Easily done...tragic ending

the nodding donkey:
And another thing, when was the last time you saw a trailer with wheels under the legs? They all have (hinged) feet these days, making roll aways a thing of the past.

Unless someone goes under low and over shoots the fifth wheel jaws,then lifts the unit with the pin sitting on top of the fifth wheel thereby lifting the weight off the legs with nothing standing in the way of the pin as the trailer rolls forward when they put the lines on. :bulb:

TiredAndEmotional:
This is more typical than the DHL arrangement. Normally undo a dog clip and it slides out to the side allowing you to connect up without getting onto the cat walk, particularly useful when hooking to a fridge so you can avoid split coupling, its main purpose really.

How common are these? Never seen this before in my life.

I hope they’ve put some thought into how they arrange the suzie sockets. It’s a lot easier to get an air line on when the ABS socket isn’t right next to the brake socket, preventing you getting a good firm grip on it. Some very new trailers, including those with the sockets on a slider, have this problem.

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albion:
The problem is from an Operators pov, you can never cover every single thing that could go wrong. Always something that you think doesn’t need explaining or just something you overlook, and it comes back to bite you.

I don’t doubt it can be difficult but maybe some extra detail in my instance. It was a DHL site managing a client transport & warehousing over 4 sites. There were regular safety notices, briefings & sign offs but still the problems occurred. At the time there were several trailers that didn’t have the auto application of the trailer brake so the driver had to do it. The replacement trailers came will auto application park brakes.

The roll away I refered to was not the first & whatever had been done before then hadn’t worked. I think the size of DHL, the fleet it was operating, the resources available to it, the financial risk to loosing contracts, the threat of Olicense restrictions all came to influence the thinking of the senior management who decreed this MUST be resolved.

There are many things I would criticise DHL for but think this was one of the better things they did.

I wonder if the size of fine levied on the company is indicative of a long standing issue that was known about but not adequately addressed. This is speculation on my part as I have no knowledge of the company involved or their procedures.

stevieboy308:
What do you think happens when you release the trailer brake?

Should be little more than a settling of the trailer but if the unit brake hasn’t been applied, with an auto gearbox park not selected, the possibilities are many. I did suggest that the guy who died made more than 1 mistake.

Very sad, poor man. It’s far too easily done though, even by old hands, it only takes a moments inattention for something like this to happen.
I have three trailers, which are aged between eight and three years old. It would be possible for an accident like this to happen on the two older ones, but the newer (SDC) has a handbrake which comes on automatically ie the button pops out the instant that the red line is disconnected, and even when the red line is reconnected, the handbrake will not release until the button, which is on the nearside of the trailer is pushed in manually. Many a time I’ve cursed it when I’m back in the cab, ready for the off, and I have to get back out to release it. That’s mainly because I’m old and losing my marbles, however, I do think it’s a major advance in safety, and if it isn’t mandatory on new build trailers then I think it should be.

Old John:
Very sad, poor man. It’s far too easily done though, even by old hands, it only takes a moments inattention for something like this to happen.
I have three trailers, which are aged between eight and three years old. It would be possible for an accident like this to happen on the two older ones, but the newer (SDC) has a handbrake which comes on automatically ie the button pops out the instant that the red line is disconnected, and even when the red line is reconnected, the handbrake will not release until the button, which is on the nearside of the trailer is pushed in manually. Many a time I’ve cursed it when I’m back in the cab, ready for the off, and I have to get back out to release it. That’s mainly because I’m old and losing my marbles, however, I do think it’s a major advance in safety, and if it isn’t mandatory on new build trailers then I think it should be.

But that doesn’t stop runaways, all it does is change the point at which the runaway happens if you’ve forgotten to put the unit handbrake on.

stevieboy308:

Old John:
Very sad, poor man. It’s far too easily done though, even by old hands, it only takes a moments inattention for something like this to happen.
I have three trailers, which are aged between eight and three years old. It would be possible for an accident like this to happen on the two older ones, but the newer (SDC) has a handbrake which comes on automatically ie the button pops out the instant that the red line is disconnected, and even when the red line is reconnected, the handbrake will not release until the button, which is on the nearside of the trailer is pushed in manually. Many a time I’ve cursed it when I’m back in the cab, ready for the off, and I have to get back out to release it. That’s mainly because I’m old and losing my marbles, however, I do think it’s a major advance in safety, and if it isn’t mandatory on new build trailers then I think it should be.

But that doesn’t stop runaways, all it does is change the point at which the runaway happens if you’ve forgotten to put the unit handbrake on.

No it doesn’t because the instant you press the button it would possibly start moving to which it you could pull the button. I hadn’t heard of these until I pulled an xpo fridge off a bay (Whoops)

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No, you’re right, if the driver has forgotten to put the unit handbrake on, the combination will take off when the trailer handbrake is released. However, it does take the risk out of split coupling, and/or the risk of the unit pushing the trailer away whilst trying to couple to it, and maybe wiping out someone else.
I have no idea of the cicumstances of the accident for which the co received the fine, but if it was the case that the unfortunate driver had omitted to apply the handbrake, then, sorry for him, but hey, you make your own luck.

Thats a big fine for a a company who shouldnt have any blame placed on them, unless they have told drivers never to use the trailer brake. I have been told in the past by company shunters…dont put the trailer brake on. which i completely ignore, it may make their job easier, but it takes blame from me as i have followed my own procedure. This driver lost his life because he never followed rules…ok, some trailers when the airline is off, puts the brakes on, but if that trailer has an airleak, it can release the brakes as well as keep them on, depends on the system…but every driver who pulls trailers…should know the rules and adhere to them, this is not the first time a driver has been killed picking up a trailer, and probably wont be the last…but a death uncalled for…r.i.p. my friend.