trux:
Best thing for toolbox is :
A valid all services - DKV card + a charged up mobile phone with working sim.
FFS the mans an owner driver and wants to carry tools to repair what he can himself to avoid expensive call out charges!!!
most employed drivers will have no idea how much it costs to “call a fitter out”, thats before parts are fitted at an inflated price cos you need em!
lens repair tape , blow torch.
Swiss army knife, sorted 
Harry i am a plant mechanic by trade and have carried one of these sets with me for years and 99% of the time has got me out of bother when down the road with a problem and whilst tolls arent the best quality in particular the spanners tehy will suffice for any issue that may arise most of the time halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor … yId_165572
simon
turnbull2012:
Harry i am a plant mechanic by trade and have carried one of these sets with me for years and 99% of the time has got me out of bother when down the road with a problem and whilst tolls arent the best quality in particular the spanners tehy will suffice for any issue that may arise most of the time halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor … yId_165572
simon
A chav would hardly spend £100 just to get a knife would they? 
Agree 100%. The halfords kit is top gear not as dear as snap on or as tacky from the sunday market, ive never had a drama with my halfords kit but i do luv the Lifetime warranty. comes in a nice carrier aswell…well worth a £100, even if it was just used for car, motorbike maint. maybe add a 4ft piece of scaffold pole for a bit of leverage.
Wheel Nut:
turnbull2012:
Harry i am a plant mechanic by trade and have carried one of these sets with me for years and 99% of the time has got me out of bother when down the road with a problem and whilst tolls arent the best quality in particular the spanners tehy will suffice for any issue that may arise most of the time halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor … yId_165572
simonA chav would hardly spend £100 just to get a knife would they?
pete8835:
Wheel Nut:
turnbull2012:
Harry i am a plant mechanic by trade and have carried one of these sets with me for years and 99% of the time has got me out of bother when down the road with a problem and whilst tolls arent the best quality in particular the spanners tehy will suffice for any issue that may arise most of the time halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor … yId_165572
simonA chav would hardly spend £100 just to get a knife would they?
That one is just Halfords own, not Halfords Professional (or Advanced as it’s now known), so doesn’t have the lifetime warranty.
I’ve used that kit, and whilst I’d agree that it’s OK, it is no Advanced. Personally I don’t rate the Advanced screwdrivers though, they’re ok, but not great.
The good thing about that set above is the sockets go upto around 32" IIRC, But there’s not really a decent selection of deep sockets, the spanners are limited etc, but it’s not a bad set to have to hand.
Just a little tip I learned today through personal experience, when you think you have big enough spanners/sockets, go back and buy the next two or three sizes up too, I had/have a problem with an actuator sensor BS thing on my truck, couldn’t get into a dealer until the morning and I’m supposed to be reloading 150miles away at 7am, so bought the new parts, can’t fit one because my biggest spanner is a 32mm, end result, I’m parked up outside the dealer waiting until the morning when they open 
Moose:
trux:
Best thing for toolbox is :
A valid all services - DKV card + a charged up mobile phone with working sim.FFS the mans an owner driver and wants to carry tools to repair what he can himself to avoid expensive call out charges!!!
most employed drivers will have no idea how much it costs to “call a fitter out”, thats before parts are fitted at an inflated price cos you need em!
Matey,
I am a qualified mechanic with 34 years experience of the haulage industry,
that includes driving + driven UK + Continent + full time workshop main dealership service repairs and callout breakdown/recovery.
.
Somehow I dont think he will be carrying enough tools and equipment, if for example the clutch/gearbox/diff/onboard computer/alternator/water pump etc etc fails or some other component fails that is not a quick fix.
.
It does not hurt to have a `Plan B’ back up strategy.
*Or would you sooner see someone stranded roadside with no means whatsoever. 
And believe me , that happens very frequently.
No, but he could remove alternator/starter motor/water pump/air dryer, and then get the new parts delivered to him. Then fit them himself. He’d still be off the road for the same amount of time, but would save a lot of money by doing it himself.
I’ve changed diffs, compressors, turbo’s, rads and clutches roadside, it’s not impossible.
For the most part, the tools I use day to day on the service van all live in the same small cantilever toolbox.
Of course, there’s more specialist tools needed for some jobs, but the majority of jobs can be fixed with basic tools, in my opinion.
Moose:
most employed drivers will have no idea how much it costs to “call a fitter out”, thats before parts are fitted at an inflated price cos you need em!
£300 service van callouts only happens with main dealers service vans. The clubs (AA Truck, RAC Comical, Delta FMG, Fleet Support) charge nowhere near that. Expect to pay £40 an hour for a service van. General rule of thumb is, if there’s more than 4 hours service van work for repair, then it’s a recovery to workshops. We mark all our parts up by 15%, no matter who the job is for. But bear in mind, because we buy a lot of parts, we’re already getting a good discount off RRP on these parts. Quite often, the cahrge we make for a part including our markup is cheaper than the customer could source it for themselves.
