SCANIAKEV:
This is one for Drift, having passed my PSV Test, two days before this incident, there I was, leaving the old Skelhorne Street Bus Station Liverpool, 10-40ish in a 36 foot Dual Purpose Coach/ Bus. ( X27 ), Liverpool-Skipton. Now, being new to the job as a Driver, having spent some Fourteen Months as a Conductor, leaving the station, concentrating on the clearance,on my Off- side I totally forget about where my nearside was going.
A quick look to my left, hit the brake, alas bump, caught the wall of the exit, with front near side. No great damage, seems a couple of Pop rivets soon put the damage right.
Being a new Driver, garage fitter back at Southport, approached me and, Honestly, said, ( now you can call yourself a Driver ).
Believe me guys, I felt so much more relaxed as a result of that bump, plus of course, it stopped my fellow colleagues from running a book on who will be the first of the Newbies to have a mishap. To be honest to this day I still have no idea how much they made out of my mistake.
Ahha the old upper Skelhorn Street where the Nationals lived (Lower level was all local buses) both where rear pod catchers on reversing though the upper level was more drive through
I was driving for a lubricant company once. Had 5 delivers that day, arrives at my first delivery had to drop off a 200L barrel. So puts the dolly cradle underneath and walks it out onto the tail lift but it was raining and the dolly wheels slip and the barrel falls onto my right foot completely missing my steel toe cap and landing on the bridge of my foot.
So I completed the rest of my day in some pain but nothing to major. Gets home and I take my boot off and my foot swells to the size of a ballon. So a trip to A&E reviles damaged ligaments and soft tissue lol
Mate of mine did the same run, five nights a week, same truck and trailer and very light, for years. There was a bridge on his route that was 2 inches clear of the trailer. Until the night he came back after 2 weeks holiday and whacked it good and proper. They had resurfaced the road while he was away.
My first day solo on the fuel tankers (only done 3 weekends for TNT previous experience). Thought I would go in a fill myself up. Blocked the whole forecourt. There was a car parked just to the side of the HGV pumps. Me being inexperienced thought ye i will get past him. Nope got stuck, Could not get my arse end round and being inexperienced, could not reverse back to original position because I would of taken my front end out on the pumps, bins, cones and various bits of hazards I did not realized existed before this point. 2 hours shunting inch by inch. I managed to block the hgv pumps, the car I was trying to get past and everyone else on the forecourt. inch backwards, full lock, inch forwards, opposite full lock. Plus it was dark Was so embarrassed, everyone thought I was delivering, the delivery point was other side of the garage
Oh and a few weeks after that, first time driving rear steer trailer. loading in Reading managed to take half the refinery with me and leave my rear bumper instead. Did not even know until I left the gates. And other tankers were beeping me. Did not hear a thing, did not even think it would swing out that bloody wide>_<
I was near the end of a 5 week europe adventure with a lot of ‘firsts’, e.g. first time on ferry with artic, first time on wrong side of road in truck, first time trying to understand toll collect etc.
It had all been going so well, I was on the return journey parked on the pride of rotterdam right 2 trucks back from the ramp down, and nothing had gone wrong so far. The warning alarm goes off and the ramp starts to move down. Time to get started up.
So I turn the key and get nothing. The day before the same had happened when the truck had been parked up a week and the tail lift had been used a lot. So I get a bit stressed and try again, this time engine turns over but nothing, and the red high viz brigade are by now waving at me to drive off, and I’m blocking the whole place up.
So I try once more and by some miracle it starts, but of course air is well down and this is an old truck. Eventually there is enough air to get broms off and park brake off so I start slowly going forwards and down the ramp, with a feeling of relief, and “let’s get out of here as guys behind will be annoyed at delay”. So the unit is on the ramp, then we come to a halt and there’s a bang. Being a bit green to all this I couldn’t work out what the problem is, as far as I can see we are fine. So I stick it in 1st and give it some, and we move a bit but still stuck. By now there is a truck right behind me and I can’t leave the cab because I’m on the ramp. So short of other ideas I just give it the beans turning a deaf ear to the noise and we get moving and get off the ferry.
