Guys and Girls,
Just posting this as a mate at work has had some silly accidents recently.
They have not involved other people or motorists.
It’s just silly stuff like reversing into things.
My question is that even if it’s a number of silly knocks, 4 I believe in 3:months, an accident is an accident.
Can it lead to the driver being disciplined if he has followed company procedure to the letter on each occasion?
Namely reporting it to the people concerned, informing the company and then filling out their forms etc.
They have threatened disciplinary.
Surely they can’t but what do you guys think?
With things the way they are I’d hate to see anyone get the push.
Thanks in advance.
4 incidents in 3 months …? Hmmm
Steve66:
Guys and Girls,
Just posting this as a mate at work has had some silly accidents recently.
They have not involved other people or motorists.
It’s just silly stuff like reversing into things.
My question is that even if it’s a number of silly knocks, 4 I believe in 3:months, an accident is an accident.
Can it lead to the driver being disciplined if he has followed company procedure to the letter on each occasion?
Namely reporting it to the people concerned, informing the company and then filling out their forms etc.
They have threatened disciplinary.
Surely they can’t but what do you guys think?
With things the way they are I’d hate to see anyone get the push.
Thanks in advance.
Depending on the circumstances I would say they are perfectly entitled to start disciplinary procedures, though in my opinion, for something like that an unofficial verbal warning should precede formal disciplinary action.
Having said that, how bad four minor bumps in three months is will depend to some extent on the circumstances,
Someone only driving up and down motorways could and should expect some sort of formal or informal disciplinary action if the bumps were the drivers fault, someone who has to get in and out of particularly tight places and by doing so has the occasional scrape deserves more consideration.
I’m sorry but while reporting damage and completing the required forms is the right thing to do, it does not make it OK.
Our firm allow 3 in any 12 month period before extra action is taken.
I’m sorry but a knock is a knock, the odd one you can turn a blind eye too, but these knocks cost money! A side indicator light or tail light £20, a cut in the side wall of a tyre, brand new tyre required, a mirror casing, a bumper, it soon mounts up!
I’d be having serious talks after the 2nd knock, think 4 is very generous (although no details of how severe each knock was).
If it was me, i’d be starting to worry about my position as a driver with the company, as i’m sure they won’t be tolerating too many more before the boot comes out!
4 in 3 months is bordering in reckless. It certainly shows a disregard for not only other people’s property but also potentially their lives.
Speaking personally I’ve had one “knock” as you put it in 8 years HGV and 13 years driving. Minors such as mirrors, light lenses and the like included. I kick myself if I so much as kerb a tyre. Because it’s not my lorry.
I wager there are some on here who will of had fewer in a much longer driving career. It’s about attitude and ability in equal measure in my opinion.
If I was in his position I wouldn’t have a job.
It was 3 minors or a serious and your out at my old place. Employed or self employed.
On the fridges I honestly can’t see the scope for small knocks as the places we tip are massive and there’s acres of room compared to some of the places we went on tippers.
But I know my gaffer wouldn’t tolerate this blokes driving record.
The attitude that small knocks are inevitable in haulage is nonsense. Take some time and show due care and I can’t see why you’d end up hitting things to this scale.
i give people 3 in a year
I spend most days in and out of places that you shouldn’t put a lorry the only knocks I’ve had in 8 years was a 3 inch scratch from a brick pillar and a few mirrors on my 7.5 when I first started. They were within the first year of starting but I guarantee if I drive through the lane back to the yard tommo and take a mirror of my scania it will be the end of the world all hell will break loose over it. I think your mates boss is very lenient because he may, if he was lucky got to the second knock at my place in that length of time before being shown the gate. Accidents happen and none of us are immune to them but I treat my lorry as if I own it id be as gutted damaging thst as i would my car and wherever I deliver to I treat as if I’m backing into my own driveway. I wouldn’t want someone to rip my wall out or churn my lawn up because they couldn’t be arsed to take a couple more shunts. He may be going through a run of bad luck we all have accidents but all the things I’ve done in the past I’ve learnt from because I could of avoided them with a little more care.
The driver could be disciplined because of his accident record. A disciplinary hearing should not necessarily be only viewed as a rap on the knuckles , it should also be used to get some one back on track and pointing in the right direction so to speak.
When I was on First Bus MANY years ago, I remember getting dragged into the office because my name had appeared on too many ‘accident forms’.
I’d been involved in 4 accidents in 6 weeks, the manager told me.
1 car had drove into me whilst parked at a bus stop
1 car had drove into the bus whilst at a give way
1 window shot out upstairs whilst driving down a road on the route (a known rough area)
1 accident that was my fault, I lost my wing mirror on a turned around bus stop sign.
You can imagine my response - bet he doesn’t wear a tie anymore 
When I was on wood recycling a few months ago, it was easy to lose a lense off a light unit or a mud flap / guard, but other jobs you don’t (normally) do any damage.
BUT, ■■■■ can happen to any of us at any time.
Sometimes you have to scrape it abit here and there to get it in…
Saaamon:
Sometimes you have to scrape it abit here and there to get it in…
I’m very dubious of these ‘never put so much of a scratch on twenty years man and boy’ types. Also, if it’s true not sure I would necessarily want them driving for me. I cracked an o/s mirror back on some traffic lights when turning left a while back. Reason being I was concentrating entirely on the daft woman who’d appeared and put her pushchair half in the road in the n/s mirror.
As far as employees go the odd scraped steps and cracked rear lenses don’t really bother me, within reason, they’re a cheap fix really. The one’s that do bother me, and I think they’re actually the ones most likely to do real damage out on the roads, are the ones constantly breaking stuff inside the truck like door handles, indicator stalks, switches.
How the ■■■■■■■■■ do you break stuff in the cab?
Saaamon:
Sometimes you have to scrape it abit here and there to get it in…
No you don’t! If you cant get it in without knocking it, the vehicle is too big, and should either be unloaded as close as possible, or transhipped onto a smaller vehicle!
Also, you may get it in with a minor scrape, but getting out could mean a whole different thing! Why risk it■■?
Tipper Tom:
How the [zb] do you break stuff in the cab?
I think that’s Owner Drivers Account’s point. If you can break stuff in the cab just imagine what damage you could do with the outside of it eventually. I think even vehicles like lorries with big switches and levers the driver should have a little bit of finesse about him and maybe that’ll translate to manoeuvring too.
I’m not feeling too righteous either as my first time out I managed to pick a fight with a postbox. Learnt a lot about manoeuvring that day 
My point was agreeing and finding it incredulous one could regularly break things in the cab
Tipper Tom:
How the [zb] do you break stuff in the cab?
buy a MAN use them normally and something will break
Steve66:
They have not involved other people or motorists.
It’s just silly stuff like reversing into things.
On that basis, why call the topic Road Traffic Accidents?
Surely something like “Minor bumps and scrapes” would have been more appropriate.
I’m a bus driver.
2 at fault accidents within 2 yrs=sacked.
