Heard it all now-
After talking to our self employed fitter about a blown bulb & other defects on a trailer (that wasn’t defected by the last driver ) that I got allocated this morning, I asked why we can’t have a selection of bulbs in the cab or traffic office for early mornings, I got told that we can’t change bulbs as they are all different & we might damage the fittings !!!
What a load of BS I explained to him that I have been driving lorrys for 30 years & have changed plenty of bulbs in my time & all of a sudden I am not capable of changing a poxy rear light bulb ! (I don’t touch headlight bulbs, as they can be fiddly)
So in future should I call him out at 04.00 in the morning (not going happen !) just to put a 30p bulb in my trailer ?
I explained that just one light out, can invite interest from VOSA (he was sat in the ambush position at Watford Gap north this morning as usual) Then (this is the BS bit coming now !)he said “if we get pulled by VOSA, we are not allowed to change any bulbs & we have to call out a fitter at the company’s expense !”
GET REAL !
Has any one else come across this or is it just Cash Generating on behalf of our fitter ?
There is many a driver capable of changing a bulb ,but alas there are many who as your mechanic says will damage fittings…have seen it all to often.Nothing personal but I have been repairing trucks since 1980 and the I’ve been driving trucks and changing bulbs etc for however long is a load of crap…I had a driver complaining about his truck ,due to the fact he has dropped down the company fuel league table…I drove it fully loaded , it did as it should …Contacted manufacturer which was embarrassing ,and they agree with me that he should learn how to drive it properly…The amount of drivers I get with the I,ve been driving so long I know how to change gear …Well they obviously don’t know how to change gear ,as surprisingly I drive it with no problems…As I said nothing personal ,but you just put down my pet hate
Yeah I’ve come accross that. I’ve also heard drivers say they are not qualified at one place I go to and they wait for the fitter to start work before leaving the yard.
The only bulbs that I have been told I can’t change are the headlight bulbs on Iveco Strallis’ for one particular firm.
shuttlespanker:
a friend of mine got pulled by VOSA near Milton Keynes, he had a headlamp out, they made him sit there until DAFAid had been out to change the bulb
If he had a bulb and could change it would they have accepted that?
i had a run in with vosa on the a71 running across to kilmarnock…unluckily for me i had a trailer indicator bulb out and as the firm i work for wont let us change bulbs etc and also carry spares when the nice vosa man noticed said bulb out i got issued a prohibition. Rang the office to tell them the crack and they were more than happy to call a fitter out to change a bulb.The vosa guys couldnt believe it.It was only a bit of thinking and me deciding to change the indicator bulb with a reverse light bulb that stopped me sitting there until a fitter came. Its madness in my eyes they seem to want to waste money on things like this. How simple to have a few bulbs in ya cab and sort it as you go…ludicrous
a couple of months ago i saw a FH12 with a blown bulb at carnforth. a little while later a flatbed recovery truck pulled up next to it. i just thought he pulled in for a break. a few minutes later the mechanic was under the cab fiddling around so i wandered over and showed him how to change the headlight bulb
with most places now, blown bulbs during pre start checks are defects and must be changed by a mechanic. however, its my policy that once out on the road i will change a bulb if i have the correct type in my bag as i will not pay a fine for their company policy. unfortunately LEDs are too common now and i cant do anything about them but i will not call someone out to change a bulb if i can do it myself
Once had to do a 140 mile round trip to change a “perished” wiper blade on the passenger side of a 3 wiper truck due to our over zealous vosa “collegues”.Bless em.
Last week a double deck goes for test.It passed last year no problem without long vehicle plates because it has “conspicuous” tape around the rear doors.This year some jumped up ***** says because it was registerd before 2012 it has to have LV plates.
Now nowhere in the testers manual does it mention year of manufacture but this jobsworth prick just decides to change the rules.Unfortunately the bloke who took it for test wouldnt stand his corner.
