cav551:
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.
We’re on the same wavelength Cav, easy enough now with mobiles to arrange the fresh tractor arriving just after the knackered one gets dragged away.
Why couldn’t the recovery take the trailer attached to the unit to a safe place before uncoupling? I have in the past been recovered unit & trailer together so what was the problem? Serious question & I don’t have ADR so if that comes into play can someone explain please.
years back on tv saw plod in a range rover towing a wreck off the highway , not sure if theyd do that now ?
Wiretwister:
Why couldn’t the recovery take the trailer attached to the unit to a safe place before uncoupling? I have in the past been recovered unit & trailer together so what was the problem? Serious question & I don’t have ADR so if that comes into play can someone explain please.
AFAIK front lifting a fully loaded tractor and trailer should only be done to a place of safety to then split there, though in practice things happen differently. So as you suggest would sound sensible. I can’t remember the situation re ADR if the wrecker driver doesn’t have it, I recall some debate over the ADR card holder also traveling with recovery.
Wiretwister:
Why couldn’t the recovery take the trailer attached to the unit to a safe place before uncoupling? I have in the past been recovered unit & trailer together so what was the problem? Serious question & I don’t have ADR so if that comes into play can someone explain please.
Good post.
.
And if police/hato aren’t involved after any vehicle has been on hard shoulder long enough to diagnose a fault and arrange recovery I would be very surprised and worried.
After the two rear ended minibus fatals and the coach fatals on the M11 and M5 during the last 10 years I would have thought that a hazardous on the hard shoulder would require immediate HATO or Police attendance.
Maybe you should have at least asked the questions are the police etc in attendance and are they aware that I’ll be collecting it so as to provide traffic control when I arrive, before refusing thee job.
I broke down on an M1 off slip many years ago and even the recovery firm were not allowed to recover my truck until the police or HATO were there to ensure it was safe, I would insist on the same to recover a dropped trailer.
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 ■■■■■■■!
It’s all very well having that attitude but in the real world if something were to go wrong and the police or HATO hadn’t been informed the OP and his company would very likely be in serious trouble.
The OP did exactly the right thing by refusing what his boss was asking.
Nope, to me that seems like total madness. Never ceases to amaze me how many people don’t take the hard shoulder seriously from a danger point of view. Would need police in attendance and a lane closure or such to make it safe
Wiretwister:
Why couldn’t the recovery take the trailer attached to the unit to a safe place before uncoupling? I have in the past been recovered unit & trailer together so what was the problem? Serious question & I don’t have ADR so if that comes into play can someone explain please.
This
All right, it was gearbox trouble, so drop the propshaft and tow the whole lot off the motorway. Why wouldn’t you be able to tow to a repair shop/dealer whatever with a proper heavy lift tow truck with suitable air connections? I’ve been towed for miles like this, including on a motorway here in Qld.
Just to add, I’d be pretty leery of picking up a trailer on a motorway nowadays with all the ‘drivers’ that couldn’t drive a greasy stick up a pigs arse we have to put up with.
njl:
Wiretwister:
Why couldn’t the recovery take the trailer attached to the unit to a safe place before uncoupling? I have in the past been recovered unit & trailer together so what was the problem? Serious question & I don’t have ADR so if that comes into play can someone explain please.AFAIK front lifting a fully loaded tractor and trailer should only be done to a place of safety to then split there, though in practice things happen differently. So as you suggest would sound sensible. I can’t remember the situation re ADR if the wrecker driver doesn’t have it, I recall some debate over the ADR card holder also traveling with recovery.
When I was doing Heavy recovery in M.way roadworks, I towed ADR and Fuel tanks, without ADR.
What if Driver is on the way to hospital?
Carryfast:
Maybe you should have at least asked the questions are the police etc in attendance and are they aware that I’ll be collecting it so as to provide traffic control when I arrive, before refusing thee job.
Yes. Sensible
There surely must be some written down guidance for this by one of the reps of the haulage industry, RHA etc. Or even the highways authority should have it covered, then everyone knows what they are required to do.
I understand uncoupling from a burning trailer on the hard shoulder but other then that let the wrecker drag the whole lot before swapping units.
Franglais:
Carryfast:
Maybe you should have at least asked the questions are the police etc in attendance and are they aware that I’ll be collecting it so as to provide traffic control when I arrive, before refusing thee job.Yes. Sensible
WE’RE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS PEOPLE!
I’ll echo what others have written and say that the wrecker driver should have pulled the whole lot to the next service are, if that wasn’t possible then at least come off at the next slip road, go straight over and drop on the h/s on the on slip given that traffic would be moving slower at that point.
Of course I don’t know the situation but I’d be tempted to guess that the wrecker driver was being precious and saying that he wasn’t qualified to pull an ADR load. Which is ■■■■■■■■ of course as he’s exempt when moving to a place of safety, and also as it wasn’t a medical situation he’d also be accompanied by the ADR qualified driver from the casualty vehicle.
The whole of this sounds to me more like the manager saying : " that load simply must, absolutely has to be, is going to be delivered on time, because I say so."
switchlogic:
Franglais:
Carryfast:
Maybe you should have at least asked the questions are the police etc in attendance and are they aware that I’ll be collecting it so as to provide traffic control when I arrive, before refusing thee job.Yes. Sensible
WE’RE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS PEOPLE!
I know…
But credit where it is due…