What proof do you have that the vehicle was overloaded, if you suspected an overload you should have weighed it.
I’d be miffed if someone who was supposed to be driving for me simply had goods removed from the vehicle because they thought it didn’t look quite right, without knowing what weights were involved.
I don’t see any name and shame to be aired here, there are no accurate weights, it is hearsay only without.
I think you might have left yourself open by posting like this.
This is the giveaway for me.
Sam Millar:
Wayne: I never had a proper look but I’m pretty sure that 18 tonner I was in never had one of the control pads that control the suspension.
The vehicle didn’t handle properly because Sam didn’t re-set the ride height. The dashboard light which came on was the ride height warning light. Sam didn’t even have a proper look for the ride height adjustment control, by his own admission.
Sam, take it like a man. You goofed, and the only person you are naming and shaming is yourself.
Harry Monk:
This is the giveaway for me.Sam Millar:
Wayne: I never had a proper look but I’m pretty sure that 18 tonner I was in never had one of the control pads that control the suspension.The vehicle didn’t handle properly because Sam didn’t re-set the ride height. The dashboard light which came on was the ride height warning light. Sam didn’t even have a proper look for the ride height adjustment control, by his own admission.
Sam, take it like a man. You goofed, and the only person you are naming and shaming is yourself.
Well and truly pumped up the bum.
Was the O.P. shown the various minor controls on the lorry?He should not be expected to know those things.We need training for the job in hand the DCPC wont help here either.
Surely every driver in the country knows how to level the suspension? 90% of them have a control pad to the right of the seat. If it was 20 ton gross it would have came off the mudguards if the level button had been pressed. Driver mistake o feel. And if I had 2 pallets left behind over a drivers hunch id be mad too. Weigh the bloody thing and tell me for certain before you decide what your leaving behind
stagedriver:
Harry Monk:
This is the giveaway for me.Sam Millar:
Wayne: I never had a proper look but I’m pretty sure that 18 tonner I was in never had one of the control pads that control the suspension.The vehicle didn’t handle properly because Sam didn’t re-set the ride height. The dashboard light which came on was the ride height warning light. Sam didn’t even have a proper look for the ride height adjustment control, by his own admission.
Sam, take it like a man. You goofed, and the only person you are naming and shaming is yourself.
Well and truly pumped up the bum.
Sorry Sam, but I have to agree with both the above…
alamcculloch:
Was the O.P. shown the various minor controls on the lorry?He should not be expected to know those things.We need training for the job in hand the DCPC wont help here either.
He could do like the rest of us did, and ASK?
1st time I drove an artic, I was told “you’re unit’s over there, you’re trailer’s on that bay there, MAKE SURE YOU LEVEL THE TRAILER SUSPENSION BEFORE PULLING OFF or it’ll catch the guide bars”.
me: "How do I reset the trailer suspension? I know how to do cab ones, I’ve come from Class 2, so this is the 1st trailer I’ve dealt with. 
"
other driver: “I’ll show you now drive, and thanks for asking, some muppets would’ve bent the tail lift trying to get it out”
Still remember the day, a brand new Renault Premium and a double deck fridge trailer marked at 16’3, night run from Rochdale to Bellshill, white knuckles by time I’d arrived, but I did it 
Gets there just in time (delivery slots) for all the class 2’s to be leaving on their routes, and there’s me doing my 1st reverse with a huge trailer, 15 thousand shunts later and I’m in and people can get on their way 
alamcculloch:
Was the O.P. shown the various minor controls on the lorry?He should not be expected to know those things.We need training for the job in hand the DCPC wont help here either.
Eh hello the clue is in the name of the forum “professional” it was a school boy error, as someone above says take it on the chin learn and move on.
Also surely you would have checked the suspension level on your walk around checks or do you just “jump in” like a lot of the agency who frequent our place, I’m not in the position to start slagging you off, and everyone makes mistakes, but you said you had been there for the past 2 weeks, surly in that time you must have reset the suspension in that time or were you using different vehicles with different suspension set ups?
I think from now on you will add it to you might check in future lol, and I doubt if you will be going back to the company in question as I doubt they would want you.
I have worked in transport for the past 6 years (ok in the office) and have recently done my Cat C, I know that if a driver was worried about a load our supervisors or transport managers wouldn’t mind if you went to a weigh bridge to confirm.
We live and learn and all make mistakes.
I made a similar error of judgement when I first started out. Told the forkie that there was no way that was going anywhere with the guards pressed against the tyres.
He said when I get in and start the engine the airbags will raise and it’ll be fine.
I checked and sure enough that’s what happened.
As you said you had been out lots with your dad, surely these are things you’d have picked up?
We live and learn.
I’ll just add one more thing to this, as I’m sure Sam will be too busy licking his wounds to reply at the moment.
