When I was a kid any lorry pulling a drawbar trailer by law had to be operated by two people…the drivers mate operated the trailer brakes…does anyone know when the law changed to allow one man operation of such vehicles?
The speed limit was also 30 mph with an a frame but cant remember when it changed as I was driving one in 1979 / 1980 at 40 mph
In 1960 when I first started as a trailer mate the limit with a trailer was 20mph. Without the trailer it was 30mph. I think it was about 1961/62 that the speed for each was increased by 10 mph. I cant remember when the need for a mate was dropped.
The speed was always indicated on a plate at the rear.
Quite dodgy at times when you stopped on a hill, the mate would have to jump out and apply the brakes, when the wagon was ready to move away again, it was release the brake quick and run for the cab.
I think more than one drivers mate was killed when he missed his footing and fell under the wheels, completely out of site of the driver.
robinswh:
When I was a kid any lorry pulling a drawbar trailer by law had to be operated by two people…the drivers mate operated the trailer brakes…does anyone know when the law changed to allow one man operation of such vehicles
I believe it was 1964.
However, I think that the 30mph limit for single carriageway roads persisted well into the 1980s.
kaans:
In 1960 when I first started as a trailer mate the limit with a trailer was 20mph. Without the trailer it was 30mph. I think it was about 1961/62 that the speed for each was increased by 10 mph. I cant remember when the need for a mate was dropped.
The speed was always indicated on a plate at the rear.Quite dodgy at times when you stopped on a hill, the mate would have to jump out and apply the brakes, when the wagon was ready to move away again, it was release the brake quick and run for the cab.
I think more than one drivers mate was killed when he missed his footing and fell under the wheels, completely out of site of the driver.
I thought that the mechanical handbrake was in the cab, on the passenger side. Was I wrong or were some like that?
Spardo:
kaans:
In 1960 when I first started as a trailer mate the limit with a trailer was 20mph. Without the trailer it was 30mph. I think it was about 1961/62 that the speed for each was increased by 10 mph. I cant remember when the need for a mate was dropped.
The speed was always indicated on a plate at the rear.Quite dodgy at times when you stopped on a hill, the mate would have to jump out and apply the brakes, when the wagon was ready to move away again, it was release the brake quick and run for the cab.
I think more than one drivers mate was killed when he missed his footing and fell under the wheels, completely out of site of the driver.
I thought that the mechanical handbrake was in the cab, on the passenger side. Was I wrong or were some like that?
That’s what I always thought.
I don’t know if the trailer boy/mechanical handbrake were phased out when full air brakes became the norm,seems possible.
I remember when I was a kid in the '50’s seeing the 20 sign on the back of trucks for the speed limit.
I also remember my dad telling me that companies had problems finding a driver and a mate who actually got along…a bit of a preview to the same difficulties that companies have today in this country (Canada) finding sleeper teams ie people who are compatible working for long periods in such a small space
240 Gardner:
robinswh:
When I was a kid any lorry pulling a drawbar trailer by law had to be operated by two people…the drivers mate operated the trailer brakes…does anyone know when the law changed to allow one man operation of such vehiclesI believe it was 1964.
However, I think that the 30mph limit for single carriageway roads persisted well into the 1980s.
The 30mph limit for drawbars on single carriageways was still in force in the early 80s,possibly as late as 1985.
I know because I got pulled on Woodhead,near Flouch,by the police at 0400 one Saturday morning who reminded me of the speed limit for drawbars.I had a Scania 82M SKY 6Y which would be 1983 or later.
He didn’t give me a ticket though,bless him! 
I thought that the mechanical handbrake was in the cab, on the passenger side. Was I wrong or were some like that?
It most certainly was IN the cab, NOT outside. When I started as a second man in 1960 the trailer handbrakes were already defunct and had been taken out of most the wagons which still had them in leaving a hole in the cab floor or, if you were lucky, it would have had a blanking plate put there. I would think that it would be the late 50s when they finally stopped using them.
