Strange behaviour

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Had a new (to us) driver from the agency turn up for a shift today. After climbing into the cab of our high-tech ultra-modern (59 plate) Daf CF auto, he fumbled and fudged around for a while, attempting to select reverse gear using the wiper/indicator stalk, before admitting defeat and asking how to select reverse and release the parking brake…

Armed with the correct information, he then proceeded to reverse across the yard and backed under the trailer. He got it well under, but not far enough to engage the pin in the jaws. Even so, he then climbed down from the cab and tried to put the dog clip in. Having no joy (and bearing in mind the engine was still running, with reverse gear selected and the beeper squawking away) he then ducked right under the trailer and started peering into the jaws of the 5th wheel, presumably to see what was going on. At this point, our driver assessor cried “enough” and sent him away.

I do sometimes wonder where they get them from…

2

Roymondo:
Had a new (to us) driver from the agency turn up for a shift today. After climbing into the cab of our high-tech ultra-modern (59 plate) Daf CF auto, he fumbled and fudged around for a while, attempting to select reverse gear using the wiper/indicator stalk, before admitting defeat and asking how to select reverse and release the parking brake…

Armed with the correct information, he then proceeded to reverse across the yard and backed under the trailer. He got it well under, but not far enough to engage the pin in the jaws. Even so, he then climbed down from the cab and tried to put the dog clip in. Having no joy (and bearing in mind the engine was still running, with reverse gear selected and the beeper squawking away) he then ducked right under the trailer and started peering into the jaws of the 5th wheel, presumably to see what was going on. At this point, our driver assessor cried “enough” and sent him away.

I do sometimes wonder where they get them from…

b hell - clueless…, seriously, that is actually frightening

3

We had one a little while ago, he didn’t realise that it had a dog clip & was struggling to pull the pin, I had to walk/talk him through it all then I warned the office that they needed to keep an eye on him. Never saw him again (I wonder why ■■?)
Bloody Agency’s, just send anyone in without even Vetting them !

4

Maybe a newly passed artic driver on his first day in an artic?

5

This is why i always advise drivers to ask if they are not sure about anything. Better to ask than look a total ■■■ and give us all a bad name

this does sound a bit more than inexperience though but to be fair, i have had one assessor pull me up for not checking my reverse lights. I told him i couldn’t check them and he told me to start the engine, select reverse, jump out and walk round the back with it running and in reverse :open_mouth:
the one time i could check my reverse lights (good old volvo) safely, i reported it not working on my trailer and he then informed me that it wasn’t a legal requirement so don’t worry about it :unamused:

6

I was yard shunter and a team truck came in got hitched up but only one leg wound up, after fiddling around couldn’t move the other leg.
Came asked me to help so I’ve said “drop the trl and I’ll pick it up” and they can sort it, so matey only drives straight out without dropping the other leg down and over she goes into the next trl bending the legs of that trl which falls over onto the next trl.
He gets on the phone to his boss explaining what’s happened but blaiming me 'cause I didn’t tell him to wind the other leg down.
My boss was there and had the pair of them banned from the yard.

7

scanny77:
This is why i always advise drivers to ask if they are not sure about anything. Better to ask than look a total ■■■ and give us all a bad name

this does sound a bit more than inexperience though but to be fair, i have had one assessor pull me up for not checking my reverse lights. I told him i couldn’t check them and he told me to start the engine, select reverse, jump out and walk round the back with it running and in reverse :open_mouth:
the one time i could check my reverse lights (good old volvo) safely, i reported it not working on my trailer and he then informed me that it wasn’t a legal requirement so don’t worry about it :unamused:

Reversing lights aren’t even actually MOTable. Should be IMO as vitally important for pedestrians knowing in what direction a vehicle is likely to go.

An agency driver will be along soon to moan about stereotyping agency drivers. :unamused:

8

You don’t mind if they’re new & willing to learn with a bit of common sense but that sounds just a bit dead head.

9

msgyorkie:
Maybe a newly passed artic driver on his first day in an artic?

Does sound like a new driver, I couldn’t fill out a tacho card when I started.

What really gets my back up is blokes who have been in the game for years yet are completely inept and unable to perform the simplest of tasks correctly, For example coupling up, performing a tug test and destroying the clutch while trying to pull the pin off the trailer or putting 20 litres of add blue in a brand new unit, or my personal favorite filling the clutch reservoir with screen wash.

10

I remember an agency boss turning up at my old firm touting for business saying he they only have the best drivers on there books and all are fully competent.
Then they send an absolute idiot,so it makes the agency look bad and also gives the good agency lads a bad name.

11

msgyorkie:
Maybe a newly passed artic driver on his first day in an artic?

Probably. But I think this guy was just generally a bit thick to be honest. Aren’t drivers trained to carry out a tug test after backing under the trailer? Basic stuff and I don’t see how you could forget :open_mouth: Not sure about reversing across the yard and straight under a trailer either, when I was a newbie on my maiden assessment I was out checking fifth wheel height, trailer brake etc.

