Dont worry about ■■■■■■■ off the shunters, they just want an easy life, without getting off of their units, so do what you supposed to do, and put the trailer brakes on, you will take the blame should an accident happen, not the shunter, for he will always blame the driver who dropped it. You could always tell the office what your intentions are, just to get their blessing, but do it anyway regardless of what they tell you, then report them to the health and safety bods if your not happy with their answer.
truckyboy:
Dont worry about ■■■■■■■ off the shunters, they just want an easy life, without getting off of their units…
Yeah, and if they do give you any grief over it, just tell 'em it’s not your fault they haven’t got the ■■■■■■■■ to leave the yard like a proper driver.
Am aware of a situation where worse than leaving the handbrake off, the drivers, prior to uncoupling, are jacknifing the vehicle, removing all susies, pressing the shunt button in and then dropping the trailer. I do understand the argument about checking the brake is applied before coupling up to the trailer but at least if the handbrake is off (assuming spring brakes are fitted) and the shunt button is in, it’s not going to go anywhere. Leaving the shunt button in is both highly dangerous and irresponsible.
tobytyke:
Am working on TNT sites and am told not to put on trailer brakes as it ■■■■■■ shunters off etc ?I;m new on class 1 and want to do things right so where do I stand ?>
… Don’t bring anything in on pallets either as this ■■■■■■ the forklifts off too 
Just fit a 3 to 2 way valve that puts on the park brake when you pull off the red line or tractor pressure drops below trailer pressure and even the numpties wont end up in a wheel chair.!50 quid and no grief.
Always check ya red knobs pulled out 
Bking:
Just fit a 3 to 2 way valve that puts on the park brake when you pull off the red line or tractor pressure drops below trailer pressure and even the numpties wont end up in a wheel chair.!50 quid and no grief.
Can you give any more information on this product please? I’m also interested as to what would happen in the event of the red air line failing if the vehicle is moving at speed because this will just apply the handbrake as opposed to the service brake.
tobytyke:
Am working on TNT sites and am told not to put on trailer brakes as it ■■■■■■ shunters off etc ?
Simple as mentioned its your responsibilty to ensure the trailer is left in a safe manner, this responsibility may not end until the trailer is picked up by another vehicle.
For some reason I never come across these geniuses who tell me to do or not to do something that has the potential to endanger others safety.
Probably not someone in the transport office more likely a shunter had given you this bad advice, ignore it or just nod/smile and still ignore it. Or get them to put it in writing and then still ignore it.
Me I would probably over-react and scream like a girl about H & S, inform them of their duty of care and corporate manslaughter liabilities phone the HSE, then refuse to stay in the yard due to the high element of risk you have become aware of that trailers are left with no brakes. 
Dipper_Dave:
tobytyke:
Am working on TNT sites and am told not to put on trailer brakes as it ■■■■■■ shunters off etc ?Simple as mentioned its your responsibilty to ensure the trailer is left in a safe manner, this responsibility may not end until the trailer is picked up by another vehicle.
For some reason I never come across these geniuses who tell me to do or not to do something that has the potential to endanger others safety.
Probably not someone in the transport office more likely a shunter had given you this bad advice, ignore it or just nod/smile and still ignore it. Or get them to put it in writing and then still ignore it.
Me I would probably over-react and scream like a girl about H & S, inform them of their duty of care and corporate manslaughter liabilities phone the HSE, then refuse to stay in the yard due to the high element of risk you have become aware of that trailers are left with no brakes.
Just put the break on and tell them to go screw
Lusk:
Bking:
Just fit a 3 to 2 way valve that puts on the park brake when you pull off the red line or tractor pressure drops below trailer pressure and even the numpties wont end up in a wheel chair.!50 quid and no grief.Can you give any more information on this product please? I’m also interested as to what would happen in the event of the red air line failing if the vehicle is moving at speed because this will just apply the handbrake as opposed to the service brake.
if your red line fails at speed everything would lock up as soon as your air pressure drops and if its gonna go you aint gonna have time to do squat anyway
Do you have any info on this product though?
