A month or so ago I posted on here about a red line suzie helper because over the last 15-18 months I have experienced issue with both upper arms.
I saw a specialist in January and he ruled out arthritis etc and said ultra sound had shown upper arm muscle damage.
The chief culprits are rubbish suzie connectors requiring inordinate force to fit them, badly designed vertical curtain pole fittings and an inability of operators to ensure that curtains run smoothly.
When I posted before I was surprised at the number of posters who had experienced similar issues, though I suspect as, largely men, and being a bit of a macho industry and being a manual one at that, many men won’t say anything for fear, probably too strong a word, but of being seen as ‘weak’.
I wonder how widespread these muscle issues are because I think this is potentially a major problem.
When I started HGV driving it was 1979 and we had air taps. To me struggling to overcome 120 psi pulling a connector up and pushing it on at the same time (most male valves on the trailer are angled down somewhere between 60 and 45 degrees I’d say) is bloody ridiculous. Would fire-fighters try and connect a hose with 120 psi water pressure to a fitting? And so I think this is a vehicle design standards issue which needs challenging (if we can have devices that tell you the seatbelt is unplugged or the door is open I’m sure we can have one that states the air taps aren’t open).
I would thus be interested in others that have or do experience this problem.
In the short term either I have to drive something different, or probably get someone to design me a tool that allows you to connect up the air lines without wickering my health.
I now have use my right arm and brace it against my knee to get the ■■■■ things on.
Possibly one of the worst things that they’ve ever foisted on class 1 drivers.
Yeh yeh, I know why they did it but, there surely has to be a better solution to the problem than we currently have?
Thanks. Might well be in touch. I don’t see this as an operator H&S failing perhaps more a Dft H&S failing, although operators seem hardly bothered about making sure the connectors properly work and are clean. Expect annual MoT doesn’t even check them.
Sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn’t but as a matter of course I spray the connections with WD40 just to try and keep them loose. Yes I can ask the workshop but I’m not fussed as I see it as trying to help myself and my colleagues.
It does seem frowned upon to do things like drop the suspension, climb on the catwalk or use a pry bar when curtain poles don’t work properly. I almost always split couple so that I can stand square onto the connectors and WD40 them too. It takes longer, but so what?
I’ve been having constant pain in my left elbow for a few months now, at first I thought that I’d torn a muscle and it would eventually heal, it’s not getting any better so I’m having to face the uncomfortable truth that despite my youth I’ve probably got arthritis in the joint. I put it down to countless gear changes over the years with a mixture of forcing the ever more resistant red air lines on. Now that I shunt once every 5 weeks it’s seeming to get worse.
the maoster:
I’ve been having constant pain in my left elbow for a few months now, at first I thought that I’d torn a muscle and it would eventually heal, it’s not getting any better so I’m having to face the uncomfortable truth that despite my youth I’ve probably got arthritis in the joint. I put it down to countless gear changes over the years with a mixture of forcing the ever more resistant red air lines on. Now that I shunt once every 5 weeks it’s seeming to get worse.
I think you need to research complex regional pain syndrome … if you have. The aching pain pins and needles etc … you need to get it checked out ASAP if not it can spread to other parts of the body … It could be a trapped nerve, ask your GP to refer you for an MRI to double check.
Well im buggered then as when I rolled a lorry on to its drivers side I caught my arm below the elbow on the tarmac and the surgeons then cut out muscle from my upper arm to cover the bone again. Better go back to class 2 driving
I must agree that it can sometimes be a problem, and needs extra strength like a knee to assist with putting the airlines on…this is down to the pressure in the lines continually putting pressure on…we never had this problem when we had 3 line connectors with taps to turn on or off the pressure.
