stu675:
How do you incorporate remembering the numberplate into BLACK?
I always put the number plate on before hooking up and when I am midway round doing the trailer checks.
In my case I often remove it at the fuel pumps because that suits what I am doing. Just develop a routine that suits what you are doing.
I have a slight issue of a lot of the time I am coupling up to trailers that have been reversed onto a dock so don’t have access until I pull off. Not the end of the world. Only driven off once without a numberplate, at least I’ve never left a plate behind … Yet [emoji6]
Have a mental checklist of the routine you eventually go with - not going to suggest anything as that would be repeating whats already been posted - but once you have one that works, stick to it. And the last thing that you do before you get in the cab is say it out loud to yourself (doesnt have to be LOUD loud, as long as you are vocalising it and not saying it in your mind) while picturing if you’ve done it. This helps reinforce the routine. When dropping a trailer I also do this just before I pull the pin.
And if someone comes bothering you in the middle of the process, then once they have been appropriately dealt with, start again from the beginning, even if it’s just a walk round to verify what you have and haven’t done.
dozy:
Always put the dog clip on before you do your tug test , if you don’t & you’ve not caught the pin properly you could fly forward and kill the person walking across in front of you
Really? Does everyone do this?
Why wouldn’t you do it , it’s common sense , how many times have you had people walk just in front of your lorry , try it , reverse back under tri , but not enough to connect to pin , do your tug test , imagine someone was there , like a lot of things , people ( excluding me ) won’t do it until there’s a accident , then it’s too late
You’ve got to put the dog clip on whatever , so why not before you do the tug test that after , it will also in 99% of cases show you when you can’t get the dog clip in that you’ve not caught the pin correctly .
dozy:
Always put the dog clip on before you do your tug test , if you don’t & you’ve not caught the pin properly you could fly forward and kill the person walking across in front of you
Really? Does everyone do this?
This is a rule at stobart to do coupling like that for the reason dozy said, if you don’t couple correctly when you come to do your tug test you could potentially shoot forward and if someone or something is in front of you, you could potentially hit them. Not many drivers do it this way.
Ok thanks.[emoji106] Just seems to me that you do the tug test first to make sure it’s engaged before you go any further like winding up legs [emoji33]
It’s a lot of switching engine off and on, getting in and out of cab.
Think it’s easier to make sure there’s no one in front of you when you’re wheel spinning it in a forward gear.
dozy:
Always put the dog clip on before you do your tug test , if you don’t & you’ve not caught the pin properly you could fly forward and kill the person walking across in front of you
Really? Does everyone do this?
Why wouldn’t you do it , it’s common sense , how many times have you had people walk just in front of your lorry , try it , reverse back under tri , but not enough to connect to pin , do your tug test , imagine someone was there , like a lot of things , people ( excluding me ) won’t do it until there’s a accident , then it’s too late
You’ve got to put the dog clip on whatever , so why not before you do the tug test that after , it will also in 99% of cases show you when you can’t get the dog clip in that you’ve not caught the pin correctly .
The only way you can fasten the dog clip is if you have fully engaged the king pin, so surely that negates the need to even do the tug test?
If the pin is too high it IS possible* that the jaws will close, and the dog clip put in, although the pin is actually sitting on top of the jaws, rather than being held correctly by them.
That is why the tug test is necessary. Just being able to insert the clip is not enough proof that the trailer pin is engaged.
Do the tug test as soon as you “bang it under”. But not if someone is walking in front of you!
possible but not common of course…that is what tug tests etc are for: the rare times it doesn`t go to plan.
Number plate I keep in the driver door pocket: if I can see it, it`s not on the trailer. And I put it on trailer when doing light checks, walkaround once, not twice.
stu675:
Our units are stored at basically a car park without facilities, do you all leave the fifth wheel greasing to the mechanics? Add some yourself? Or find it never dissipates?
Workshop’s job. It’s a crappy messy job you want to stay well away from and they’ll have a dedicated stick with a towel wrapped round it for doing it. They should do it every inspection ideally. Never had to take one to the garage to have it topped up.
