Had a barny in the yard at 04-15 yesterday. It was raining and I’d just got my 7.5 tonner for the day sorted and the routes (more or less planned as I’d left Tom Tom Charging ). The trailer spaces are all marked out so if you park with the drivers side wheels somewhere near the line, then you can allways wind the legs up if everyone can manage to reverse square. The other option if you can’t is to pick the trailer up with the suspension, roll it foreward until you can get to the legs and sort your stuff out from their. But I think it’s a nadge dangerous doing it in the rain with one hand on the handbrake, standing on the step with the other hand in the air . Especially as the front of one unit’s just been caved in on the back of a trailer when someone forgot to put the handbrake on (no not me). I went and had a word. Told him what had happened and got told, in no uncertain words to go away and stop sticking my nose in . That was it. Went and informed transport. Bloke was escorted off sight . Now I feel extremley guilty about grassing on him, but I feel it’s worth it if he’s going to kill someone through being a [zb]. I wouldn’t have minded so much if he’d apologised and said I’ll sit in the seat next time. It’s only a step to get up their and we all make mistakes.By all accounts, he was a driver of some years experience as well, not a newbie. Did I overeact? Or was I justified.
Got a bit confused at first with the 7.5 tonner and picking up a trailer.had to read it a few times to make it understood…but all is clear now…maybe you were looking for a reasonable driver to give you an explanation…instead he told you to go away…mind your own business…you gave him a chance…he didnt take it…so you did the next best thing…reported him…and he got kicked off site…maybe it was the last straw for the transport office too…reason for kicking him off site…you did no wrong…maybe you feel a bit guilty for losing him his job…his lookout not yours…if hed done the job properly in the first place he would still be there…a lot of drivers take offence when you point out their mistakes…when it all goes wrong they are normally the ones to apologise for not listening…dont worry about it.
Bear with me but it has been the nuttiest week and I am so cream crackered but regardless of what your hands were doing, if I read correctly you were coupling up and some [zb] left his handbrake off and hit your wagon? If this is the case.
I don’t grass, I grew up with too many brummies and there is always another way but in this case you were so right!!! imagine the thread (god forbid there ever will be one!) but imagine the other side to this tale and announcing your hospitalisation or worse!
There are short cuts and there is negligence and as a proffessional driver we do our best but and we close our eyes from time to time but the dangerous nature of what we do should NEVER be underestimated and you were lucky so yes I would have grassed.
As far as I can understand it LT Lib was in a 7.5 tonner and saw another driver picking up a trailer. The trailers were parked to close together for the other driver to be able to wind the legs up so he raised the air suspension to lift the legs clear of the ground and would then move the whole rig forward until there was room to wind the legs. Following so far?
Now the normal way would be to sit in the seat and move the unit forward in the time honoured fashion of using the pedals but this driver just stood on the step, reached into the cab and released the parking brake. This is what Lib thought was dangerous and having seen an incident previously were two vehicles had a coming together when a driver did this he went over and mentioned to the driver that it didn’t seem a very safe way of doing things.
The driver took exception to Lib’s intervention and told him to ‘go away’ and concerned for the safety of others in the yard Lib reported the matter to the transport office.
That is just how I read Lib’s post, after reading it a couple of times, but I also believe subtitles for it can be found on Ceefax page 888.
I think he was right to report it because imagine how he would have felt if someone was injured because of this and he hadn’t taken any action. Standing on a wet step, with the possibility of diesel on his boots and the chance of slipping off seems very dangerous to me, not least of all to the driver hinmself because if he had slipped there is a good chance the wagon would have ran over him.
sure that’s breaking health and saftey reg’s, you are certainly within your rights to report such matter’s.How would you feel if you turned a blind eye, and next week he did the same but caused the death of someone !!. Well done right decision
not being a bendy driver maybe i shouldnt comment but as i have now read what coffee has put and read libs a couple of times i can say well done liberace i think he got what he deserves and you were right maybe next time he will think about what has happened and do his job right!!
If you stick with what is right and tell the truth, you can’t go wrong.
If he hadn’t been doing something unsafe, it wouldn’t have been a problem, would it?
Well done!
Health & Safety rules state that you have responsibility for your own safety AND for those of you working around you if you see something that may endanger or cause and accident.
Therefore you did the RIGHT THING !!! You talked to the guy and he did’t want to know, so you reported him. This makes you a safe worker and him an UNSAFE worker. Next time he could kill somebody.
Don’t loose any sleep over it because I doubt the other driver will.
I do a lot of work in quarries and Tarmac now have a policy of zero tolerance. It has reduced injury and death every year since introduced. Some of the rules may not equate to easy working practice but it does make everyone aware of the fact that only yourself can be responsible for your own safety.
Quinny:
If safety is what you are concerned about,then let me tell you,There’s no price on safety.
Here here!
topcat:
How would you feel if you turned a blind eye, and next week he did the same but caused the death of someone !!. Well done right decision
Exactly!!
Skyhook:
Health & Safety rules state that you have responsibility for your own safety AND for those of you working around you if you see something that may endanger or cause and accident.
Therefore you did the RIGHT THING !!!
And if there was really any need to justify your actions the the last quote sums it up just perfect!!!
Well done, Lib. It’s one of those things that most people turn ablind eye to, but the more difficult thing is to actually be the one that says something.
You did not get him the sack, if he has lost his job as a result of both what he did in moving the trailer dangerously & because of his attitude, then it was due to him & his mouth not you.
). The trailer spaces are all marked out so if you park with the drivers side wheels somewhere near the line, then you can allways wind the legs up if everyone can manage to reverse square. The other option if you can’t is to pick the trailer up with the suspension, roll it foreward until you can get to the legs and sort your stuff out from their. But I think it’s a nadge dangerous doing it in the rain with one hand on the handbrake, standing on the step with the other hand in the air 
. Now I feel extremley guilty about grassing on him, but I feel it’s worth it if he’s going to kill someone through being a [zb]. I wouldn’t have minded so much if he’d apologised and said I’ll sit in the seat next time. It’s only a step to get up their and we all make mistakes.By all accounts, he was a driver of some years experience as well, not a newbie. Did I overeact? Or was I justified.
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