Hey all,
One of our guys broke down on a motorway a few days ago, full ADR load, unit not drivable (gearbox issue) but he managed to uncouple. Office asked me to run out solo and collect trailer from the hard shoulder. I told them I wasn’t willing to do that as I didn’t think it was legal under motorway regs (HWC 270 and 271). Transport manager then called and told me I was permitted to do so as it was ‘an emergency’. I refused again saying that any emergency involved the broken down driver, not me. He went in the huff and got another driver to do it.
Have I painted a target on my back for no reason?
Doing these type of things is all well and good, but if the ■■■■ hits the fan by a ■■■■ up situation, it’s the driver who gets the flak.
The job today is one big arse covering excercise, so I definitely see your point,.although in the old days I would not have thought twice about doing it.
Did the firm get HATO involved by informing them of their intention to recover the trailer?
I reckon that would be the only time I’d consider it,.although after saying that there is zero chance of me putting my neck or life on the line for the outfit I work for…so let one of the heroes do it I reck. 
(Stand by for a ■■■■ storm of abuse around your lugs, off some on here (said heroes no doubt) for trying to do the job properly and presumably playing your firm at their own game, and beating them with their own stick.
"Transport manager then called and told me I was permitted to do so as it was ‘an emergency’ "
To which I would have replied, “No problem, you put that in an email to me and as soon as I can see it, I’ll recover the trailer.”
Phone calls count for nothing when stuff hits the fan, written instructions however…
On the coaches we used to do similar but swapping people from one to another. The clear instruction though was never without highways or police presence.
Obviously people vs goods, but I’d argue its a dangerous situation either way. You probably get more sense out of the hoods too 
Lost for words nearly.
The OP epitomises all that’s wrong with the world now, the only thing you neglected to do was to ring your mummy and ask her if she’d packed your jobsworth hat in your pack up box along with sandwiches with the crust cut off them, I thought you might have done that before you told your transport manager that You can’t do it in case you pee your ■■■■■■■!
Without a Police or Highways Agency presence I wouldn’t have done it either…
Surely though they would have been there, or was the trailer just abandoned on the HS?
More details required before a decision could be made.
Grumpy_old_trucker:
Lost for words nearly.
The OP epitomises all that’s wrong with the world now, the only thing you neglected to do was to ring your mummy and ask her if she’d packed your jobsworth hat in your pack up box along with sandwiches with the crust cut off them, I thought you might have done that before you told your transport manager that You can’t do it in case you pee your ■■■■■■■!
I see your point mate, and up to a few years ago I’d have been with you.
If you work for a decent firm that treats you somewhere between a grown up and a valued employer, fair enough, but most firms these days (the type who employ ‘compliance managers’ and such crap) are insistent you do stuff 101% by the book, if you don’t they’re on you like a ton of bricks…UNTIL the situation suits them that is 
as in this one…
That is more what epitomises what ''is wrong with the (transport) world as you say.
So like I said play em at their own game/beat em with their own stick.
They can’t have it both ways.
I don’t see the problem here, the trailer has got to be picked up by someone, but the moment of trailer recovery to be timed for when the wrecker has left with stricken tractor…though almost certainly the wombles are in attendance parked behind and if they’ve already got the nearside lane coned off that makes it safer for everyone.
I doubt the TM asked just anyone to do this, there’s some bods you simply wouldn’t entrust this task to.
Remember when the roadworks fellas used to run across three lanes carrying huge signs etc
Times have changed and they beat us with the safety stick.
The hard shoulder is a dangerous place to hang around for sure, especially with the idiots at the wheel of all size vehicles today.
I wouldn’t think twice about doing this if it was my own outfit or a small friendly firm, but would I do it for a logistics co because a planner asked me to? No
Almost:
Hey all,
One of our guys broke down on a motorway a few days ago, full ADR load, unit not drivable (gearbox issue) but he managed to uncouple. Office asked me to run out solo and collect trailer from the hard shoulder. I told them I wasn’t willing to do that as I didn’t think it was legal under motorway regs (HWC 270 and 271). Transport manager then called and told me I was permitted to do so as it was ‘an emergency’. I refused again saying that any emergency involved the broken down driver, not me. He went in the huff and got another driver to do it.
Have I painted a target on my back for no reason?
If the unit wasn’t driveable because of a knackered gearbox then how did he uncouple it and drive the unit? If he was able to do that then I don’t see why he couldn’t have at least driven it off the next slip road, thus significantly reducing the risks.
I tend to agree with robroy’s first reply. Back in the day I’d have thought nothing of it, but in these times where it’s all about arse-covering and litigation, I would be asking some questions. If the recovery had been arranged and agreed with the local HATO then fair enough, but I would have reservations about driving to a random spot on a live motorway and hooking up to an abandoned trailer. The fact that it was a “full ADR load” and abandoned on the motorway in the first place tells me that we’re dealing with a cowboy outfit here as there’s absolutely no way that the HATO would permit that. If they’d been made aware of it they’d have probably closed the entire motorway and got one of their authorised recovery agents to drag it off.
Thanks for the replies guys.
I’m well aware I come off as being a jobsworth, and that’s fair enough. I don’t intentionally set out to be a PITA, but I’m not willing to bear a burden of responsibility that belongs to someone else. Covering myself has served me better than not, as the ‘heroes’ in this company with numerous disciplinaries will attest to.
When I spoke with office/transport manager there was no police or HA present. When I passed, maybe half an hour later headed in the opposite direction, there was still no police or HA present but a wrecker was there recovering the unit. An hour later, tops, I passed and everything was gone. Perhaps the police/HA did come in-between, not sure. Have yet to catch up with the driver who recovered the trailer.
Company is a fair size, 290 drivers or so. Transport manager is fairly new (to the company), but that isn’t saying much as we get a new one every 9-12 months.
EDIT: not sure the specifics of breakdown, office simply said ‘broken down with gearbox issue’.
I’d of thought you’d need a risk assessment done for that
Grumpy_old_trucker:
Lost for words nearly.
The OP epitomises all that’s wrong with the world now, the only thing you neglected to do was to ring your mummy and ask her if she’d packed your jobsworth hat in your pack up box along with sandwiches with the crust cut off them, I thought you might have done that before you told your transport manager that You can’t do it in case you pee your ■■■■■■■!
My mrs is 58 & still has the crusts cut off her sandwiches
How did the unit get off the hard shoulder, was it recovered, the unit and the trailer should be recovered to a place of safety then i would do it, the hard shoulder is not a place of safety, i don’t blame you for refusing to do this, why put your life at risk.
Almost:
Company is a fair size, 290 drivers or so.
What kind of “fair size” company abandons a fully loaded ADR trailer on the hard shoulder of a live motorway? I’m struggling to get my head around this. 
I would say the only thing that is illegal is reversing on the hard shoulder, but with a police presence they could over rule that. It would be far more dangerous to leave an uncoupled trailer whilst the sick vehicle is repaired or recovered.
I would do it with a HATO on site.
I’d just crack on why worry it’s got to be done .
If it breaks down on a motorway then the whole lot should be towed together off it
Sounds like they were worried about the load not getting delivered, and why shouldn’t they there is always the brown noses who don’t know any better and would never dream of asking a question about it and just do it,
Just as easy to tow the whole lot
Unless the failed unit was about 150 metres further up the hard shoulder, then the OP would need to slow down quite probably dangerously in lane 1 in order to stop on the hard shoulder without rear ending the casualty.