Do Any Of Your Carry This

[mrflibble]

No, I don’t carry a toolkit. As an agency driver, I don’t have the luxury of leaving my stuff in the truck, and my driving bag is already heavy enough that it’s getting to be hard work carrying it across the yard. In an ideal world, yes, I’d carry a full toolkit, but it’s not realistic.

tramp:
yes. Im pretty good at simple car repairs like bulb changing and tyre changing but i wouldnt have a clue how to translate that to a wagon. What if you blow a tyre on a trailer - i’d have no idea how to jack the trailer up for example. Also is changing a bulb on a unit the same as on a car? id like to learn all this stuff as i would like to do continent work in the future i just dont know how to go about learning it.

Bulbs:* Headlights and similar are usually pretty similar in that you unscrew a waterproofing plate from behind, and the bulbs are held in by a spring, with a push-on connector. The only main difference is that you attack them from underneath the truck rather than lifting the bonnet.

• Other lights (e.g. trailer lights) are usually replaced by removing the lens (which is just pushed into a rubber block), and then take the bulb out of the bayonet fitting (like normal domestic light bulbs, only smaller).

OTOH, I wouldn’t even attempt to change a wheel. Given that I have problems even lifting the spare wheels on my trucks, I’d be worried about whether I’d have the physical strength to do it, and whether I’d jack it in the right place, get the wheel nuts tight enough/too tight, etc. Jacking up a 44-tonne truck at the wrong point could do serious damage. Would you even get a jack strong enough? Not to mention a wheel falling off. On my car - no problem. But on a truck? No thanks.

[fastrantiger]

Although not been driving for a couple of months, I would always carry spare bulbs, fuses, screwdrivers, adjustable spanner, lump hammer, crowbar, voltmeter, and other useful ‘stuff’. I would only call a fitter out as a last resort. In days past I’ve changed wheels on the side of the road, but nobody seems to carry them these days no doubt some jobsworth thought it was a specialised job .

Tiger.

[stanley_mitchell]

Dids:
I keep quite a comprehensive tool kit in my cab, and I’m no stranger to tipping the cab or climbling under the trailer to get back on the road again. Having used to be a fitter I know how much it costs to call one out. Why wait 2 hrs to change an airline when it takes 10 mins and a spanner.[/quote

I love a challenge, I will try to sort out the problem if I can, but, its becoming the norm at a lot of places I go to nowadays, to be told “DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING”, ring in, we will sort it out

Paid by the hour, so its not too much of a hassle, but, I could save them a fortune, if they let me

The days have gone where you could watch over the fitters shoulder, and pick up tips, the new breed of fitter, seem to be laptop monkeys, and have no real interest in your willingness to learn

[wheel_nut]

newmercman:
but remember not to replace an injector pipe with a ring spanner

Like it

[dids]

To be honest there are blokes where I work that the boss would rather not touch anything themselves, but I am a C&G qualified fitter aswell as a Driver. I’m not suggesting an engine rebuild on the hard shoulder, just there are some occasions where 10 mins of fiddling can have you back on the road again. Also when i refer to comprehensive toolkit, I don’t mean I keep a Snap On roll cab strapped to my catwalk, just a plastic toolbox in my side locker smaller than a holdall with everything i need to carry out minor repairs to get me going again.

I’ll be the fella with the dirty hands flying past you on the hard shoulder with your hazards on !!! lol

[davepenn54]

Well thats very true, Lucy, but I would just have a look at the rest of the site and see who gets the rules applied to their posts and who doesn’t??

