Not me, but my biggest fear when I get on the train or boat is that I’ve left the handbrake off! Almost OCD about checking it, then I worry about it for the remainder of the journey.
Ignorant newbie question:
Whenever I park my car I always apply the handbrake and leave it in gear (first or reverse depending on the incline). It’s an automatic action so I can’t think of any circumstance in which I would be distracted to the extent of forgetting.
That being the case, Is there a reason that LGV drivers would not apply the brakes when ‘parked’ for an hour or two (apparently the unit was left in neutral as well).
Surely it can’t have been left like that by ‘mistake’? I’m not trying to be an armchair judge and criticise the driver, I’d genuinely like to know if there is a reason.
Cheers…M
The driver just forgot to put the hand brake on, you wouldn’t normaly leave an artic in gear.
MartinC:
Surely it can’t have been left like that by ‘mistake’?
Cheers…M
It does happen. On serveral occassions I have inadvertantly left the brake off, especially when hoooking up to another trailer. My new unit has an alarm that sounds if the drivers door is opened without the parking brake being applied. I never leave the unit in gear, I had a Magnum once which lost its air over night, I once parked that in gear and in the morning I couldn’t press the clutch down to get it out of gear, and the engine wouldn’t start with it in gear to build up any air . It took about 3/4 of an hour to kick the lever into nuetral.
Tramper:
Not me, but my biggest fear when I get on the train or boat is that I’ve left the handbrake off! Almost OCD about checking it, then I worry about it for the remainder of the journey.
It is always in the back of my mind too. The problem is the pressure to get parked up, set the tachograph mode correctly, grab your wallet, overnight bag, etc. and get out of the cab before the deck crew block you in with another truck.
The trailers are jammed so close together in most cases. Even if there are only a few self-drives, they still do it. Sometimes it seems like they are having a bit of fun.
The ferries are on a very tight schedule, look at how the Herald of Freeloaders capsized! They were rushing to get off the berth and didn’t have enough time to shut the doors.
The worrying part though, especially with the amount of unaccompanied trailers carried is this quote.
Lashing straps and fixtures used by the crew were not enough to hold the lorry.
Fair enough about not leaving it in gear - I do that in the car out of habit (sometimes in winter I leave it in gear only, with the handbrake off, if parked on flat and safely, to avoid the risk of the brakes freezing on) but I can see how the practice wouldn’t be a good idea for a heavy LGV.
However, I really don’t see how anyone can ‘forget’ to apply the handbrake, whatever the rush to get out. 'Brake to a stop - into neutral - apply handbrake - turn ignition off. That’s the automatic sequence in a car and the less-than-a-second action of applying the handbrake has a miniscule impact on the total time taken.
I know an LGV is not the same as a car, due to size/weight/airbrakes etc, but I can’t see how anyone can forget to apply the handbrake unless they are in the habit of not applying the handbrake. I’d never leave my car without applying the handbrake, and if I was coupling a trailer or had to leave the cab for any other reason, even in a rush, I’d apply the handbrake. Hence my question - since I thought that there might be a reason for not doing so that I’m not aware of.
Cheers…M
Only took the investigators 9 months to work that out eh? The original story was posted in January. 
There is no excuse for leaving the handbrake off just because you are in a rush, but mistakes and accidents do happen, all this will do is cause more delays while drivers are asked patronising questions and probably have to sign another declaration. This doesn’t happen everyday, it was a rather expensive mistake, but many trucks do have an audible warning fitted when the drivers door is opened. maybe in this case the driver was forced to climb out of the passenger window to get out.
I am not sure how accident investigators have discovered that the handbrake was left off, as other reports said the driver was sleeping in his cab and caught the lever 
Another recent thread on here suggested that there was a fault on some type of levers that had released themselves without any input from anyone.
What is the story from Soham? We have a couple of Turners drivers on Trucknet.
mikeyb:
Only took the investigators 9 months to work that out eh? The original story was posted in January.
EXACTLY…they know how to hang a job out plus the COST.
Stena covering there backside by saying restraints were in use !!!..suppose there’s a 1st time for doing everything.
bedgar047:
mikeyb:
Only took the investigators 9 months to work that out eh? The original story was posted in January.EXACTLY…they know how to hang a job out plus the COST.
Stena covering there backside by saying restraints were in use !!!..suppose there’s a 1st time for doing everything.
thats what i thought about stena, all the ferrys ive been on with a truck never strapped it down.
MartinC:
'…‘Brake to a stop - into neutral - apply handbrake - turn ignition off…’
Stop = yes
‘…Into neutral next…’ or apply handbrake before slipping into neutral?
Have I missed a revision to best practice?
Happy Keith:
‘…Into neutral next…’ or apply handbrake before slipping into neutral?Have I missed a revision to best practice?
The majority I get on the advanced training do exactly this - why? - I don’t know and neither do they!!
I soon get them back into ‘good practice’ though 
Wheel Nut:
There is no excuse for leaving the handbrake off just because you are in a rush, but mistakes and accidents do happen, all this will do is cause more delays while drivers are asked patronising questions and probably have to sign another declaration. This doesn’t happen everyday, it was a rather expensive mistake, but many trucks do have an audible warning fitted when the drivers door is opened. maybe in this case the driver was forced to climb out of the passenger window to get out.I am not sure how accident investigators have discovered that the handbrake was left off, as other reports said the driver was sleeping in his cab and caught the lever
Another recent thread on here suggested that there was a fault on some type of levers that had released themselves without any input from anyone.
What is the story from Soham? We have a couple of Turners drivers on Trucknet.
Try visiting the MAIB’s website…the full report, including photographs, is published on there.
It clearly states that the driver left the cab and went to the drivers lounge.
Before we get too critical of the driver please bear in mind that had the truck been correctly secured by the crew it would have been unlikely to move in the event that the handbrake was left off.
The report is quite in highlighting that the straps used were not sufficient and there were also issues with the way in which the wheels were chocked.
Yes the driver made a mistake, but it was compounded by others also not following procedures correctly.
yes whats that saying now W@@@@R in a tanker. 
Oops…sorry…I didn’t type that as a rule of sequence, I just typed quickly the things I do when I stop a car. Thinking about it, I probably do apply the handbrake first then into neutral, but I can’t be sure because it’s an automatic sequence that I sort of do all as part of the same movement and that’s what I was trying to get across - that applying the handbrake is part of the stopping so I don’t see how it can be ‘forgotten’ unless there are extra, intervening steps you have to take when stopping an LGV or unless the driver is in the habit of not applying the handbrake for any particular reason.
Cheers…M