The day drivers have it easy as they can waltz into the garage and prod a mechanic to go and look at the fault/problem. Sadly, the same can’t be said for us night drivers. The mechanics usually go home at 5pm and as I rarely start before 6pm there’s never anyone there to look at problems.
It was at a client at Castleford not long ago and the trailer had a tail light out, but it had a cage round it which required spanners/sockets, not to mention sourcing a bulb from somewhere as they didn’t have any in the office. The night shift manager said there’s nowt he/they can do and it’s up to me whether I take the trailer as it is or not, thus leaving them with a fat fine from their customer for late/failed delivery if I didn’t take it.
It was a tough decision to make and I decided to take it as it was even though I knew that legally that was the wrong decision. However, common sense needs to be applied sometimes and having a tail light out is not the end of the world when the other 3 are working (if you count the top ones) whereas being a jobsworth and causing the company to receive a five figure fine for late delivery because I refused to take it cos of a bulb out is, in my opinion, completely OTT and “drama queen”.
Just out of curiosity Fred, if I’d been your driver and belled you up to ask your advice, what would it have been? (Taking into account that it’s a big, well-paying global company who supply parts to moving production lines and do get MASSIVE fines for late/failed delivery. Would your advice still be “zero defects” then, in those circumstances?)
Rob K:
Just out of curiosity Fred, if I’d been your driver and belled you up to ask your advice, what would it have been? (Taking into account that it’s a big, well-paying global company who supply parts to moving production lines and do get MASSIVE fines for late/failed delivery. Would your advice still be “zero defects” then, in those circumstances?)
I’d let you make your decision Rob. But if that decision was to stand firm and not drive the vehicle till the light was fixed then I’d support you. I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d be hoping that you would do as you did. But i’d also want to be having a word with the TM at the site and point out that they need to be able to deal with issues like this whether the workshop is open or not.
I’d assume that if you had been stopped on that journey for having a bulb out you’d have run the “it was working when I left the yard” defence?
Red lights on in my book it doesn’t leave the yard . Our desk people now understand this as our pucker boss who works the day shift did some checking and he said any vehicle on the fleet that goes out of the yard with a red warning light and or a fault code on display then the vehicle is not covered by the insurance .9 times out of 10 it is the computer playing up but given that snippet of information then is it worth it .
Rob K:
Have to saw I’m rather amazed at the “it’s nothing, just ignore it” comments. Are you all qualified mechanics that can diagnose this just from what he’s said, even though we don’t even know what truck it is?
INS…so it’s a Mercedes Actros or maybe a MAN, I recall seeing it on both.
Conor:
INS…so it’s a Mercedes Actros or maybe a MAN, I recall seeing it on both.
Warning light, in an Actros, you’d be lucky, slightest thing and the whole screen display goes into disco light/flashing strobe panic mode
Naaa! One great big orange or red band blocking out all the other info on the dashboard display. I’ve got a fault with a trailer - comes up with “indicator fault - visit workshop”. There is no fault, but as soon as you cancel the warning it comes on again. After about half an hour it gives up. I’ve seen INS on one of our Axor rigids at the same time as the fuel gauge went off! Could be INStrument fault?
RED means danger every vehicle handbook says STOP if a red warning light shows, if you then drive it you are a complete idiot, and if i am on the same piece of road as you then you are putting my life in danger.
I know what company it is, but not what truck or light 
