moorey:
Last week I had a marker light out on the side of my trailer. I was told to go out with it, But I refused, as i been told before any light defected need to be changed. They said because it was a side marker light, that i didnt need. can some please help a new driver. I Know it a basic question. I just wnat to Know where i stand… Cheers
You did right to refuse to take it out. I’ve said this before, when you get these people telling you its ok to go out just get them to sign your defect book to that effect and if they do then go with it and their signed instruction that you can !!
moorey:
Last week I had a marker light out on the side of my trailer. I was told to go out with it, But I refused, as i been told before any light defected need to be changed. They said because it was a side marker light, that i didnt need. can some please help a new driver. I Know it a basic question. I just wnat to Know where i stand… Cheers
You did right to refuse to take it out. I’ve said this before, when you get these people telling you its ok to go out just get them to sign your defect book to that effect and if they do then go with it and their signed instruction that you can !!
if i could do a hang my head in shame smillie i would, again what the hell is going on in this world. It’s a bulb foe [zb] sake change it and get on with the bloody job. Stop being such a trade unionist. If you cant handle that simple job get a pole in they know how to change bulbs.
moorey:
Last week I had a marker light out on the side of my trailer. I was told to go out with it, But I refused, as i been told before any light defected need to be changed. They said because it was a side marker light, that i didnt need. can some please help a new driver. I Know it a basic question. I just wnat to Know where i stand… Cheers
You did right to refuse to take it out. I’ve said this before, when you get these people telling you its ok to go out just get them to sign your defect book to that effect and if they do then go with it and their signed instruction that you can !!
if i could do a hang my head in shame smillie i would, again what the hell is going on in this world. It’s a bulb foe [zb] sake change it and get on with the bloody job. Stop being such a trade unionist. If you cant handle that simple job get a pole in they know how to change bulbs.
I know how to change bulbs, i carry bulbs, i have posted pictures of my bulbs here !! I’m expected to change them and i do change them,i also carry tools, but this is not my question and its not where i work or what i do. Go read the guys original question properly and then you might be able to give a constructive answer instead of what you think drivers should or shouldn’t do, and whether i’m a trade unionist or we should get Poles in.
Harry Monk:
What on Earth is the world coming to when an HGV driver cannot change a bulb for himself?
Or when a company tells a driver unreservedly under NO circumstances are they to carry out ANY repairs to the vehicle
You are right of course. If your company tells you that you aren’t allowed to change a lightbulb, then that’s their decision.
If I phoned my boss tomorrrow morning (I’m parked in Pontarddulais, south Wales tonight) and said “I’ve got a blown marker light so I’m not moving until Volvo have come out and charged £300 to change it”, then he would probably have me sectioned.
What has this profession come to when we get 25 posts about chnaging a marker light, good god if the thing bothers that much drive 10 miles down the road stop at a garage and fix it and get on with the job, it is called initiative.
Harry Monk:
What on Earth is the world coming to when an HGV driver cannot change a bulb for himself?
Listen pal am more than capable of changing a bulb, But under company rules we are not aloud to touch marker light because it was encased and a electrical thingy. all i am is asking is for some advice, itS not me being the fussy one. it s the company they have more rules and regs than anyone i know, if you sneeze at this place you l get hammered, ask anyone that works for ARLA FOODS
Hi moorey,
I wouldn’t get too wound up by some of the responses if I was you as this is a subject that has been done to death over the recent months
There does appear to be quite a few company’s out there who seem to think that all drivers are complete idiots and wouldn’t have a clue how to change a simple light bulb and will be disciplined if they even attempt to do it . Just in the way that they might suffer the same fate for attempting to do a ‘split-couple’ or even make a suggestion that might make the job easier
But as I’ve said in a previous post there are still jobs around that require the driver to carry not just bulbs/lenses but every other bit of extra kit imagineable to keep the job going and you would be in trouble for not having the right air-line converters with yer even if you hadn’t been informed that you would be picking up a trailer with ‘palm couplings’
There seems to be too much regulation of the tiniest things these days and it really seems to have gone too far and as far I’m concerned it has taken the freedom out of the job, and if this Volvo in cab video monitoring system roadtransport.com/blogs/big- … blogs/big- … ou-so.html, ever gets introduced then all I can say is I’m glad I’m not on the road anymore
Moorey stand up and take a bow. You have set me off tonight on one of my fave rants the H&S says no subject. i know it was never mentioned in your post and company rules and all that makes it an ‘elf n’ safety subject on to whether you your company the trl manufacturer the bulb maker or god for making it go dark in the first place end it getting sued because some myopic clown in a car couldn’t see you. Like i said just change it and see what happens. If you get screwed play the screwing game, i guess your at a reasonably sized company with more than 1 driver so someone can always swap.
And stop being such a Bloody trade unionist i like that i could put it in my sig.
Vascoingles:
What has this profession come to when we get 25 posts about chnaging a marker light,
Its because people can’t read, never mind change a marker light.But they can sure post !!! The guy said
I refused, as i been told before any light defected need to be changed
and
am more than capable of changing a bulb, But under company rules we are not aloud to touch marker light because it was encased and a electrical thingy. all i am is asking is for some advice,
Vascoingles:
good god if the thing bothers that much drive 10 miles down the road stop at a garage and fix it and get on with the job, it is called initiative.
Great advice, take it out (like he’s been told not to) and then change the bulb (like he’s been told not to).
Bloody hell…what a carry on.
Where i work we are expected to change bulbs,air lines and other various bits and pieces.
Its all part of being an H G V driver.Think about the chaps that go abroad for weeks at a time.Would they park up just because a bulb had blown! I think not.
Regards.
Coddy:
Is this a good time to mention cardboard number plates■■?
Good one Coddy, i wish there weas a “rolling on the floor laughing” smily here. (This forum has the least number of available smilies i know of!)
A point just about every poster upto now has over looked: If the trailer was manufactured within about the last 5 years, 90% likely it won’t have bulbed side markers but LED’s, sometimes requiring the whole lamp to be changed
Harry Monk is right what the hell is it coming too. I remember changing a clutch at the side of the road in the middle of the night using the roll-loader brick crane to hold and slide the gearbox back once Id dropped the propshaft before the night fitter arrived with new clutch. Drivers what!
If the fitting is one of the newer led low power lights, then I think they are soldered connections, not just a simple bayonet, so a soldering iron, solder and new fitting would be required. Just to put another side of the discussion, according to the Electricity at Work Act, made under the Health and Safety At Work Act, any electrical work, whatever the voltage, should only be carried out by a competent person. That person, to be deemed competent should be trained etc etc. So where does that leave all of the roadside and lorry park fixers?
if i worked for someone who told me i couldn’t change a bulb because it’s company policy. i would probably use a large amount of four letter words. as i see it as my job to not only drive the thing, but look after the unit, the trailer, and the load in whatever way i see fit.
you could write to one of the directors, and explane that his management are costing the company a bloody fortune, by not letting drivers carry out simple repairs, such as errrrrm changing a light bulb, for example.
you may get a promotion.
just don’t take any [zb] off management in this job. they are just the hired help, the same as you.
they have to justify their position for some reason. but as soon as you bark, they will roll over. Trust me.
if i could do a hang my head in shame smillie i would, again what the hell is going on in this world. It’s a bulb foe [zb] sake change it and get on with the bloody job. Stop being such a trade unionist. If you cant handle that simple job get a pole in they know how to change bulbs.
