I’ve recently started a job doing a bit of evening / night trunking with wagon + drag.
It’s mostly parcels, but a few pallets go on the unit which is curtain side.
The trailer is a-frame style, taking some getting used to.
Anyway, 2 things make me think my ‘prime mover’ is the wrong truck.
It’s 4" wider than the rest of the ‘prime movers’ so I can’t see the trailer, makes an awkward reverse even more awkward…
It’s got 230bhp… Yes 2 hundred and 30… My car’s not far off that, so I’m crawling up hills at silly speeds, like the M1 earlier on at 30mph Oh, it’s a Scumia too
So, an apology if you’ve been stuck behind me the last couple of days or you do in the future (whilst I’m here…), it’s not my fault, the truck is bloody gutless. I won’t be pulling over to let you past as I won’t get going again, and once I crown the hill, it should pick up speed again, that’s my speed and I deserve it, so I’m not going to knock it off so you can pass
I’d that it the truck the company issued to you then you have tue right truck
It sounds like it was bought with just deliveries in mind and the converted to allow a drag to be pulled sounds like the company made a booboo in speccing
If you paid by the hr then don’t worry about it it’s there problem your only a bum on seat the make of the truck has nothing to do with been the wrong truck for the job a similar Volvo lot merc would pull just as bad I’d get a boy more experience of different models of truck before slating a truck just being speccced wrong
alix776:
I’d that it the truck the company issued to you then you have tue right truck
It sounds like it was bought with just deliveries in mind and the converted to allow a drag to be pulled sounds like the company made a booboo in speccing
If you paid by the hr then don’t worry about it it’s there problem your only a bum on seat the make of the truck has nothing to do with been the wrong truck for the job a similar Volvo lot merc would pull just as bad I’d get a boy more experience of different models of truck before slating a truck just being speccced wrong
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The problem with the bhp is that people are doing stupid overtakes on double whites over woodhead, including a guy who decided to pass me whilst there was a motorbike coming the other way, guess he didn’t realise how long I was, so I had to slam on my brakes so he didn’t kill the biker, which left me starting from 0mph on quite a steep uphill (for this truck) still with a queue behind me.
The temptation to just swerve and shove the car off the road was great I can tell you, anyone willing to kill another road user to save a couple of mins just boils my ■■■■.
I’ve got 5yrs on HGV’s under my belt doing far more jobs and variation than most drivers would do in their entire career, so I think the experience for slating a truck is just about reached.
I get the ‘paid by the hour’ bit, but it’s bloody dangerously slow, and being a trunk run there’s people waiting at the other depots for the stuff that I’ve got on who are then going to other depots, so it’s a big knock on effect.
The company has been doing this wag + drag run for donkeys years, pre-abs a-frame trailers give a clue, truck is a 57 plate, so you’d have thought when that was bought, they know what the job was.
alix776:
I’d that it the truck the company issued to you then you have tue right truck
It sounds like it was bought with just deliveries in mind and the converted to allow a drag to be pulled sounds like the company made a booboo in speccing
If you paid by the hr then don’t worry about it it’s there problem your only a bum on seat the make of the truck has nothing to do with been the wrong truck for the job a similar Volvo lot merc would pull just as bad I’d get a boy more experience of different models of truck before slating a truck just being speccced wrong
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Alix, do you ever read what you have written BEFORE you click the submit button?
waynedl:
I’ve got 5yrs on HGV’s under my belt doing far more jobs and variation than most drivers would do in their entire career, so I think the experience for slating a truck is just about reached.
alix776:
I’d that it the truck the company issued to you then you have tue right truck
It sounds like it was bought with just deliveries in mind and the converted to allow a drag to be pulled sounds like the company made a booboo in speccing
If you paid by the hr then don’t worry about it it’s there problem your only a bum on seat the make of the truck has nothing to do with been the wrong truck for the job a similar Volvo lot merc would pull just as bad I’d get a boy more experience of different models of truck before slating a truck just being speccced wrong
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The problem with the bhp is that people are doing stupid overtakes on double whites over woodhead, including a guy who decided to pass me whilst there was a motorbike coming the other way, guess he didn’t realise how long I was, so I had to slam on my brakes so he didn’t kill the biker, which left me starting from 0mph on quite a steep uphill (for this truck) still with a queue behind me.
The temptation to just swerve and shove the car off the road was great I can tell you, anyone willing to kill another road user to save a couple of mins just boils my ■■■■■
I’ve got 5yrs on HGV’s under my belt doing far more jobs and variation than most drivers would do in their entire career, so I think the experience for slating a truck is just about reached.
I get the ‘paid by the hour’ bit, but it’s bloody dangerously slow, and being a trunk run there’s people waiting at the other depots for the stuff that I’ve got on who are then going to other depots, so it’s a big knock on effect.
The company has been doing this wag + drag run for donkeys years, pre-abs a-frame trailers give a clue, truck is a 57 plate, so you’d have thought when that was bought, they know what the job was.
Tuffnells ? if so i thought the prime movers were usually swap bodies. ?
