A word of warning about tyres and the unexperianced

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
41

Wheel Nut:

Rob K:

Wheel Nut:

Rob K:
All I’ll end by saying is that the chick who has got caught has my sympathies as it could’ve been me or any one of us. :frowning:

Chick with a wallet and a baby son Rob, I think this chick is a bloke :laughing:

I find it hard to believe that a bloke would have a username “ebabes” Malc. I think you’ll find ‘she’ is female (unless the world has gone completely [zb] mad :open_mouth: ).

It was this bit that made me unsure, can blokes get money for the kids from the CSA :open_mouth:

ebabes:
mine moaned like hell when I started double manned night driving but the money was good, after 8 years she got used to it, or I went deaf, can’t remember, anyways I came off nights to spend time with my new born son and because we saw more of each other, we split up. So now waiting for 2 letters one from the divorce people and one from the csa… You’ll probably be shouting at me in few weeks in the bridge jumpers feed!!!

It’s a lesbian ! :open_mouth: :astonished: :astonished:

42

newmercman:
Like Rob K, who I often agree with :wink: I too have in the past just checked the top bit of the tyre with my gloved hand and looked at the bit poking out the bottom of the mudguards, now I check the whole tyre, but as our spray suppression is limited to a single mudflap that’s easy, although I still don’t pull forwards to check the bit on the ground, I don’t need to with my unit as I’m the only driver and it has new tyres, so I’m safe in assuming they’re ok as long as I don’t mistreat them.

Although I have no patronising remarks to make to ebabes, there is a way of noticing if a trailer has tyres with flat spots, that is by listening to it going down the road, flat spots will give a whump whump whump kind of sound as they contact the road, if you know what I mean :confused: I smoke and drive with my window cracked down a couple of inches so I hear that kind of thing, in fact I had four pairs of tyres moved in relation to each other because of such a thing at the beginning of the year, I did it to prevent wheelbearing and brake component vibration, the tyres weren’t bald, although I knew they had flat spotted because I hit a deer which ripped my airlines out from under the trailer, locking all the wheels at 70mph, but all the same, you can usually hear the noise, if you do, jump out and check the whole tyre, if you haven’t already done so, especially if your shunter is a lazy [zb] :unamused: :wink:

I do agree about the flat spots, and the noise, you can normally even hear a slack tyre. The late great (to me anyway) John Williams called out on the CB one day that one of us had a warm tyre, it turned out to be a driver following me and John had picked up the scent. (Desert Training I presume :stuck_out_tongue: ) I always carried an air line and within a few minutes we were back on the road.

NMM also mentioned the spray suppression. Well what if your whole fleet is fitted with Cats Whiskers?

capitalrubber.co.uk/products_cats3.html

No mention on the Cats Whisker site about how difficult it is to check tyre tread or cuts in the surface.

It has been a good thread with mucho senso talked :laughing:

Apart from this PRAT.

Joshua Tetley & Son
Mr Walter Cox, transport engineer of Joshua Tetley & Son says he has found the system very favourable. This is what he says:

“The drivers have commented that 20/20 Cats Whiskers makes the rear view much clearer. The plume of spray is kept down which aids visibility and keeps the lorries much cleaner - particularly the canopy sided vehicles - it improves the image of the vehicle and the juggernaughts as a whole”

43

Mike-C:

Wheel Nut:
But rather than accept any FP. I would be going to court with some representation and photographs of the yard, the shunter and the method of shifting trailers.

Probaby the OP has uttered the magical words to VOSA already…oh i didn’t notice/see that. Instead of saying it wasn’t like that when i left. Going to court admitting a fault you are responsible for is pretty much a waste of time.

So if the OP had said " it wasn’t like that when I left " he’d be in the clear ■■?

44

James Bateman:

Mike-C:

Wheel Nut:
But rather than accept any FP. I would be going to court with some representation and photographs of the yard, the shunter and the method of shifting trailers.

Probaby the OP has uttered the magical words to VOSA already…oh i didn’t notice/see that. Instead of saying it wasn’t like that when i left. Going to court admitting a fault you are responsible for is pretty much a waste of time.

So if the OP had said " it wasn’t like that when I left " he’d be in the clear ■■?

Not neccasseraly, but it does give you a very good sporting chance. There’s only three option from what i can see…

  1. yes i knew it was like that…You’re copping the fine and points.
  2. oh, i didn’t see that, i didn;t check all the tyres it was dark etc…You’re copping the fine and points.
  3. it was not like that when i checked this morning…its open, it could of been done en route. They’ll have to prove you have knowingly driven with a defective tyre. Its true that most construction and use offences are absolute offences. But given that most HGV drivers will have recorded time on their sheet doing a check, and filled in a form to say its free from defects the offence of ‘knowingly’ would be hard to prove. It depends upon what he is charged with. Most people drop themselves in it with their own mouths.
45

Good points Mike.
Cheers.