I think it was around the 1970/1 time the draw bar rule was relaxed as i was away on a trip at the time and the law changed on the Monday and i was out on the sunday and sunday night was just left to chance that you didnt get a pull,cant tell you how glad i was not to have to put up with a trailer boy again,had some uses (handball loads) but were more trouble than help most of the time.And a close coupled trailer is not a wagon and drag or a roadtrain .
Its a ‘Boys’ motor.
Actually this discussion has my memory working overtime I do remember about 1969 as a teenager I was hitchhiking north on the M1 motorway (after it had been extended into Leeds) I got a ride in an old Leyland comet pulling a trailer with an oversized load of bales ( I assume Bales of wool) heading for Bradford…the driver had a young lad younger than I was at the time as a mate I dont remember any sign of a trailer brake for the mate to operate there was not a lot of room in the cab with the three of us in there the lorry was about a 1962 model (cab over model).I remember it was really slow ascending the hills!!
Dont forget the wooden wedge hanging on chains behind the trailer wheels.
These needed to be quickly put in place when stopping on hills and even quicker hooking them back up when the driver moved forward.
Then the mad dash for the cab, or a long walk to the top of the hill, where hopefully the driver would still be waiting for you.
Tobyjug:
Dont forget the wooden wedge hanging on chains behind the trailer wheels.These needed to be quickly put in place when stopping on hills and even quicker hooking them back up when the driver moved forward.
Then the mad dash for the cab, or a long walk to the top of the hill, where hopefully the driver would still be waiting for you.
Perhaps that was what Kaan was thinking about.
The incab trailer brake was there so that the trailermate could help slow the outfit down on descents. Not much use having to jump out to do that. 
Yes David you are correct.In 1953 when I was a trailer boy on a Maudsley Meritor the trailer brake was most surely in the cab.It was a pain because you had to sit upright.As my driver used to say.“Youre not sleeping in my motor you young swine” Something like that.Happy days
worked at thomas bells :bero flour: back in early 60 drove an aec mandator with drawbar trailer hand brake was in the cab we also had cross chains on, inverness was a 5 day run then, remember the digs at inverness was at 49 longman road, we had to go through the railway yard for a delivery think it was called grays, had to pay the railway company 1 shilling to gross their yard, bells was a good jop till ranks got their hands on it.
Second man went out after 1970 at least, Mortons car delivery used to run what they called wagon and pups, this was a 5 car ridgid, pulling a 2 car trailer as in close coupled, but were not allowed a top deck on the trailer, as it was deemed unstable, unless it was of the A frame type with a second man.
240 Gardner:
…However, I think that the 30mph limit for single carriageway roads persisted well into the 1980s.
You sure about that chris??
I had an 18 metere “A” frame draw bar which I first drove around 1981, initially as a second driver but then from 1983 onwards I was on my own, driving it around Europe as well as the UK and I never heard or knew anything about a 30mph limit??
This is scanned from the book “Companion to British Road Haulage History” - it doesn’t mention trailer mates - but it does give speed limits for rigids & (drawbar) trailers.
It shows that the legal maximum speed for a lorry & trailer increased by 10 mph in 1967 – to 30 mph.
I cant remember the exact date but i feel sure it was in 1970 that the law was changed and allowed you to drive solo with a lorry and trailer as it was in 1970 that i got my 8 wheeler HVF111D to drive before that we had to have a mate on a drawbar outfit because of all the old rules never being changed as is usual in GB.I can remember the day it changed but not the date as i got stopped on the way up to Scotland and the copper was unaware of the law having changed he wanted to know where the mate was.
I used to drive a drawbar outfit from 1977 to 1980 for Multiple Fruit Supplies on the Littlewoods contract and the limit on A roads was still 30mph when I left. A bit of a hairy drive if the trailer had a full load and the front end was light.