heres one for you. iwas in our office last night when the planner gets a call from one of our drivers that have been pulled into the m6 vosa compound, Stafford. his reason was for a front headlight bulb gone, fair enough.
The drivertold our planner that the vosa official told him that if he didn’t get it replaced within 20 minutes, he would be locking the vehicle in for the night! Bearing in mind that my company runs out of Gloucester, our other nearest depot is in Runcorn and to get nationwide out to replace the bulbe would take an hour at the least.
My question is: Jobsworth or power gone to vosa guys head.
What are your thoughts and do you have any other similar stories?
Not jobsworth at all, after all the driver would have known the bulb was blown and he could have put a new one in when it blew, the carrying of a spare bulb would have resolved this in a matter of minutes. Maybe more companies will realise that letting drivers carry out simple tasks such as this will save them a fortune in the long run
mazzer:
Not jobsworth at all, after all the driver would have known the bulb was blown and he could have put a new one in when it blew, the carrying of a spare bulb would have resolved this in a matter of minutes. Maybe more companies will realise that letting drivers carry out simple tasks such as this will save them a fortune in the long run
In the drivers defence, I know him and know that he would’ve done his checks so whats to say that the bulb didn’t go in transit.
But totally agree with the driver should have carried spares. my company is one of the few that does encourage us to carry spare bulbs for this exact reason. it could’ve save him 2 hours
Each lorry at Howdens has a full spare bulb kit and tools in a tupperware box. Checking its there is part of the start of shift checks as well. Saves a load of grief and trying to meander your way down the A66 with a light out.
A jobsworth for doing his job ? no ! i would say if a driver dosent carry basic things like bulbs and tools to enable you to change them then you a very unprepared driver ,maybe thats the difference between a driver and a steering wheel attendant
bestbooties:
If they pulled all the cars in with a [zb] headlight bulb out, the car park would be full!
If all cars with one bulb completely out (totally dark) were pulled… We’d have strong evidence that there are still some police LEFT. Trying to find one is like trying to find a pub without steel curtains on it these days.
You never see any police around these parts - unless anyone is daft enough to start ranting at a foreigner. If that same foreigner is in the process of attacking YOU - no show.
The old joke about “Telling the switchboard that if the police are not here in 5 minutes, I’ll be forced to defend myself with this shotgun” works - but only works once.
Where are the VOSA range rovers moving on singleton foreign artics parked for the night under motorway bridges?
bestbooties:
If they pulled all the cars in with a [zb] headlight bulb out, the car park would be full!
If all cars with one bulb completely out (totally dark) were pulled… We’d have strong evidence that there are still some police LEFT. Trying to find one is like trying to find a pub without steel curtains on it these days.
You never see any police around these parts - unless anyone is daft enough to start ranting at a foreigner. If that same foreigner is in the process of attacking YOU - no show.
The old joke about “Telling the switchboard that if the police are not here in 5 minutes, I’ll be forced to defend myself with this shotgun” works - but only works once.
Where are the VOSA range rovers moving on singleton foreign artics parked for the night under motorway bridges?
I was a bobby until quite recently - worked a pretty rural beat but with a few major routes, so when not wrestling with drunk squaddies or separating warring spouses, I spent plenty of time on ‘traffic process’. I got the usual ‘haven’t you any burglars to catch’ or ‘making money for the council again officer’ comments…
But my motivation was always road safety (as well as a sniff for booze; drugs; stolen items)…Trouble is, these days the bobbies are so overworked with other work, that they rarely have a chance to do traffic stuff (and so loose the knowledge) and therefore never get out to be proactive like this. I only managed it at the cost my PDR or other paperwork.
Roads policing rarely stray far from the motorways as that is their ‘priority’… hence, too many sheds and boy racers on the roads.
Winseer:
Where are the VOSA range rovers moving on singleton foreign artics parked for the night under motorway bridges?
Were there ever such a thing as VOSA Range Rovers?
I have seen the foreign drivers moved on sometimes by the Police and sometimes by HATO’s, but they don’t seem to have regular patrols anymore, first they took traffic officers off patrolling the roads and replaced them with HATO’s saying they would do the mundane patrolling and leave the Traffic Police to respond to emergency calls, they now seem to have taken the HATO’s off patrols and now they deal with call outs.
When you get a car with a headlight completely out on one side in the pouring rain…
You look in your nearside mirror, think there is a motorbike miles behind you, and start to pull out to overtake - only to find it’s a bloody one-eyed 4x4 right up your arse, now flashing his full beams (which always seem to work!) in his vexation and annoyance… Who’s at fault? - It ain’t safe for anyone - I’ll suggest that…
The amount of wagons you see with either one dim bulb or not even working is nuts. Had plenty of a scare going up and down the A15 at night. My truck will not shut up if there is a bulb out. That alone makes me change it.
Unfortunately the DVSA books state a non working mandatory headlight light is an immediate prohibition when that light is legally required (half hour after sunset to half hour before sunrise) - . They generally allow up to an hour for repairs if they can but it sounds like it was home time and there’s an overtime ban.
He was just doing his job according to the rule book issued to him.
shep532:
Unfortunately the DVSA books state a non working mandatory headlight light is an immediate prohibition when that light is legally required (half hour after sunset to half hour before sunrise) - . They generally allow up to an hour for repairs if they can but it sounds like it was home time and there’s an overtime ban.
He was just doing his job according to the rule book issued to him.