46

lol thanks for the comments, to put something at rest I am a 31 year young male, straight… ebabes was a nick name from many years before the interest was discoverd that basically sticks!!! just wish I can get in on a reg plate in the window!

I am agency working full ish time at the site, so basically it was a phone call saying don’t send him again. I am asuming it was the shunter, but all I know it wasn’t me, I am so glad the fine got dropped thou, even thou it might cost me more in sitting here doing nothing waiting for the milions of agencies i am with ring me. I am thinking the fine got dropped because of the lettering of the law, didn’t stop me panicing at the time like.

Basically it’s the iron fist of DHL ruleing trade team thats grabbing by the balls. They slap them and I say which direction

47

ebabes:
lol thanks for the comments, to put something at rest I am a 31 year young male, straight… ebabes was a nick name from many years before the interest was discoverd that basically sticks!!! just wish I can get in on a reg plate in the window!

I am agency working full ish time at the site, so basically it was a phone call saying don’t send him again. I am asuming it was the shunter, but all I know it wasn’t me, I am so glad the fine got dropped thou, even thou it might cost me more in sitting here doing nothing waiting for the milions of agencies i am with ring me. I am thinking the fine got dropped because of the lettering of the law, didn’t stop me panicing at the time like.

Basically it’s the iron fist of DHL ruleing trade team thats grabbing by the balls. They slap them and I say which direction

Ah if you’re agy then don’t worry about it. It’s the norm for agys to dump their drivers like a hot rock if the client complains, regardless of where the blame lay. Usually after 3 months they’ve forgotten your name and you can go back in again. :smiley: :smiley: I’ve been banned from Haulfast at Ossett four times in total now. :smiley:

48

ebabes:
I am so glad the fine got dropped thou, even thou it might cost me more in sitting here doing nothing waiting for the milions of agencies i am with ring me. I am thinking the fine got dropped because of the lettering of the law, didn’t stop me panicing at the time like.

All is well that ends well. I am pleased the fines were dropped and common sense prevailed!

49

sea frog:
Driver responsibilities - The daily walkaround

Continental Tyres recommends your drivers should be looking at tyres and wheels as part of their daily inspections. Within the free downloadable wallchart ‘Guide to Roadworthiness — HGV Driver’s walkaround check pull-out’ (from VOSA’s website) it clearly states that:

Check as much of each tyre/wheel as you can see. There must be:

  • A minimum tread depth of 1mm
  • Sufficient inflation of each tyre
  • No deep cuts on the sidewalls
  • No cords visible anywhere on the tyre and
  • No missing or insecure wheelnuts

just a quick question what is considered a deep cut on a tyre :question: :question:

This is the advice given in RT article on avoiding PG9s, somewhat different to Continentals advice!

If a prohibition is issued for a defect that should have been picked up by the driver, the written records are the best way to ascertain whether the driver says he did his checks. For example, if a PG9 is issued for a bald tyre (assuming the tyre takes time to deteriorate), its existence should have been recognised by the driver. Saying that the vehicle must have been sat on the bald spot will not be accepted by the vehicle examiner or the TC. Drivers must be taught to move the vehicle forward to check each tyre fully.

50

Did it yesterday,first time I have ever moved the trailer forward to check the whole tyre and will continue to do so,took approx 1 minute.
Same here to the OP,glad to hear the fines have been dropped. :wink:

51

Is it just me that thinks it wouldn’t be possible to pull and push a loaded trailer around a yard with the brakes on? Yes maybe drag it a little bit but I reckon even the most powerful shunt motor would struggle to push a 30+ ton loaded trailer with brakes on into a parking space. Unless the brakes are defective in which case the tyres wouldn’t be damaged.

Now I’m not calling anyone a liar as I’ve never driven a shunter I’m just curious to know if it’s possible

I would think a more likely scenario would be the trailer brakes were snatching for the previous driver and he just didnt bother reporting it and it was him that damaged the tyres. As you say yourself you are assuming it’s the shunter.

