There was the Calor Gas truck which got shunted on the M3 (?) in about 2000; I’m a bit vague on the exact details, but the haulier was Meachers’, of Southampton; I was working for their Derby depot at the time.
Our driver survived, don’t think there was a lot left of the guy who rammed him up the rear; seem to remember the motorway was closed for a few days afterwards.
All heavy --it on a lighter note remember back in the early 70’s was just 21 and got my first artic tanker job working for Ken Wills of Bow, loaded at Torrington North Devon Meat in those days loaded beef dripping for Milk Marketing Board Camborme for 10.30pm delivery on a February night snowing on Bodmin Moor. Got stopped by police on Bodmin Moor and told moor would be closed at 12.00 until 6.00am . Arrived early for tip, got the Ok to pump off early put a short 6 foot pipe on due the the freezing conditions to keep fat hot fired up the donkey engine opened values pumping good, returned to the cab to keep warm. . Suddenly see black smoke from donkey engine exhuast, jump out get around to the nearside without slipping down see the short pipe getting bigger and bigger, shut off the exit value quickly but not quick enough bang the pipe pipe burst covering me in hot fat from head to toe. Luckily it was so cold the fat went hard as it hit me. I was incased in fat. Guys at the factory carried me into the hot showers to melt the fat. Insurance claim made for one and half ton of loss beef dripping and short pipe due to blockage in the factory pipe.
A few years ago working for Browns of Stoke on a contract carrying chemicals, mainly for hygyne use the company we were contracted to was taken over, and as part of the intigration of the companies involved a new distribution dept was set up in Trafford park,existing depots in Bicester and yorkshire were being closed, and other hauliers were bringing these goods to the new DC,
On one occasion a haulier who will remain nameless had 2 vehicles delivering, both carrying classes 5/8/9, but no orange plates showing, the drivers were subtly asked did they have ADR Licences, the answer no where agency came out 
, knowing they had another 2 loads booked for the same time the next day phone calls were made, and a greeting party of the then Vehicle Inspecorite, and police were waiting the following day.
Result £K6 fine for haulage company, and both agency drivers fined £400. The recieving company £3k.
Turns out they had ADR trampers collecting the loads, then dropping them in yard, and any Tom ■■■■ or Harry being used to deliver the loads locally the day after. They had no trem cards, or knowlage of what they had on board, just glad they did not have an accident as the concicenses make me shudder.
Also glad the company got hit with what I think was the Max fineat the time, as they put so many people at risk to save probably £20/ day on what they would have had to pay the agency for ADR trained drivers.
Unfortunatly some hauliers today are still at it I heard of a case this week where a driver with a pallet network co sent to pick up 6 pallets of a class8 load (which he refused to collect) and has had nothing but ■■■■ since because of this, fortunatly he is now serving his notice and starts with a new job next week.
gnasty gnome:
There was the Calor Gas truck which got shunted on the M3 (?) in about 2000; I’m a bit vague on the exact details, but the haulier was Meachers’, of Southampton; I was working for their Derby depot at the time.Our driver survived, don’t think there was a lot left of the guy who rammed him up the rear; seem to remember the motorway was closed for a few days afterwards.
I remember that one. It was the M3, just the London side of Fleet I think…Gas bottles wasn’t it? Heating up and launching like missiles?
r-kid:
dieseldave i’m suprised you’ve not mentioned the ethanol tanker that overturned on a roundabout at ellesmere port.
That was not Ethanol, but Methanol and has a secondary hazard of being toxic
I remember this incident well as I worked for the same company at the time and had to pick up and deliver the load the driver failed to deliver 
This was a valuable lesson to me, as the driver in question had been driving tankers for years and I being new to tankers thought if he could roll one with such experience, what chance did I have 
Lucy:
gnasty gnome:
There was the Calor Gas truck which got shunted on the M3 (?) in about 2000; I’m a bit vague on the exact details, but the haulier was Meachers’, of Southampton; I was working for their Derby depot at the time.Our driver survived, don’t think there was a lot left of the guy who rammed him up the rear; seem to remember the motorway was closed for a few days afterwards.
I remember that one. It was the M3, just the London side of Fleet I think…Gas bottles wasn’t it? Heating up and launching like missiles?
Northbound at Basingstoke
ADR isnt worth the extra 50p hour which is why i let my certificate expire in 2002.
scanny77:
ADR isnt worth the extra 50p hour which is why i let my certificate expire in 2002.
It wasn’t that long ago that there was quite a stir caused on this very forum, by drivers from a petrolium distributer demanding an above inflation pay rise…and yet I think you will find another petrolium company has just awarded their drivers something similar.
I think personally, an ADR is worth holding onto…
(…can of worms reopened)
if you are doing tankers then yes i agree but if (like me) you only had packages, the extra money wasnt worth the hassle. especially since i only actually needed my certificate twice in the 5 years i had it. at £50 per module it would take a long time for it to pay for itself and with only 2 shifts i cant see it ever making me a profit so it wasnt worth the investment
If no one believes any of the above stories. I can verify this one as I was working out of Alfred Marks in Bradford at the time, where the chemicals were produced.