Also I’m puzzled as to why you felt the need to make disparaging remarks about yourself and your occupation. Although I don’t know you personally I have read a lot about the company you own or are employed by and have seen it expand and develop over the years.
You should be congratulated for making your mark in what has always been viewed as a macho white male dominated industry but as someone who has seen the mighty fall over the years I’d watch out the next time your company is asked to do a trade magazine article especially if they want you on the front cover. With the confirmed expansion of Teesport I’m sure all the trade mags will be looking for front cover articles and we have all heard of the ‘Truck Mag’ curse

Oh and by the way I have never been the queen mothers personal backscratcher but, just like yourself and all taxpayers in this country, I am the personal servant and income generator for the Government of the day

So Lucy wherever you are travelling to today I hope you achieve that safely and return in safety but I think your response confirmed the point I was making and if you find time to look through all the other forums and threads you just might find that the rules you enforce so vigorously are not applied consistently
Cliques Rule OK

[jammymutt]

I carry a Nokia tool kit.

[olog_hai]

davepenn54:
It amazes me that these days ‘so called class 1 drivers’ seem to have a problem with very small running repairs, ‘yer know like changing a blown bulb or a missing lens.’ Its no wonder that foreign competition is taking all the work.

goodness me, thats about the most ridiculous thing i’ve ever read. haulange in this country is being raped by the eastern euros because drivers won’t change a bulb or a lense?! get real man!

It amazes me that you’ve never heard of something called ‘health and safety’. if I attempted any ‘running repairs’ I’d probably end up in the office having to explain why! Just like if I had the cab tilted and it somehow dropped back on top of me the H&S would want to know what I was doing under there in the first place, being just a driver and not a mechanic. Maybe I’m just a ‘so called class 1 driver’ and inferior to you boys who consider it acceptable to strip an engine down at the roadside.

BTW, I’d have personally put ‘so called HGV drivers’ buddy. Or are you just another of the ‘i drive a class 1 therefore I’m superior to the rigid guys’ muppets?

[driveroneuk]

I remember once some years ago such a commotion just up the road from home outside the local Shell fuel station.

Turns out an Irish artic had split the pipe which leaves the air compressor. He tried to limp onto the garage forecourt but had completely run out of air leaving the trailer partially blocking the busy trunk road.

When i arrived, he + another (I forget who) had the cab up and had effected a very temporary repair with a bit of tin and some tape.
They then tried to build the air enough to move the trailer off the road by revving its nuts off, whilst the repair leaked a lot.
Due to the amount of leak on the repair, he couldn’t build enough air to release 12 sets of brakes.

You should have seen the look on their faces when i casually sauntered along the trailer, pushed in the shunt button & said “Try it now” and ofcourse it moved.
Priceless!

[carl]

i once worked for an own account firm who never even kept bulbs and fuses in the transport office we were sent upto the local fraiken truck rental place where the trucks were hired from to get em
if you work for someone who has new trucks apart from changing airlines and bulbs all you can do is pick the phone and ring in and then sit and wait im afraid cuz trucks are like cars to many sodding computers if a wire comes loose it can shut the engine down.9 times outta 10 its somthing computer or electrical wise that causes breakdowns.
heres another one who still has the gear to change there own wheels if theyve had a blowout

[wheel_nut]

Olog Hai:

davepenn54:
It amazes me that these days ‘so called class 1 drivers’ seem to have a problem with very small running repairs, ‘yer know like changing a blown bulb or a missing lens.’ Its no wonder that foreign competition is taking all the work.

It amazes me that you’ve never heard of something called ‘health and safety’. if I attempted any ‘running repairs’ I’d probably end up in the office having to explain why!

And that is the crux of the matter. If a driver has never had to carry out running repairs to get him or the truck home, at least a couple of screwdrivers or a leatherman multitool should be carried to change a bulb while you are tipping.

I do not condone sending 8 year old children up chimneys but Health &Safety being used as an excuse to stop a small repair being effected is ridiculous

[davepenn54]

Olog Hai
“goodness me, thats about the most ridiculous thing i’ve ever read. haulange in this country is being raped by the eastern euros because drivers won’t change a bulb or a lense?! get real man!”