Oh one thing not mentioned is if you find you can’t pull the fifth wheel handle when dropping the trailer, and this especially happens when you’re on an uphill slope, make sure the trailer park brake is on then with the engine off take the handbrake off on the unit. It’ll allow the unit to roll back a little which will take the pressure off the fifthe wheel jaws.
Our units are stored at basically a car park without facilities, do you all leave the fifth wheel greasing to the mechanics? Add some yourself? Or find it never dissipates?
I pull tanks, which like semi trailer car transporters tend to have a narrow rubbing plate, the fifth wheels under these types of trailers tend to run dry faster than normal trailers.
Yes the workshop should grease the fifth wheel up at inspection time, so generally every 6 weeks, in practice i usually spot some areas drying out and wipe some grease onto the fifth wheel by week 4.
If the first driver to connect up after service isn’t a lorry driver and wipes all the fresh grease up the leading edge of the rubbing plate then naturally the fifth wheel is going to run dry sooner.
I wrap my hand in a sizeable thick polythene bag grab a handful of grease, do the business then bin the poly bag.
You mentioned wheelspinning when tug testing in another post, you should have lifted the landing legs off the ground as you connected up so there should be no wheelspin on a tug test, and no i don’t put the clip on before a tug test and don’t know anyone else who does but doesn’t surprise me for one second the company who it would appear insist on this.
The clip being in place means the square root of bugger all, many of us have actually experienced discovering the king pin sat on top of, not inside, the fifth wheel jaws…this usually happens when hitching up on uneven ground…if the jaws have slammed home then the clip will go in, but it doesn’t mean you’ve got the trailer connected, all the clip being in means is that the fifth wheel jaws have fully closed, to check the trailer is hitched shine that torch up its bum.
Conor:
Oh one thing not mentioned is if you find you can’t pull the fifth wheel handle when dropping the trailer, and this especially happens when you’re on an uphill slope, make sure the trailer park brake is on then with the engine off take the handbrake off on the unit. It’ll allow the unit to roll back a little which will take the pressure off the fifthe wheel jaws.
Good point.
It is always a firm pull againstthe spring, but if the handle is too hard to pull, it is because there is too much load on the pin.
Youll often also get this when the suspension has been raised/lowered, or legs wound too much after applying trailer brake. Trailer brake on, release unit brake, maybe reverse gently into the (braked) trailer. Unit brake back on! :smiley: Then youll get an easier pull.
dozy:
Always put the dog clip on before you do your tug test , if you don’t & you’ve not caught the pin properly you could fly forward and kill the person walking across in front of you
Really? Does everyone do this?
Why wouldn’t you do it , it’s common sense , how many times have you had people walk just in front of your lorry , try it , reverse back under tri , but not enough to connect to pin , do your tug test , imagine someone was there , like a lot of things , people ( excluding me ) won’t do it until there’s a accident , then it’s too late
You’ve got to put the dog clip on whatever , so why not before you do the tug test that after , it will also in 99% of cases show you when you can’t get the dog clip in that you’ve not caught the pin correctly .
The only way you can fasten the dog clip is if you have fully engaged the king pin, so surely that negates the need to even do the tug test?
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You’ve lost me a bit terry ( not hard for me ) , the jist is instead of putting the dog clip on after you’ve done your tug test , put it on before , hope that makes sense
These are more safety overall than dropping / picking up but I think still sensible
1 . When I’ve dropped the truck/ before I pull out I stand back a few feet & have that last check , legs down / Suzis disconnected
2. When I pick up a tri again before I head off I stand back , legs up / dog clip on / Suzis connected
3 . When I go to pick up a tri , I reverse under , then get out , stand at side of cab & watch the 5 th wheel lift the tri
These 3 thing mean in all the years I’ve been driving I’ve never run under the pin & smashed the back of the cab , or dropped the tri on its knees / ripped the suzis off
I guess you could say I’m paranoid , I always stand on the bottom step of the cab & look up , parking brake on , before I leave a yard I’ll always walk round to the back to make sure doors are closed ( even when I’ve done it on W/round checks before , anytime I stop at services for a pee , I’ll do a W/round check , mainly checking back doors / dog clip
You’ll still see me under trailer with torch checking the jaws are closed properly
Maybe I do these things as I’ve seen so many jump in cab , fly off & crashing down comes the tri as the legs aren’t wound down , or the young lad last week , reverses under tri ( actually under pin) , lifts suspension from his cab , flys back & smashes the aero etc , if he’d of got out the cab to do the suspension he’d of seen he was under the pin not the tri .