But of course, you use a dealers service van, you’ll pay dealer parts prices…
trux:
Or would you sooner see someone stranded roadside with no means whatsoever.
They always have means, it’s called Facilitated and not Statutory
Either their call or yours
Yes, I’ve usually had no problem getting parts vans to deliver to laybys and have even found petrol stations helpful enough to take nextday courier deliveries in for stuff ordered online/ebay. Have done alternators and air driers at the roadside, modern air driers very hard work though if can’t get good access or don’t have the workshop manual for the truck.
I don’t entirely agree about non-main dealer fitter call-out costs but the big problem for an o/d is that when you do call them you always seem to end up bottom of the queue. You wonder why they took so long to get there and when you get a look at their job sheet to sign you see further up the page they’ve stopped to jump-start a truck from a big fleet and done some other job they’ve got a contract on first.
Also if you call at night and you’re an o/d they sometimes won’t come out because you haven’t got an account and there’s no-one in the office to take a card payment deposit.
Edit to add: Another useful one for the toolbox is a nut splitter big enough to go round the nuts on brake chambers - 26-28mm diameter-ish min. If you’re replacing the chamber I’d usually just grind off if don’t loosen fairly easily straightaway. On things like stepframe trailers and the unit it can be difficult to get access for the grinder. Also useful for any rounded off nuts as well.
Our jobs get done in the order they come in.
So if we get a Wincanton, then an OD, then another Wincanton, then that’s the order the jobs get done.
When we do work for the clubs, we bill the club for the work (and parts). If you’re on account with the club then there’s no problem, we do the job, we bill the club, the club bills you.
cieranc:
Our jobs get done in the order they come in.
So if we get a Wincanton, then an OD, then another Wincanton, then that’s the order the jobs get done.When we do work for the clubs, we bill the club for the work (and parts). If you’re on account with the club then there’s no problem, we do the job, we bill the club, the club bills you.
Funny you should say Wincanton that was, in fact who they bumped up before me last time I had someone (small-ish independent fitters outfit) out. Do they sub that off Pullman or someone?
Aren’t all the clubs ultimately some form of pay as you go with them making a cut on top? That’s why I’ve never thought them worthwhile.
I guess you would bill the clubs less than the normal going rate for bulk supplying jobs?
Clean pair of knickers and a bra.
Own Account Driver:
Aren’t all the clubs ultimately some form of pay as you go with them making a cut on top? That’s why I’ve never thought them worthwhile.
Yeah, they’re exactly that. Pay as you go, use a contractor and take a cut.
My point is, if you’ve a problem getting the work done without paying up front, or waiting in a queue while the fitter prioritises his repeat customers, then the club is a better option. No payment up front and get the same priority as everyone else.
Legend_Scania:
Bosch 36v cordless “hammer, chisel, drill”
Them glovers that nurse wear “can’t remember what there called” for the oily stuff
I don’t have any oily stuff on my body that a nurse need to touch
All that has been posted is valid , personally I and guys thatt work forme carry a 20 inch box with common stuff which gets used for doing bulbs etc. I know of one guy who took out his passenger seat to make room and he was an employed driver doing west coast of Scotland to London hardly Doha !
With modern trucks you need a laptop then a toolbox.
In addition to the usual straps and chains.
First aid kit
Fire extinguisher
Head torch
Lump Hammer, regular hammer, toffee hammer
Cold chisel
Vice Grips
Various screw drivers (philips, posi drive etc)
Various ring spanners and sockets from 10mm to 24mm
Allen keys - star keys
Adjustable wrenchs
Big stilson wrench
Pliars
Hacksaw
Multimeter
Wheel Wrench + extension (Pipe)
Jemmy bars
10 tonne bottle jack
Various D links
Jump leads
Various sized zip Ties
Bulbs -lenses - fuses - fuse wire - roll of electrical wire
Insulation tape - Duct tape - PTF tape
Crimp on spade connectors - wire joiners
Wire cutters - insulation strippers
Spare suzies
Can of water + can of diesel + can of oil
Rope
Strong wire
Airline + tyre inflator + pnumatic angle grinder with cutting disc
Tyre valve key
Spare set of trailer wheel bearings
Wheel bearing hub nut socket
Brake chamber wind off key
Several lengths of nylon airline hose 10mm, 12mm etc
Various push on nylon pipe connectors 10mm, 12mm etc
Various sized jubilee clips
King pin lock.
Take your pick out of that Harry, I don’t have that much trouble with the truck as a lot of the tools and bits I carry round are used to coax into life some of the tackle I go to pick up, but its always better to have something and not need it rather than the other way round 
.
Clean pair of Y fronts,a string vest,Rab C Nesbit,style,a pair of rigger boots and a Canadian style lumber jacks chequered insulated shirt,job sorted.
Nextdrop:
With modern trucks you need a laptop then a toolbox.
I disagree.