Maybe you should read my posts correctly instead of making a response to things I had’nt said or written.
If you look at the post I responded to it was about not even being prepared to change a blown bulb. I never said anything about tilting the cab or changing a cylinder head or any other major repair at the roadside so it is you who should get real. Buddy
If you had read my responses correctly you would have seen that I only advocated carrying out minor running repairs like changing a blown bulb, replacing a lost rear lens be that on a rigid vehicle or a trailer. If you have never driven a vehicle that has lost a rear lens through the state of the roads then you really have’nt lived, Buddy. I fully understand H&S rules & regs and that a lot of the big logistics companies don’t allow dumb ‘truck divers’ to mess around with their assetts but if it meant changing a bulb or lens that would enable me to get to the delivery point or back into the depot for a professional repair to be carried out then I would do that.

It sounds to me that because I didn’t explicitly include drivers of rigid vehicles you feel dissed by me. If your reply was actually about the topic being discussed then I’m sure your tirade would have been directed at the posters who had said they carried a comprehensive toolkit and where prepared to carry out or had carried out major roadside repairs.

My point was that if drivers of today have the attitude that you express then the whole industry will be down the toilet sooner rather than later!!!

Also maybe that full breakfast you appear to have on your shoulder needs to be eaten asap
When I used the term ‘Class 1 Drivers’ it was meant to cover all drivers of Large Goods Vehicles whatever their configuration and if that was a term you found difficult to understand that is your problem not mine.

And Olog just for yours and others information I am no longer the holder of a Class 1 HGV Licence, as I have posted on different threads on this forum, I had to surrender my licence 4yrs ago at age 50. I couldn’t meet the medical requirements because of ongoing health problems and the medication I need to take daily, but that was after holding that coveted ‘Class 1’ for 29yrs and driving every configuration of Large Goods Vehicle and also my ‘apprenticeship’ being spent in the traffic office rather than the usual route through the workshop Kept my hands clean but still learned how to change a broken lens, blown bulb or fuse!!

So Buddy think you need to get real

[dessy]

I thought messing around with new vehicles was going to invalidate warranties etc
the reason i won’t touch the unit apart from bulbs oil top up etc
I wouldn’t accept being unpaid while broken down as i’m still away from home and i would quit immediatly geting a train home I don’t work for nothing for no one

[bestbooties]

Things have certainly changed over the years,trucks,like cars,are so technically advanced these days there’s not much you can do at the roadside.
I learned my machanics in the army,and when I came out I was a diesel fitter for some time before I started tramping then went onto Middle East in the mid '70’s.
I always carried my full toolbox with me,and it became a qualification that was halfway to getting a job on M/E to be able to do a certain amount of your own repairs.
All drivers HAD to learn some repair skills as they went along,otherwise they’d still be where they broke down now,there were no communications like there are now,when you were in the middle of Saudi,you were literally on your own.
If you had a mechanical failure that was above your skill limit,or so major it was not possible to repair without being in the UK,so many rigs were stripped down and topped back to the UK,indeed I’ve done that myself.
All the firms I worked for sent you out with some quantity of spares,but you could never have everything,you could only carry what you thought you may have a use for,fanbelts,hoses,bulbs,lenses,mirrors,fuses,fuel filters,inner tubes etc.
However if a repair was possible and you could obtain the parts locally,it’s surprising what level of repair could be carried out,“in the field”.
The sort of repair I’ve carried out while away from home,fitting a new clutch to a FIAT 619 in the Telex car park Ankara.FIATs are built in Turkey,so getting the spares was no problem.
Replacing broken selector forks in a Volvo 16 speed gearbox on the banks of the Dead Sea in Jordan.There was a Volvo agent a few miles away in Amman.
When I dropped a valve on my Scania 111 in the middle of Saudi,I was towed for 1,000 miles to southern Turkey,then topped another 1,000miles to Belgrade where I met up with another driver from my firm who had brought out a new cylinder head and all the parts to carry out a full repair on the car park of the Hotel National.
On the driving jobs I’ve had recently,if there was a problem with the truck that required the cab tilting,i was told that’s a main dealer job,tilting the cab.If you can’t carry out a repair as the vehicle stands,call the main dealer.
Although the trucks today are far better than what we did the M/E in,I don’t know if I’d take the chance!They may break down less often,but if you did have trouble,what’s the chance of doing a get you home repair?