52

44 Tonne Ton:

sea frog:
Driver responsibilities - The daily walkaround

Continental Tyres recommends your drivers should be looking at tyres and wheels as part of their daily inspections. Within the free downloadable wallchart ‘Guide to Roadworthiness — HGV Driver’s walkaround check pull-out’ (from VOSA’s website) it clearly states that:

Check as much of each tyre/wheel as you can see. There must be:

  • A minimum tread depth of 1mm
  • Sufficient inflation of each tyre
  • No deep cuts on the sidewalls
  • No cords visible anywhere on the tyre and
  • No missing or insecure wheelnuts

just a quick question what is considered a deep cut on a tyre :question: :question:

This is the advice given in RT article on avoiding PG9s, somewhat different to Continentals advice!

If a prohibition is issued for a defect that should have been picked up by the driver, the written records are the best way to ascertain whether the driver says he did his checks. For example, if a PG9 is issued for a bald tyre (assuming the tyre takes time to deteriorate), its existence should have been recognised by the driver. Saying that the vehicle must have been sat on the bald spot will not be accepted by the vehicle examiner or the TC. Drivers must be taught to move the vehicle forward to check each tyre fully.

The Continental advice was taken from an RT article :confused:

53

i was a shunter a few years back with a dock spotter and that would pull if the trailor brakes were on but you soon new thay were by the screeching and smoke so he would have known sounds like he could not be bottherd to pull air switch on trailor if id had of done that id off been sacked on the spot

54

paulbrooks66:
i was a shunter a few years back with a dock spotter and that would pull if the trailor brakes were on but you soon new thay were by the screeching and smoke so he would have known sounds like he could not be bottherd to pull air switch on trailor if id had of done that id off been sacked on the spot

Would you be able to push it though? Loaded with 22 ton?

55

Had another look at the VOSA dvd,and when the totty being shown the walkround check asks “how do you check the bit of tyre you cant see” the reply from the Vostapo was “move the vehicle forward so you can see the rest of the tyre”.I will admit i never do but after reading ebabes misfortune perhaps i will.
Another thing the vostapo says is “we dont expect drivers to be mechanics” so therefore drivers shouldnt be getting done for cracked discs and drums or anything like that.Or maybe they just move the goalposts when it suits them.

56

Well using a vehicle with defective brakes is an offence but I think that unless there is a significant impairment to performance then you wouldn’t cop for it. Although I would expect our resident VOSA man could confirm this. I always roll forward slightly to do a brake test anyway and then have another quick check of the tyres before I leave. And the damage could have been caused when the shunter put the trailer on to be loaded. And even if the OP was an employed driver he would certainly be facing an investigation and disciplinary action for getting a PG9.

57

tofer:
Well using a vehicle with defective brakes is an offence but I think that unless there is a significant impairment to performance then you wouldn’t cop for it. Although I would expect our resident VOSA man could confirm this. I always roll forward slightly to do a brake test anyway and then have another quick check of the tyres before I leave. And the damage could have been caused when the shunter put the trailer on to be loaded. And even if the OP was an employed driver he would certainly be facing an investigation and disciplinary action for getting a PG9.

I remember years ago, pulled into the test station for a check, PG9 and a summons for secondary parking brake below efficiency :open_mouth: everything else ok.
(16%)

Fitter did nowt but run it through next day with a bit of string attatched to load sensing valve straight through :confused:

Vehicle had regular 6 week check/service how the [zb] are you supposed to check that when the workshop doesn’t have a rolling road ?
If you ran it over that every time your tyres would probably need changing every other month :open_mouth:

And yes i got off on a technicality :smiley: They had the ‘paperwork’ stating loaded when it was empty with documents to match :smiley:

58

speedyguy:
I remember years ago, pulled into the test station for a check, PG9 and a summons for secondary parking brake below efficiency :open_mouth: everything else ok.
(16%)

Fitter did nowt but run it through next day with a bit of string attatched to load sensing valve straight through :confused:

Vehicle had regular 6 week check/service how the [zb] are you supposed to check that when the workshop doesn’t have a rolling road ?
If you ran it over that every time your tyres would probably need changing every other month :open_mouth:

And yes i got off on a technicality :smiley: They had the ‘paperwork’ stating loaded when it was empty with documents to match :smiley:

It was always the norm to fasten the load sensing arm up with a tie wrap whenever a trailer was sent for test, seems ridiculous but that was allowed, not sure whether it still is.

Many companies recently have been forced into fitting rolling roads or taking the vehicle to a dealer who has that facility.

As for the VOSA advice about checking the bit you cannot see and rolling it forward. That fits in with the “Dutch way” when coupling, the advice was always to run forward and dab the brakes, if the trailer dived, that was enough for a brake check, then walk round listening for air leaks and looking at tyres and equipment.