Driven a wag and drag rigid with demountable bodies that was 180hp or so engine. Only drove rigid and that was slow enough for me!!! It did a night trunk to ■■■■■■■ most nights ok…
alix776:
I’d that it the truck the company issued to you then you have tue right truck
It sounds like it was bought with just deliveries in mind and the converted to allow a drag to be pulled sounds like the company made a booboo in speccing
If you paid by the hr then don’t worry about it it’s there problem your only a bum on seat the make of the truck has nothing to do with been the wrong truck for the job a similar Volvo lot merc would pull just as bad I’d get a boy more experience of different models of truck before slating a truck just being speccced wrong
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Alix, do you ever read what you have written BEFORE you click the submit button?
alix776:
I’d that it the truck the company issued to you then you have tue right truck
It sounds like it was bought with just deliveries in mind and the converted to allow a drag to be pulled sounds like the company made a booboo in speccing
If you paid by the hr then don’t worry about it it’s there problem your only a bum on seat the make of the truck has nothing to do with been the wrong truck for the job a similar Volvo lot merc would pull just as bad I’d get a boy more experience of different models of truck before slating a truck just being speccced wrong
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The problem with the bhp is that people are doing stupid overtakes on double whites over woodhead, including a guy who decided to pass me whilst there was a motorbike coming the other way, guess he didn’t realise how long I was, so I had to slam on my brakes so he didn’t kill the biker, which left me starting from 0mph on quite a steep uphill (for this truck) still with a queue behind me.
The temptation to just swerve and shove the car off the road was great I can tell you, anyone willing to kill another road user to save a couple of mins just boils my ■■■■.
I’ve got 5yrs on HGV’s under my belt doing far more jobs and variation than most drivers would do in their entire career, so I think the experience for slating a truck is just about reached.
I get the ‘paid by the hour’ bit, but it’s bloody dangerously slow, and being a trunk run there’s people waiting at the other depots for the stuff that I’ve got on who are then going to other depots, so it’s a big knock on effect.
The company has been doing this wag + drag run for donkeys years, pre-abs a-frame trailers give a clue, truck is a 57 plate, so you’d have thought when that was bought, they know what the job was.
Tuffnells ? if so i thought the prime movers were usually swap bodies. ?
taking a wild stab in the dark here, but, not Tuffnells, wrong colour
waynedl:
I’ve got 5yrs on HGV’s under my belt doing far more jobs and variation than most drivers would do in their entire career, so I think the experience for slating a truck is just about reached.
Classic line. 5 years wey hey.
I also put in the fact that I’ve varied jobs A LOT… 5yrs may not be a lot to an old bald git, and I did 7yrs on busses and coaches before touching hgv’s, but I’ve had A LOT of jobs (because I can’t keep my mouth shut mostly, but also a lot on agency) and not always doing the same job for a different company like most do.
Own Account Driver:
What’s the GTW on the plate?
I thought one of the conditions was being able to pull away fully laden on about the steepest gradient you’d realistically come across on UK roads.
I wouldn’t be prepred to exceed the plated weight regardless what a TM said.
It’s plated to 38t train weight, god knows how lol. I got passed off a 7.5t before with 220bhp (renault), so only 10bhp below me…
roadrunner:
Tuffnells ? if so i thought the prime movers were usually swap bodies. ?
No mate, 1 of the other ones, most of the prime movers are box trucks, there’s 2 that are tauts and they’re just a bit wider, 4" - 2" at either side, so they’re just a bit of a pain, like reversing a small trailer behind your car, the 1st time you see it, you know it’s already gone pete tongue lol.
I’m getting used to the reversing now, but still think the truck is far too low on power for the job, could definately smell clutch burning on woodhead before at 24mph (on sat nav) in 3rd gear, and no I’m not riding the clutch.
I first thought Tuffnell’s, but they usually use Volvos/DAFs and tend to go the other way. A mate of mine does day deliveries for them but using a wagon that does drag work overnight. The result is, a 4x2 with 410bhp! Lucky sod!
dew:
I first thought Tuffnell’s, but they usually use Volvos/DAFs and tend to go the other way. A mate of mine does day deliveries for them but using a wagon that does drag work overnight. The result is, a 4x2 with 410bhp! Lucky sod!
When I was on B+Q wag + drag, it was a 360 scumia, which was then used on days as just a 26t (running nowhere near weight - lift axle up etc).
On the B+Q wag + drag night trunk, used to average early teens mpg’s, that was hooking up, getting under 2 boxes, then down to branston, unload 2 boxes, then drop 2 boxes, then under 2 more boxes, then back to Manchester.
This 230bhp is returning around 8.5mpg, used to get well over 9mpg out of 460’s and 480’s on containers where you often run max weight and also a lot of 20’ boxes or High Cubes which are un-aerodynamic, the 230 is costing them a bomb in fuel, not doing the engine any favours, not doing the clutch or box (straight 6 speed) any favours and just makes hard work where it’s not required.
what weight are you running at?
if i’ve read it right, then it appears that you have a couple of pallets on the prime mover, and a full load on the trailer?
if that’s right, then it’s loaded wrong. this will cause bad performance.
when did you last change the fuel filter?
Slightly off-topic, and I don’t want to sound like an old ■■■■, but I’ve had drivers complain to me about having to change gears on hills… is it that long ago that constant box-stirring was part of the job?!
kindle530:
bloke where i work has got the only rigid at our place, 6x2 Renault with a tuck-away tail lift, 370bhp
i did feel sorry for you until
waynedl:
Scumia
do you call Tesco tosco as well
Nope, just never been a fan of Scania trucks, well, not since passing my test anyway… Give it credit for 1 thing, it’s got a better stereo than my car.
Sorted the cup holder issue out too, kept 1 of those rubber spacers out of a DAF CF, so I just stick my cup in that and stick it on the engine cover, doesn’t fall over now until it’s empty.
Coming over woodhead tonight towards Tintwistle, gets to the last 2 lane section up past the pub and literally came to a stop, had to set off again in 1st gear and just let it crawl up the hill.
Other than the lack of power to pull up hills is the lack of a decent engine brake, due to the low power engine (and the retarder being on the brake pedal only), I think the brakes get abused to hell, I’ve never known a retarder / exhaust brake / engine brake, whatever you want to call it, so bad.
Oh, it’s a Scumia too 