I used to pull those specialist stepframe carpet trailers which can be unloaded through doors at either end which carry three loads of carpet. One on the step. one at the back, and one on a heavy slider frame in the centre which could be moved rearwards when the rearmost delivery was off.
Loaded floor to ceiling, I used to gross around 30 tonnes on a 38 tonner. It’s almost impossible to imagine any truck being overweight with carpet.
Maybe it was laminate flooring? Dont know sam is a wee brainy ■■■■■■■■ i cannae see him not knowing about levelling out his suspension.
Unless you’ve manually dropped/raised the level, the air suspension should self level once the engines running providing the air pressure’s good.
waynedl:
war1974:
with regards to the agency yes your contract is with them so they will pay you but it will be on the proviso of a signed timesheet.I think you’ll find payment can be DELAYED if a signed timesheet is not returned.
You return a time sheet, signed or not, they argue, you provide tachograph evidence of the work you’ve done that they’ve arranged, they argue, you take them to court and add on loads of expenses for the hassle.
I’ve had 1 agency do this to me in my time, didn’t make it as far as court, will never work for them again but I got paid
i am pretty sure that the timesheet is for payment reasons the proof that you have done the job unless its a company that takes your times and sends them across, the digital tacho is a useful backup to me a driver should always get their timesheet signed its the way you get paid at the end of the day!
Sam Millar:
I’m owed two weeks wages, around £1200 from this company (before tax) and he said he is not willing to sign off my time sheets at face value for the hours I claimed and so wants to download my digi card.
I’ll send you a PM.
war1974:
waynedl:
war1974:
with regards to the agency yes your contract is with them so they will pay you but it will be on the proviso of a signed timesheet.I think you’ll find payment can be DELAYED if a signed timesheet is not returned.
You return a time sheet, signed or not, they argue, you provide tachograph evidence of the work you’ve done that they’ve arranged, they argue, you take them to court and add on loads of expenses for the hassle.
I’ve had 1 agency do this to me in my time, didn’t make it as far as court, will never work for them again but I got paid
i am pretty sure that the timesheet is for payment reasons the proof that you have done the job unless its a company that takes your times and sends them across, the digital tacho is a useful backup to me a driver should always get their timesheet signed its the way you get paid at the end of the day!
I’ve worked for firms where there’s nobody to sign a time sheet, either because it’s a remote base or because I’ve finished after the staff have gone home (which is what happened with the 1 in question).
As I said, they can delay payment through a none-signed time sheet, but not refuse it, you’ve done the work as agreed, you get paid as agreed
Sam Millar:
I’m owed two weeks wages, around £1200 from this company (before tax) and he said he is not willing to sign off my time sheets at face value for the hours I claimed and so wants to download my digi card.
He could just be making sure that he gets the opportunity to download the data from the driver card to fulfil the companies legal responsibility to do so.
alamcculloch:
Was the O.P. shown the various minor controls on the lorry?He should not be expected to know those things.We need training for the job in hand the DCPC wont help here either.
Well, isnt it why as I was told (but I am not 100% sure) by law every wehicle has to have its users manual on board?
All of our sprinters in my place do have their users manuals on board, and I checked it few times - either when I had to change the fuse, or when I looked when to put the jack to lift it up to change the wheel…
Its no shame if you don’t know something, check or ask.
It’s almost impossible to imagine any truck being overweight with carpet.
Harry, when I was doing Hebrides we were delivering carpets to a carpet place, one roll of this shiny rubber ones can weight several hundreds kilos…
tachograph:
Sam Millar:
I’m owed two weeks wages, around £1200 from this company (before tax) and he said he is not willing to sign off my time sheets at face value for the hours I claimed and so wants to download my digi card.He could just be making sure that he gets the opportunity to download the data from the driver card to fulfil the companies legal responsibility to do so.
One place I used to work did not downloaded my card on my last day. I quit them when I started the uni.
I came back to them few times later (in my spare time) offered them to do it, but the guy who was dealing with card downloading was on holidays, then sick, and the others did not wanted to bother. Finally I was told by one of the managers to “stop wasting his time and ■■■■ away with this stupid trucking nerdy things”. So I went home and never came back.
Over a year later they called me in panic if I can come to them and download my card. I told them, that I can’t, as I am in Poland (I was there for my holidays) and they were very unhappy. As I learned later, they had some VOSA control and due to not keeping proper records they lost most of they license. Nowadays they are allowed only to operate one lorry.
The guy who still works there say that always when they are asked, they blame me for that 
But you know what? I don’t care
Well played Sam you done the right thing imo
]
orys:
Well, isnt it why as I was told (but I am not 100% sure) by law every wehicle has to have its users manual on board?
There’d be a helluva lot of illegal trucks around if that was true Orys!
Well, just someone told me that, and since I saw plenty of stickers on forklifts “manual not to be removed” I assumed that its true…
But I would say it would not be a stupid law that one…