Yes will get the name of the company that make them tonight at work.All our trailers are fitted with them.
The good thing about them is that you do away with the normal park valve and can mount them near or on the nose box of the trailer.
Take about 2 hours to fit.They are really just a shuttle valve with 2 inputs if one input is removed(red line) the shuttle valve (the park button) gets push out by the trailer tank pressure.So the park has to be reset every time you connect the red line.
The valve is called a Pownall Auto-Manual Trailer Park Valve.
The part number is 10223312-2009.
The Valve comes with fitting instructions and if you need the chassis double check valve they will supply it.
Company is Pownall Security Systems Ltd.
Cheers for this but unless I’m wrong, I cant see how this product can be used.
It would appear that as soon as the driver disconnects the red line, this system then applies the handbrake. Assuming the trailer becomes departed from the unit when going down the road, this means that the trailer handbrake would be applied and not the service brake. Handbrake effort can typically be half that of service brake so if a trailer were to come off then it is in everybodies interest for maximum braking effort to be applied via the service brake and not the handbrake. Will look into this product more at some other time.
If there,s a product that removes human error,a safety product like the safety park brake device-pownal.
Then it should be fitted ,the savings in the long run will be ten fold,it will pay for itself! 
Many company,s now give you a hi -vis ,a cheapy pair of steely,s and thats it!CRACK on! 
kitbuilder123:
I very seldom apply the park button. I really think its pointless. And if all you lads that nearly got killed or maimed or crushed or whatever actually thought about what you were doing and connected the yellow line, befor the red one then the truck would put on the brakes for you.Unless of course you left off the hand brake and them its far from my fault but even if you did you would realise that with no air in the yellow line, something’s wrong. I would have a look at your coupling procedure, not the book version, the one tht actually makes sense.
Mad how fellas give out about not pulling the park button but admit to forgetting the tug test. Is lookin at the coupling jaws with your own eyes gone out of fashion or something?
Try that with a Volvo, no pressure in the tellow line with the handbrake applied!
ashbyspannerman:
Try that with a Volvo, no pressure in the tellow line with the handbrake applied!
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought that all modern day European trucks parked on the Yellow line? It was only the likes of the trusty ERF EC11 & co which didn’t.
Judehamish:
What post next?Please use your lights when it’s dark
Please use your wipers when it’s raining
another good tip is
after you have dropped a trailer , uncoupled and put traler break on
MAKE YOU SURE YOU HAVE PUT THE LEGS DOWN BEFORE PULLING OUT
ashbyspannerman:
kitbuilder123:
I very seldom apply the park button. I really think its pointless. And if all you lads that nearly got killed or maimed or crushed or whatever actually thought about what you were doing and connected the yellow line, befor the red one then the truck would put on the brakes for you.Unless of course you left off the hand brake and them its far from my fault but even if you did you would realise that with no air in the yellow line, something’s wrong. I would have a look at your coupling procedure, not the book version, the one tht actually makes sense.
Mad how fellas give out about not pulling the park button but admit to forgetting the tug test. Is lookin at the coupling jaws with your own eyes gone out of fashion or something?Try that with a Volvo, no pressure in the tellow line with the handbrake applied!
Which is why I said if there’s no air in the yellow line, you should recognise it when connecting it up. I know there’s no air in a Volvo yellow line, the older ones anyway, not sure of the new ones. Same goes for the 3 and early 4 series scania. But a driver should still be able to recognise this. It comes back to people knowing a little about what they are driving which is sadly lacking in some of today’s, only doin it for a wage drivers. It’s all very fine teaching people what to do but it’s much safer if they also understand why they are doing it.
villa:
Judehamish:
What post next?Please use your lights when it’s dark
Please use your wipers when it’s raining
another good tip is
after you have dropped a trailer , uncoupled and put traler break onMAKE YOU SURE YOU HAVE PUT THE LEGS DOWN BEFORE PULLING OUT
Well said…
Legs down are first on my list Villa.Even then after I’ve put trailer brake and uncoupled,I treble check that the bleeders are down.