12

You’d probably think i was useless too.

I check the approx height of trailer as i approach, then, by leaning out the door (another no no apparently but its stood me in good stead and i’ll explain why if asked) i back under far enough that the fifth wheel is just under the rubbing plate, if its starts to lift the trailer gently i know i’m fine and complete the pick up in the normal fashion using additional lift if required.
If not then i stop get out and have a look see where i am, and usually raise the suspension to get somewhere near the rubbing plate whilst standing there watching.

You get used to doing it like this when empty trailers are dropped by half wits with mid lift Scanias, who leave the mid lift up and wind the trailer legs completely down, just about to the end of their travel.

So high do these numpties drop them sometimes that even at full height my lorry can’t reach the trailer and i have to wind the trailer down to the fully extended tractor.

I’ve watched ‘experts’ who just reverse straight under on their mirrors alone, completely missing the pin and smashing either the tractor tail lights, or the front of the trailer into the deflectors or hydraulic storage tank…but they do look the part going straight under and appear baffled when this happens, every bugger seems to be an expert now, so bloody good are they that getting out and checking seems to be for wimps like me.

Hitching up looks so simple and for years and years it will go fine, then when you get complacent and think yourself perfect it’ll bite you in the arse, either missing the pin (easier than you think on tanks) or worse still ending up with the kin pin sitting on top of locked home jaws which you only discover when the trailer drops off.

13

He was probably new or just very nervous about doing a shift in a new place, but it was dangerous what he did…

the agency im with know im only part time ( 2-3 shifts a week ) but they are constantly on the phone begging me to do other shifts as they are finding it hard to get drivers !! ( well competent ones anyway !! )

14

Its because he had left the engine running and in reverse before jumping out and checking the height etc !!

you should always apply handbrake, switch off engine and remove the keys before checking trailer height, king pin etc…

15

Makes you wonder about the firm that trained the bloke. Everyone has to wing it sometime. No one on this forum knows it all. (Apart from me). He tried he failed.

16

Now that everyone’s condemned this bloke, lets break it all down.

First things first, he’s got an audience of at least one driver and an assessor/trainer, presumably watching but not being exactly shall we say helpful.

Obviously he’s never had an auto DAF before cos he didn’t know about the gear selector and its manoeuvering functions, he may never have had the dubious pleasure of ZF’s version of automatic clutched hell before, he may have had a Volvo, he may have had a Scania, both of which are at least able to competently control torque when picking up a heavy.

So he’s now found reverse cos one of the audience has shown him where it is, he’s backing under this trailer then, presumably loaded, knowing how the clutch on these things behave he’s probably reached that point where you have to provide loads more torque to get the thing to push under.
Remember those watchers…now does it need a bit more power to push it in (often with an almighty bang) or has he got it off centre and trying to push against the king pin with one side of the fifth wheel.

So being a sensible sort of chap he’s pulled the parking brake on and got out to have a look see where he is before he does some damage.

Unfortunately with his audience enjoying this, and bearing in mind he’s never had a ZF auto before, certainly not a DAF or MAN anyway, he’s got flustered, who wouldn’t have by then, and forgotten to take it out of gear.

Now as to safety, as he’s being watched at this point, did he put the parking brake on before diving under to have a poke nose?, if he did whats the big deal, if he didn’t then a gentle reminder at that point, or rather a bit of help for a bloke in a new place might have been more productive than the way he was treated.

When you who can do no wrong get another new type of lorry to drive, i hope its in a strange place, with regular full timers milling about watching and waiting (but not helping/instructing) for you to muck up…the you might recall this incident.

17

Must admit Juddian, as soon as I saw “tried to use the stalk to find reverse” I thought “he’s only driven Renault automatics” where its all on the stalk.

18

I wouldn’t have known where the Renault gears were either Conor, haven’t driven one for a good while, i did wonder if he’d had Scanias before though and expected to find controls on the column stalk.

Took me ages to adjust the steering column on the last Renault i drove.

19

Silver_Surfer:
‘… common sense …’

By definition and Tony Blair’s covert connivance, the UK is diverse society :neutral_face:

Other than the UK being a geograhical location there is nothing ‘…common…’ about those of us happening to be in it :wink:

That’s why buffoons, half-wits, chancers and poor (foreign speaking?) mis-communication, etc thrive - and from which our EU focussed & controlled industry can enjoy no exemption :open_mouth:

Hence ‘…common sense…’ is an outdated & dead term - albeit loved by flag-waving MP’s who too often and conveniently overlook the way they’ve illegitimised my country :imp:

:bulb: Pity the dangerous ‘driver’ - but he’s a by-product of liberal UK society that we’ve all helped create by not demanding accountability from our hierarchy of governors

20

I know a certain company who have had mercs and volvos for years and years. They got a couple of hired scanias in (5 series) and their own guys wouldn’t drive them because they couldn’t figure them out. I would love to see a stralis appear in that site. The mileage would not change much :astonished: