I saw this decker trailer on the m6 by Coventry.monday night.It was swinging from side to side.I thought it was going to tip over.He must have had all the weight on the top and he was going at full pelt as well.Ive never seen anything like it.
My question is,what would happen if he got stopped by the authorities?
if the loads secure and the truck and trailer are in legal and the drivers cards are again legal , wheres the problem ? Unless said decker ends up on its side blocking the motorway whats the problem / offence ?
Yes,thats what I was wondering,if it was legal…
There by the grace of God…
Beau Nydel:
There by the grace of God…
I see what…
You did there.
yourhavingalarf:
Beau Nydel:
There by the grace of God…I see what…
You did there.
Has to be badly loaded for it to be that bad & with a strong cross wind to boot.
If the authorities see it I’m sure they’d be pulling it to check it out.
What can they do? Prohibit movement if they want…
Maybe heavy pallets sitting at the back of the trailer behind teh axles with lighter stuff at the front, induces the tail to wag the dog, usually this effect is seen in extreme on poorly loaded car transporters exacerbated by the towing hitch being behind the prime mover drive axle, sways can become uncontrollable to the point the whole lot goes over like a car with a poorly weighted caravan, its the main reason for transporter rollovers.
Other causes not helping stability can include drixe axle tyres overinflated (best around 100 to 105 psi in my humble if you run up to full weight, down to around 90 or so if you never carry full loads), if brand new tyres as well it can be a frightening experience, don’t underestimate the bedding in/scrubbing off period some tyres require before giving any worthwhile grip.
Would have been interesting to investigate why it was so unstable.
What make of tractor unit, some are worse than others for this issue.
beefy4605:
if the loads secure and the truck and trailer are in legal and the drivers cards are again legal , wheres the problem ? Unless said decker ends up on its side blocking the motorway whats the problem / offence ?
If there’s pallets on the top deck weighing over 400kg, it’s an immediate PG9, and that’s without it tipping over, it’s in the latest version of Categorisation of Defects (Sept 2022)
Zac_A:
beefy4605:
if the loads secure and the truck and trailer are in legal and the drivers cards are again legal , wheres the problem ? Unless said decker ends up on its side blocking the motorway whats the problem / offence ?If there’s pallets on the top deck weighing over 400kg, it’s an immediate PG9, and that’s without it tipping over, it’s in the latest version of Categorisation of Defects (Sept 2022)
Who said it was a curtainsider ? Could be a fridge loaded with cages . A cage at most will be 200- 250 kgs .
These joyful bags of s**t can have 65 ish cages upstairs but only about 25- 27 downstairs . If I remember correctly they have a 12 ton loadsticker for the top deck (we pulled for a different supermarket ). I’ve seen these so far over theres sparks coming from the part just behind the rear axle of the unit - they never looked bad in the mirrors but if you ever followed one down the road they would have scared the life out of you .
Im pretty sure it was a curtainsider.I couldnt see any details.It was too far ahead,but I might have got closer but he went up the toll road split
beefy4605:
Zac_A:
beefy4605:
if the loads secure and the truck and trailer are in legal and the drivers cards are again legal , wheres the problem ? Unless said decker ends up on its side blocking the motorway whats the problem / offence ?If there’s pallets on the top deck weighing over 400kg, it’s an immediate PG9, and that’s without it tipping over, it’s in the latest version of Categorisation of Defects (Sept 2022)
Who said it was a curtainsider ? Could be a fridge loaded with cages . A cage at most will be 200- 250 kgs .
Cages can easily be above 450kg or more on supermarket work
The driver is always responsible for the safety of his load and should check it before taking to the road, I hear so often these days of drivers collecting trailers that are already loaded and sealed so how can he be expected to be responsible for the load?
I am long since retired but back in the day I always loaded my own truck or supervised the loading, I would never hook up a sealed trailer without checking it first!
Martin:
The driver is always responsible for the safety of his load and should check it before taking to the road, I hear so often these days of drivers collecting trailers that are already loaded and sealed so how can he be expected to be responsible for the load?
I am long since retired but back in the day I always loaded my own truck or supervised the loading, I would never hook up a sealed trailer without checking it first!
The companies have to have systems in place to make sure they are loaded correctly. for instance where I work the top deck of a decker has to be signed off by a manager to say its loaded properly & they record what is loaded on to it, number of bars etc… The trailers are then not sealed so the driver can at least check the back is secured. Only after going over the weighbridge will they print off the final manifest, just in case its over weight & they need to take stuff off…
I would have thought the more obvious way this situation could happen was to unload the bottom deck @ Drop One, and then attempt to travel to Drop Two with just the top deck loaded with anything at all…
Top Heavy.
Nothing is as unstable as a center of gravity that would have you tip over from merely hitting a slight “adverse camber” or even a large pothole…