[wheel_nut]

bestbooties:
I always carried my full toolbox with me,and it became a qualification that was halfway to getting a job on M/E to be able to do a certain amount of your own repairs.
All drivers HAD to learn some repair skills as they went along,otherwise they’d still be where they broke down now,there were no communications like there are now,

Agreed Ian. I even remember a time in the BP at Evzoni when your friend Alan was having problems with his Volvo.

It is probably true that too many cooks spoil the broth as I remember tempers were getting a bit frayed as everyone wanted to offer advice and help. I think in the end it might have been Richie Thorne who took charge while Alan kept him supplied with cool beer from the garage.

Another trip I helped little Jimmy (lancashire lad) (romanian girlfriend) with the F89 out when he had spun a main bearing (I think) on the way down to Kecskemét. I took him to Hungarocamion where we picked up some parts and arranged a freind to bring some tools and parts from home. Between them they stripped and rebuilt the Volvo to fight another day.

My downfall was a little more terminal when my Daf had problems. I had heard some serious knocking which was intermittent, As you did in those days, I investigated and had the sump off at the side of the road. I thought the oil pick up pipe had fractured.

Because I didnt see anything untoward I rebuilt it and carried on towards the border. It eventually put a leg out of bed which knocked the starter motor off near Varsand, but I was helped out by a couple of Roy Bradfords lads to get me into safe parking and a hostel to wait for recovery by jogger John.

While writing this it occured to me that there were also a couple of brothers named Taylor with F89. Geoff was one name I think. What happened to them?

[tasty]

Fastrantiger:
Although not been driving for a couple of months, I would always carry spare bulbs, fuses, screwdrivers, adjustable spanner, lump hammer, crowbar, voltmeter, and other useful ‘stuff’. I would only call a fitter out as a last resort. In days past I’ve changed wheels on the side of the road, but nobody seems to carry them these days no doubt some jobsworth thought it was a specialised job .

Tiger.

No the “pickeys” nick the spares

[denis_f]

davepenn54:
if you find time to look through all the other forums and threads you just might find that the rules you enforce so vigorously are not applied consistently
Cliques Rule OK

there is no clique

If you see any examples of the rules not being applied, please let me know by PM and I’ll apply them

[renaultman]

“dessy”]I thought messing around with new vehicles was going to invalidate warranties etc
the reason i won’t touch the unit apart from bulbs oil top up etc
I wouldn’t accept being unpaid while broken down as i’m still away from home and i would quit immediatly geting a train home I don’t work for nothing for no one

I think it depends on the main dealer and their perception of the driver. Untill recently all my vehicles were under full service contracts, and in my experience, a phone call to the workshop manager (normally after an argument with the service receptionist) tell him what the symptoms are, and he would say either ‘sounds like we’re gonna have to get someone out’ or ‘just go underneath and hit point X, with your big hammer’ saving him having to send a fitter out. As someone said, your most important tool is probably your Nokia.

[del949]

---

malcolmj wrote:
whats a tool kit? im employed as a driver not a fitter we dont even carry spaire air lines suzzies

All i can say to that is ,if you came to my place (and probably a few others) looking for a job with that attitude you would’nt get very far.

We are specifically banned from fitting airlines etc. I assume it is down to insurance/ health and safety.
Apart from a few bulbs/ fuses we carry no spares at all.

[dieseldave]

Wheel Nut:
I believe that the requirements over there in Brit Pete land may have come from this snippet Dave, The old 1996 ADR regulations.

3.2. Vehicle requirements

Transport by road may take place as bulk materials, or in containers and tanks.
The detailed technical requirements for different transport methods are usually given in national regulations.