When they advertise for jobs at vosa does it mention that only A/holes need apply.
Every lorry I have ever driven has had spare bulbs in it, there are at least 4 side light bulbs in the unit, 2 spare brake light bulbs in the reversing lamps and spare fuses in the cab, from the radio, interior lights and night heater.
A blown bulb is no excuse for sitting in the yard or in a layby. Everyone should have a screwdriver and a pair of pliers in their bag, even it is only used to open a can of beans
Hiya years ago when trailers crossed from Dover to Calis unacompaied (no unit) we all carried a box of lenese
and bulbs. if you left the lenses and bulbs on the trailer they’ed go missing. it was lovley picking up a trailer in
the middle of the night, first you needed to find the trailer(one of about 200) then get the bulb box out
and the palm coupling converters out, what type of lenses did you need put bulbs in then lenses on.
what a nightmare, but we did it, usually in the rain and snow IICR.it was a good idea the day someone
come up with trailer lightboard, mind you that was a pain threading the cable along the tilt trailers.
it wasn’t a question of can you fit a bulb, it was you’ll need these…get on with it
John
This is the reason I don’t work for big national firm and stick to the smaller family run firms, I used to be a fitter for 7 years before passin my test and I do anything to save the firm money am not a brown nose by a long way but if I can fix something myself to get back the yard or get me on my way I will go ahead and do it, I don’t see the point in going the garage to have something daft fixed which would take me 10 mins to do while being tipped or when I get the chance, too many steering wheel attendants and not enough drivers these days, I have even chained a middle axle up to get myself back from Corby when a spring snapped, people may think am daft for having a go but I bet am not the only 1
martinviking:
So in future should I call him out at 04.00 in the morning (not going happen !) just to put a 30p bulb in my trailer ?
Yes, if that’s what they want you to do, then that’s what you should do.
Trouble is- They are so Wishy Washy & won’t give us a clear instruction as to what we should do, if we ring the fitter, his phone wont be switched on, the management don’t seem to care less, their getting their Zzzzz’s at 04.00 in the morning, the traffic office are a complete waste of space at 05.00 in the morning, there’s no spare bulbs in the office & the fitter wont give me any.
So as it’s becoming an issue now with the mornings & evenings getting darker (the lights should work anyway !) I’m going to give them this week to put something into place or any trailer that I hook up to with any lights not working will sit in the yard until 8 oclock when the fitter get’s in.
martinviking:
So in future should I call him out at 04.00 in the morning (not going happen !) just to put a 30p bulb in my trailer ?
Yes, if that’s what they want you to do, then that’s what you should do.
Trouble is- They are so Wishy Washy & won’t give us a clear instruction as to what we should do, if we ring the fitter, his phone wont be switched on, the management don’t seem to care less, their getting their Zzzzz’s at 04.00 in the morning, the traffic office are a complete waste of space at 05.00 in the morning, there’s no spare bulbs in the office & the fitter wont give me any.
I know, it’s just crazy. I carry all the spare bulbs I need and when one needs changing, I just change it, I have a front sidelight bulb to change tomorrow.
Big firms seem to want something different but they can’t quite work out what it is they want. I suppose they just want you to go back to bed and phone at a time when normal people are at work.
But again, if that’s what they want you to do, then just go along with it.
I change my own bulbs - if you can’t manage to do that right, driving a lorry must be really hard work. I keep a box of 2 of every bulb we use and the relevant tools for the job in my bag.
When my parents moved house they were told that they had to have a qualified electrician to disconnect the cooker. Of course it’s easy to disconnect the wrong wires
i know 1 firm that spent just over £2000 in a month on call outs too various main dealer back up services for failed lights because they wont allow the drivers too change them.
) that I got allocated this morning, I asked why we can’t have a selection of bulbs in the cab or traffic office for early mornings, I got told that we can’t change bulbs as they are all different & we might damage the fittings !!!
at the company’s expense !” 
