO’s is your presence compulsory at a o/s tyre change or is it only if the fitter request it
cheers
I think it all depends upon the situation. Recently, I had the misfortune to experience an off-side blowout to the trailer on the M11 just north from the roadworks. While I was waiting for the tyre fitter, the HATO’s turned up to check all was ok and said for me to tell the tyre guy to phone them for a lane one closure. When he arrived (the middle of the night) he said no, he’d just carry on regardless, but it worried me to see him grovelling around under the trailer with vulnerable legs and feet just inches away from passing traffic, although to be fair, most pulled out when approaching and when able.
one problem we have is the highways agency signs.
how many times do they say “slow, lane closure”? but they don’t say which lane.
how many times do they say “slow, congestion j9 to j12”. still on at 10pm when it was slow in the rush hour.
it’s like the story “the boy who cried wolf”. it’s only natural that they will be ignored from time to time.
like the morrisons driver, probably saw yet another flashing sign and thought [zb] all of it.
so why not just carry on to a safe place, and not put yourself and others at risk?
if you have a tyre go and decide to carry on to a place of safety and as often happens the whole casing comes off and goes into a lane and causes a pileup would you not be held responsible for driving a vehicle in dangerous condition?