Death of James Hodgson in May 1994
In September 1996, Jackson Transport (Ossett) Ltd and its managing Director, Alan Jackson were convicted of the manslaughter of James Hodgson who died in May 1994 after cleaning chemical residues at the rear of a road tanker. Bradford Crown Court heard that James Hodgson died when he used steam pressure to clean a valve in a tanker blocked with highly toxic chemicals. The company had not provided preventative equipment, supervision, or adequate training. Alan Jackson, the sole director of the company at the time of the death, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and the company was fined £15,000.
And tanker work doesnt have to be ADR to be dangerous as the guy from Belgium would like to tell you about the hazards of using a rubber mallet to test whether a powder tanker is empty. He can’t because the manlid bolts broke and took his head clean off with it. There wasn’t any gory mess to clear up, they never found his head.
Another one close to my heart was the guy tipping a 20 foot bag in a box container using a rotary seal, the wooden safety frame shattered and the driver was suffocated under 28 tonne of powder.
All simple jobs that we carry out many times a day. 3 young lives lost because we become complacent.
No urban myths here, not even the one about the gas tanker in Sunny Spain which destroyed the school after a BLEVE
if you go into tank clean in trafford park there is a notice up in the office about the death of a plant operator. apparently lift tank had been dropped off loaded with 1 bar of nitrogen on top of the load. operater tried to vent the nitrogen by standing on the manlid and knocking off the lugs. result was manlid blew off sending the operater flying several meters from the tank.
also if i remember, only a couple of years ago a car was shunted into the back of one of redways tankers by hilton park, resulting in the death of 2 people and spillage of acid.
if you go into tank clean in trafford park there is a notice up in the office about the death of a plant operator. apparently lift tank had been dropped off loaded with 1 bar of nitrogen on top of the load. operater tried to vent the nitrogen by standing on the manlid and knocking off the lugs. result was manlid blew off sending the operater flying several meters from the tank.
also if i remember, only a couple of years ago a car was shunted into the back of one of redways tankers by hilton park, resulting in the death of 2 people and spillage of acid.
I did my adr and passed 
this week and the nurse was mentioned amongst few other horror stories
I heard the nurse story years ago…I was told only her rings survived…bloody unpleasant if it’s true but I’d always thought the story was too OTT to be owt other than an urban myth.
I’ve never done ADR but I was driving vans and 7.5 tonners in the '80’s.
I was once sent to a chemical factory in a transit van for a 250 gallon drum for export. I got the drum on the van, no straps or anything like that, and I was sat waiting for the bod to come out with the export paperwork. Who remembers TREM Cards? (Transport Emergency Cards)…this was before ADR and you didn’t need to have orange plates on the vehicle. Anyway, I was sat in the van waiting so I read the TREM card for this stuff…PHENOL…scared the bloody life out of me! Apparently if you get any on you…you’re dead. If you breathe the fumes…you’re dead, if you look at it in a funny way…you’re dead.
I drove rather slowly and carefully back to the yard and never ever wanted to carry dangerous crap again!
Shrek:
Who remembers TREM Cards? (Transport Emergency Cards)
dont they use them any more? they did in 1997 when i sat my ADR
think you still need trem cards if your carrying limited quantities.
wirralpete:
think you still need trem cards if your carrying limited quantities.
Not true limited quantities exemption is just that exempt
shrek, you carry a antidote which if used quick enough
will reduce the effects, the loading firm should give you
a sample when you are carrying there goods,I carry
para tert buylphenol, and we get given a antidote,
which netrulizes the effects of the chemicals.
brit pete:
shrek, you carry a antidote which if used quick enough
will reduce the effects, the loading firm should give you
a sample when you are carrying there goods,I carry
para tert buylphenol, and we get given a antidote,
which netrulizes the effects of the chemicals.
It is not really an antidote though Pete. it can help if you can administer it yourself quick enough. Unfortunately the shock may get you first. P.E.G Poly Ethylene Glycol was recommended when we were carrying Cresols or molten Phenols.
A couple of us were doing cyanide down to Baglan Bay in the 80’s. We both had to visit the doctor and he gave us an idiots guide of how to inject the antidote ourselves with a hypodermic without pumping air bubbles into our bloodstream 
This was a very safety concious plant who gave you a jam jar and a piece of string to take a reference sample
yes okay it was badly worded but it is a application of reduceing
the effects of phenol, and to me i just call it the antidote, have it
stored in the truck and also carry the saftey sheet from the plant as well
this is known here as DIN SICHERHEITS BLATT (german industrial norm
safety page, This has a more detailed description and also states what one needs when effected by the product,just in case ,THIS is a seperate sheet to the written instructions,which are issued,
The jam jar and string yes we still have firms that
insist on a sample of goods and do not deem it
right to have the correct tools to take a sample,