The lad up at Carlisle a few years ago , if he’d of stood back & spent a second he’d of seen he’d wound down the legs , but not disconnected the suzis
These things aren’t any use to the older driver , we’re set in our ways , but a new driver , it might just save him explaing how he’s record the back of the cab , dropped on knees , just stand back for a sec , and have that second look before you jump I cab
Any that me done , ZB 6 pm , my last shift , I need to get going
Once I’ve got under the trailer and done a couple of rugs. I get the plate out of the locker as I exit the unit. Put the clip on then walk around put the plate on the start the lines.
When I uncouple I get to the part where I’ve taken the lines off then walk around the back collect the plate then put it into the locker before I take the clip off.
Once I’ve got under the trailer and done a couple of rugs. I get the plate out of the locker as I exit the unit. Put the clip on then walk around put the plate on the start the lines.
When I uncouple I get to the part where I’ve taken the lines off then walk around the back collect the plate then put it into the locker before I take the clip off.
I’m newly passed so this works for me.
K C (P) A L B
B L A (P) C K
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That’s great unless the trailer is on a bay. With no access to the rear.
But yeah it shouldn’t be hard to incorporate it somehow.
What’s all this fuss about the bloody number plate, compared with the physical aspects and real danger of disaster it’s almost an irrelevance.
When you’ve picked a fresh trailer up you’re going to check the usual things anyway and when you check the lights, in particular the number plate light you would have to be blind not to notice there’s no plate in the holder.
When dropping off a trailer on a loading dock when you’ve had to perform acrobatics to retrieve it in the 6" of standing water and filth that accumulates in such places that will be last time you forget to take it off.
^^
I agree however, the average supermarket RDC has the fence near the gatehouse festooned with number plates, so forgetting to remove it, or simply couldn’t be bothered to retrieve it in the circumstances mentioned, is a reflection on today’s common: “If it isn’t mine I couldn’t care less” society.
Juddian:
What’s all this fuss about the bloody number plate, compared with the physical aspects and real danger of disaster it’s almost an irrelevance.
When you’ve picked a fresh trailer up you’re going to check the usual things anyway and when you check the lights, in particular the number plate light you would have to be blind not to notice there’s no plate in the holder.
When dropping off a trailer on a loading dock when you’ve had to perform acrobatics to retrieve it in the 6" of standing water and filth that accumulates in such places that will be last time you forget to take it off.
No fuss [emoji6]
When I started this it was more of a throw away comment at the end. But I appreciate all the comments and BLANCK is pretty good if you can accept misspelling.
The word “specifically” was used in relation to the air and electric lines.
I’ve had the suggestion from @dozy that the red air line is first to connect and last to remove, but no miracle answer that makes the airlines easy without dumping all the air.
But there’s definitely good nuggets of info from everyone
Lube them lightly every now and again, and fit the air lines first and remove them last.
That way you have more chance of using your legs and body power to assist your arms to push against the air pressure without getting tangled up in electrical suzies or covered in the inevitable grease the jumbled up lines the steering wheel operative’s vehicle will be caked in.
On that note why is seemingly so impossible for the steering wheel operatives to keep their lines clean and untangled, you know before you get within 50 yards of the truck what the lines are going to be like, it’ll be a dented filthy wreck with years of embedded brake dust on the scraped wheels with grime laden windows.
Lack of pride in their work.
There’ll be other motors that are clean and damage free you could fit all lines easily without gloves if need be, with lubed easy to use air lines connectors.
Pride in their work.