I was so glad to be out of there that I quickly put all this from mind, and drove back to Carlisle and parked the truck up, congratulating myself on getting through the summer without anything going wrong… then I see the trailer legs. Ouch! One is bent and nearly sheared off and the other has a broken foot. It suddenly all makes sense - I was in such a rush to get out of the way that the air wasn’t fully up and the clearance wasn’t there to get off the ferry. So, feeling stupid I show the boss, who luckily is a decent man and admitted to doing similar in a rigid once “only with a lot more damage”
Delivered bulk fuel oils to a farm in Aberdeenshire, was told to be careful when leaving as the only place to park was on a slope. Delivered the red and white diesel to the correct tanks, put away the hoses etc and slowly pulled away but the rear end of the empty tank slid to the lower side only about a foot (very muddy and ■■■■■■■ wi rain) but enough to knock the first tank of the blocks which of course then knocked the second one off, those weird shaped plastic ones and they split open. There was hell to pay as the environmental services (whoever they are with the spill kits had to be called ) due to a nearby water course. Strange but that was the last job I did for that company.
I just started my rigid lessons on Thursday, I assumed the trainer would take us off the main road somewhere to get used to the truck, but he just started us off at the side of the road, so he talks me through everything then gives me a quick demonstration then it’s straight out with the traffic,
So we start off in 3rd up into 4th flick the switch and into 5th then 6th, then up to a slight hill and a left bend so onto the brake and he says right back down to 5th now, by the time I try shift I put the ■■■■■■■ thing into 7th! The truck then stalled on the hill! I was freaking out so he put on the parking brake while I restarted! I lifted off the brake and could feel her start rolling backwards, and I could see a line of cars behind me, he shouted and I eventually got going again! I put it into 7th again on the lesson then later tried to put into reverse! So it knocked my confidence a bit to say the least!
By the end of the lesson I had got the hang of it, but it scared the crap out of me!
When I first started doing pallet work, i was doing a day for someone on holiday and it was the last drop of the day ( I was running late) it was totally bucketing down.
anyway got drop done jumped back in the lorry as soon as and headed back to base.
Next day got a shout from driver “where’s my pallet truck!” I thought this is a wind up.
Only then the penny dropped that I was that much of a hurry to get drop done I ran back to cab to get paper work signed off ran back to the cab with said paperwork, taillift up doors shut and back home and pallet truck left behind.
Let me tell you I felt like a first class pillock when I had to walk in the office and let the boss know in front of about 5 of his office staff what I had done
Anytime I use pallet truck now it goes straight on the lorry before customer signs anything off lol
tamarman:
A couple of years ago i had to deliver to a private address in Lostwithiel with an 18.00tonne rigid. As i got nearer and nearer to the address the road got narrower and narrower with cars parked on both sides of a twisty turny street going downhill into the village. I was hoping and praying that there would be a suitable exit somewhere further on down the lane. I arrived at the private house , delivered the stuff i had for them and then enquired about an exit strategy.
I was informed that the road actually got narrower and the only way out was the same way i came in. I decided i could not reverse , it would be at least a mile around tight blind bends etc , so i decided the only thing for it was a 3 point turn.
Nearly an hour later and 250 shunts later , i just about had the vehicle 90degrees around , a cup of tea from well wishers and 1 more hour later i was another 45 degrees further around. The sweat was pouring of me , the clutch was burning and a good crowd had gathered . Finally about 4 hours after i had started i had the vehicle facing the correct way… oh the relief i felt was better than ■■■ i tell you , i got about 400 yards down the road and on a tight bend i struck a car and a wall and found myself wedged between the two… Well FFS i thought . …Finally 6 hours after i entered the village i was able to leave , my tail between my legs and vowing never to deliver to that hole ever again…i can laugh now but it was not funny at the time.
I loved this, 250 shunts, know that feeling! Fantastic!
saxo:
I just started my rigid lessons on Thursday, I assumed the trainer would take us off the main road somewhere to get used to the truck, but he just started us off at the side of the road, so he talks me through everything then gives me a quick demonstration then it’s straight out with the traffic,
So we start off in 3rd up into 4th flick the switch and into 5th then 6th, then up to a slight hill and a left bend so onto the brake and he says right back down to 5th now, by the time I try shift I put the [zb] thing into 7th! The truck then stalled on the hill! I was freaking out so he put on the parking brake while I restarted! I lifted off the brake and could feel her start rolling backwards, and I could see a line of cars behind me, he shouted and I eventually got going again! I put it into 7th again on the lesson then later tried to put into reverse! So it knocked my confidence a bit to say the least!
By the end of the lesson I had got the hang of it, but it scared the crap out of me!
Similar to me in my rigid lesions trying to do hill start with healthy amount of throttle but whoops we are in reverse…
Little tip… If you have a 4 over 4, never fight it, it will always win!
(Lower level was all local buses) both where rear pod catchers on reversing though the upper level was more drive through 
