Is manual parking brakes making a come back.
Noticed on trailers the last month stickers saying now manually operated brake.
Is it due to make you check .
nope … auto breaks are fitted as optional and as some lazy lard arse drivers don’t check, more and more places are putting stickers on to tell drivers " If you have a roll away YOU as the driver will be held responsible " after all its part of the drivers pre couple checks .
always check trailer brake is on pre couple stops roll back and trl/unit roll aways also when half couple on to fridge unit.
i do remember chasing a trailer backwards across immingham docks one morning many years ago
a lot of firms now have 100% trl brake on policy when trailer is parked up waiting to go out
nick2008:
nope … auto breaks are fitted as optional and as some lazy lard arse drivers don’t check, more and more places are putting stickers on to tell drivers " If you have a roll away YOU as the driver will be held responsible " after all its part of the drivers pre couple checks .
Think automatic trailer brakes may be a standard feature on new trailers now, 2 iv’e used have it fitted.
This industry being how it is and lessons not learnt, they should have been retro fitted to all trailers years ago, may have saved a few lives.
don’t think I’ve ever seen a trailer where the brakes don’t come on when the red line is disconnected, except maybe really old trailers with ratchet handbrakes
is that what you mean by automatic/manual??
daffyd:
don’t think I’ve ever seen a trailer where the brakes don’t come on when the red line is disconnected, except maybe really old trailers with ratchet handbrakesis that what you mean by automatic/manual??
No auto brakes will pop the red button out when you remove the red airline, when you then hitch up to a trailer with auto you will always have to push the red button in to release the brakes.
What you’re referring to is the fact that the air is dumped when you detach the red airline meaning your brakes will lock, but in those cases when you attach the red air line and introduce air to the system your trailer will run free if the park brake hasn’t been manually applied
but the handbrake in the unit would have to be off, yeah?
I know it happens and people have been killed trying to stop runaways but I dunno why you’d get out without the handbrake on
suppose it’s because you’re hooked in to the trailer so just forget because the trailer’s stopping you abd you just forget
Think its been discussed on here before, its a serious matter that needs to be emphasised when getting a licence, but here is a picture, driver got crushed, left off the handbrake on the unit, done it myself years ago while at Keedwell, but got away with it.
Well yes of course if you’ve coupled up and the unit park brake is engaged then its reduced the risk of it running off, but a lot of people split couple (I prefer this method too tbh)
I don’t just bang it under a trailer and jump up and attach suzies, I do what i call a controlled coupling
I first ALWAYS check the park brake on the trailer is applied,
as I’m backing up drop the arse end of the unit,
once the fifth wheel is under lift the arse back up and take the pressure off the legs,
apply park brake on unit and then get out (I haven’t hitched to the kingpin yet though)
connect the lines
jump back in and complete the attach
do my tug test
check and attach the clip
wind up legs
auto level the suspension and only then would I release trailer park brake
May seem long winded to some who are more used to slam, tug, connect,wind legs and go but it really only takes half a minute longer
And yes, when I first started I too heard the dreaded griiiiiind of the legs on concrete as I attached the red and the whole lot rolled forward about a foot, and I vowed then and there with slightly soiled underwear as my witness that I’d never attach a trailer without double checking the park brake before i got out the cab and checking and applying the trailer parking brake before connecting up!
No one bothers using trailer brakes at our place. Its only a fail safe really.
As said soon as you pull the lines the brakes come on anyway and when coupling check the trailer is hitched and dog clipped, no problems
ajt:
No one bothers using trailer brakes at our place. Its only a fail safe really.
As said soon as you pull the lines the brakes come on anyway and when coupling check the trailer is hitched and dog clipped, no problems
True, just like there is only 1 bullet and 5 empty chambers in a revolver when you play Russian Roulette, still would you point it at your face and pull the trigger? honestly though, would you?
I bet every dead/injured driver if given a second chance would apply the trailer brake 
Tockwith Training:
its a serious matter that needs to be emphasised when getting a licence
The company I did my class 1 training with put great GREAT emphasise on it. We were taught that when unhooking,apply trailer brake first,then unwind legs THEN do the air line. And for hooking up,always to stop just before backing into trailer and to get out to check the trailer brake is on. Then hook up and the brake is the last thing to get done. This was drummed into us so that trailer runaways didnt happen.
Reef:
ajt:
No one bothers using trailer brakes at our place. Its only a fail safe really.
As said soon as you pull the lines the brakes come on anyway and when coupling check the trailer is hitched and dog clipped, no problemsTrue, just like there is only 1 bullet and 5 empty chambers in a revolver when you play Russian Roulette, still would you point it at your face and pull the trigger? honestly though, would you?
I bet every dead/injured driver if given a second chance would apply the trailer brake
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use the Trailer Brakes - NO EXCUSES !!! - Those that don’t are asking for trouble, just keep away from me - Muppets !!
Rushing and cutting corners will always bite you in the arse eventually…is your job really worth risking your life any more than we already have to ? to save a few moments of exactly who’s time ?
ajt:
No one bothers using trailer brakes at our place. Its only a fail safe really.
As said soon as you pull the lines the brakes come on anyway and when coupling check the trailer is hitched and dog clipped, no problems
Thats all good and well but we have lots of hire kit in over xmas. Some of the older trailers don’t apply the brakes when the red suzie is off. It’s all too easy to become complacent because of something you ‘normally’ do.
Came round a corner one night, to exit a gate in a large RDC yard to witness a roll away.
Door open, no one at home , lorry and fully laden trailer rolling down hill towards…
A driver standing with his back towards impending death. I leant on my hooter, waved, gesticulated from a good 30 yards away.
When the man swung round, he did a very quick side step to see his vehicle hit by an unmanned vehicle and lifted 8 feet to the right.
The driver of the unmanned lorry was trying in vain to stop the rollaway by ratcheting on the old style hand brake.
The driver who was missed by the rollaway is enjoying his retirement. I can still see the incident today.
Another driver at the same firm, however was not so lucky. Different yard, no hand brake and he split coupled. Never the best option. He was crushed to death as the trailer rolled backwards down the hill and got trapped over the 5th wheel by the front mounted fridge unit.
Even if the hand brakes pops on once the red line has been disconnected, check it.
A shunter called me all the names under the sun for putting a hand brake on. He didn’t like my response.
We all only have one life so check and double check.
I recall back home in UK when doing agency on days off at Enfield a big company contracted for M&S, if you didn’t apply park brake on trailer you was not welcome back.
but the sad thing is some drivers think it will not happen to them !!!
I get why you’d get out to look before hooking in to the trailer but why connect the lines before hooking in to the trailer?
m1cks:
ajt:
No one bothers using trailer brakes at our place. Its only a fail safe really.
As said soon as you pull the lines the brakes come on anyway and when coupling check the trailer is hitched and dog clipped, no problemsThats all good and well but we have lots of hire kit in over xmas. Some of the older trailers don’t apply the brakes when the red suzie is off. It’s all too easy to become complacent because of something you ‘normally’ do.
Its only going to run away if its on a incline and then obviously you would use the trailer brake regardless.
Most run away or crush accidents are down to drivers not applying the unit brake in conjunction with the trailer brake.
daffyd:
I get why you’d get out to look before hooking in to the trailer but why connect the lines before hooking in to the trailer?
Just down to access mate, fridge trailers especially