On the other issue with curtains, they never are checked and basically rectified when a driver reports a problem…many dont…just drops it without saying a word, and the next driver does the same, as companies are reluctant to get it in the workshop as an emergency…it should have a VOR on it so the experts can remedy the faults, which is a bent runner, or the wheels seized up…I had a load from france on a Euroliner, that was loaded through the sides ( balance weights for cranes ) and they never had a fork lift big enough at this end, so i needed to open the roof…what a big problem that was…one of the wheels was busted, and it took one of their engineers with an angle grinder to cut the bloody thing off…before the roof would open fully…this took around 5 hours, as they were reluctant to allow a fitter to do it, or the load was going back to france…lack of maintenance is the cause…and we shouldnt have to put up with it…i did not, it went straight into a trailer company to rectify the problem…fit some new wheels…and grease the tracks…job done.
Never put it down to suzies tbh, I think in my case it’s with pulling on curtains with zero maintained or greased runners.
I’ve had upper arm probs for last 2 yrs or so.
I even went to a woman who used tecniques like hot oil cupping (not THAT type of cupping btw )where your back and upper arms looks like you’ve had a bloody good kicking as it is left with big bruises on there.
She also done acupuncture on me and different types of massage, but it was costing me 30 quid a session so I knocked it on the head.
Ok it did help but still niggled me, it got to the state where pain would suddenlly shoot through, and it looked like I had Tourettes as I would suddenlly shout swear words out.
Went to Docs, sent me for a scan, told I had torn tissue damage, like wear and tear.
I’m now getting injections for it, but been told that as I have a bit of psoriasis on my arms it could be affecting my shoulder joint also.
Seems that I aint the fine example of fit and thouroughbred manhood that I used to be.
It’s already been said but I also split couple. More space to work in and easier to get a “square” push against the coupling.
If company rules are against that then the rules need challenging.
As a technical solution I’m against palm couplings. They don’t stand up to wear too well.
As you say an electronic tap with a pressure release shouldn’t be that difficult to design.
Not all tractor units apply the trailer service brake when the unit is in ‘park’. It is only the ones which do that cause this problem. I am going to make a guess that the units which do not cause the problem ‘park’ on two axles, while the one which do cause the problem park on only one axle.
If this is true then any campaign needs to be aimed at getting all units to park on two axles. That will meet with a lot of manufacturer resistance since it will mean a type approval process again.
I popped the muscle in my right arm throwing straps over 20 high pallets. Also damaged it again trying to get a stuck curtain pole out. Its been a constant pain every day. I wear elastic bandages to try and keep it in place. Im 61 and dont want to end up with an op and being off work for weeks.
the maoster:
I’ve been having constant pain in my left elbow for a few months now, at first I thought that I’d torn a muscle and it would eventually heal, it’s not getting any better so I’m having to face the uncomfortable truth that despite my youth I’ve probably got arthritis in the joint. I put it down to countless gear changes over the years with a mixture of forcing the ever more resistant red air lines on. Now that I shunt once every 5 weeks it’s seeming to get worse.
Had that in both elbows, both tennis and golf elbows at the same time, had tests, bit of carpal tunnel in one arm but not considered serious by the specialist, saw a physio a few times but after a few months he decided that he couldn’t help. This has been going on for several years, get the odd twinge now and again these days but generally much better, time is a healer, but these things can take a very, very long time to put right by themselves.
Last June I experienced the joys of a torn rotator cuff, two tears through 70% of the cuff.
I wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, simply strapping the wheels of a recovered vehicle when I felt a ‘rip’ and heard a sound like a branch breaking. That was it, efffectively stopping my truck driving days. Had my first operation in Oct, but it didn’t work, so now they want to completely replace the joint and supporting structures. The surgeon admitted that even though there is nothing stopping me from CE driving, the replacement will never be strong enough to do the ancilliary work like strapping as the joint will dislocate.
I’m just waiting for my company to finish ‘doing it by the book’ and release me from my contract.
I’ve probably got arthritis in the joint. I put it down to countless gear changes over the years with a mixture of forcing the ever more resistant red air lines on. Now that I shunt once every 5 weeks it’s seeming to get worse.
)where your back and upper arms looks like you’ve had a bloody good kicking as it is left with big bruises on there.