The transporter should check that the following documents are attached:

transport document (letter of consignment);
declaration that the packing and labelling is properly done;
transport emergency card (instructions in writing in case of accident or emergency that may occur during transport);
driver’s training certificate;
certificate of approval given by technical inspection for the tank and vehicle;
labels and placards for the vehicle;
packing certificate of the container.
Every transport unit carrying dangerous goods should be equipped with:

fire-fighting appliances (chosen according to the type of load);
tool kit for emergency repairs to the vehicle;
at least one scotch (mechanical brake) of a size suitable for the weight of the vehicle and the size of the tyre;
two amber lights independent of the electrical system of the vehicle;
placards, according to the transported goods;
protective equipment (for personal protection, absorbing material for spills, etc.).

However it appears this requirement was dropped in the January 2007 regulations and replaced by this as quoted here;

Blimey Wheel Nut, There’s lots of interesting discussion to be had with this little lot.

I’m not sure exactly where you got the above from, but I’d love to know the name of the original document.
I have a theory, but I’ll hang on to it for now.
On the unece website, there are all issues of ADR from 2001 onwards. The vehicle equipment requirements are in Chapter 8.1 in each version ie. 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007, so it’s fairly safe to say that an emergency tool kit hasn’t been an ADR requirement since at least 2001, but possibly even longer.
My guess is since 1999, if at all.

Your quote says “3.2” so I imagine that ADR has had something of a major makeover since 1996 if your quote is correct. ADR normally comes to us in an odd-numbered year ie '05, 07 etc, so even the frequency and timing of issue appears to have been altered too.
Chapter 3.2 is now the dangerous goods list, and has been since at least 2001.

IIRC, the last really big upheaval to the way that ADR is done was in 1999.
You might remeber that we got rid of ‘marginals’ for referencing and the packing groups (PGs) went from (a) , (b) and (c) to the Roman numerals I, II and III, so I guess it would have been around this time that they really had a big re-think. Coincidentally, 1999 is also the year (albeit on the last day) that the requirement for DGSAs came out in the UK.

Wheel Nut:
Every transport unit carrying dangerous goods shall be equipped with:
(a) The following general purpose safety equipment:

• For each vehicle, at least one chock of a size suited to the weight of the vehicle
  and to the diameter of the wheels;
• Two self-standing warning signs (e.g. reflective cones or triangles or flashing
  amber lights which are independent from the electrical equipment of the
  vehicle);
• A suitable warning vest or warning clothing (e.g. as described in European
  Standard EN 471) for each member of the vehicle crew;
• A pocket lamp (see also 8.3.4) for each member of the vehicle crew;
  (b) A respiratory protective device in conformity with additional requirement S7
  (see Chapter 8.5) if this additional requirement applies according to the indication in
  Column (19) of Table A of Chapter 3.2;
  (c) The personal protection and the equipment necessary to take the additional and/or
  special actions referred to in the instructions in writing set out in 5.4.3.

The above quote is from ADR 2007 8.1.5 which is the current version. I’ve been back and revisited the same in the '01, '03 etc versions, and it’s only had a couple of wording twiddles in the last 7ish years.

Now for the complicated bit
Whether we like it or not, the UK’s Regs are still a bit different to ADR in some respects. It’s probably best that we don’t forget that the entirity of ADR is only valid for international journeys.
IMHO, this is one of the main reasons for the very high failure rate in the DGSA exams.

The UK still has our own ‘take’ on how dangerous goods should be transported on a national journey. Our Regs are called"The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2007" and are made under The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Brit Pete land has their own version of how things should be done over there, that’s called Gefahrgutverordnung Straße und Eisenbahn (GGVSE) [= Dangerous Goods Regulations Road and Rail.]
It’s NOT a translation of the UK domestic Regs either, so it’s over to Pete for the “requirement.” …

BTW, emergency tools aren’t required by the UK Regs either.