I’m also paid to drive. I also enjoy getting better paid than the permanent worker.
But most guys I’ve met have been very helpful as I am a newbie and gone out of their way to help. None have took the ■■■■ or laughed or tutted at lack of experience.
We all know the test does not help with the daily trials of trucking. Glad I work with decent guys and not the experienced unhelpful guys.
EXPERIENCE SHOULD BREED KNOWLEDGE NOT IGNORANCE.
cieranc:
As trucks become more complicated, there’s an increasing need for proper diagnostics kit.
Thats just the way things are moving on, diagnostics kits are quite essential for modern vehicles.But there’s no good using a diagnostics kit without a firm and solid understanding of the underpinning mechanicals.
A diagnostics kit can be dangerous in inexperienced hands.
Too true.
My car shows an ABS fault whenever it feels like it, took it in, they said F/N/S Abs sensor. Got new 1 fitted, did the same thing, they plugged it in and said… wait for it… F/N/S sensor… Anyway, a bit of research shows that due to the stupid place BMW put the ABS computer, the circuit board has a habbit of getting hot and the actual circuits on the PCB just get heat cracks, so when the car is cold it’s ok, but when hot or if driven in a way that the computer has to do some work (it also does the Traction Control) then the ABS light comes on.
I’m not bothered, as long as it’s off for MOT day 
But it shows how the plug in diagnostics can easily get confused and cost you money for no reason.
I’ve always had an interest in how things work, whether it’s a TV or a truck.
I usually look into anything I’m interested in, so have a reasonable knowledge of how most things work, but I’m no expert.
I would never be a fitter because my hands on skills are lacking, as I found out trying to fit a back door yesterday to my house.
But I’ve done recovery as a job, which included basic repairs on cars and trucks, mainly things like Belts and stuff. If we were towing a heavy, we had to drop the prop or half shaft, but again, all pretty basic.
cieranc:
Went out to a lad in an artic, he’d snapped the red suzie screwing the trailer around in a tight yard. Easy done.Fitted a new suzie, told the lad to fire it up. He jumped in the cab, started up and tried to pull forwards.
“It won’t move”. No, it won’t, give it time to build the air up.Air built up, he tried again.
“It still won’t move”. No, it won’t, the trailer brake is on.
"Well who put that on, I didn’t ? " Oh dear, quick course in brake systems required.
The lad had no idea how his brakes worked whatsoever.
Who else does their job without knowing how things work?
The days of Hell Drivers, where drivers were expected to troubleshoot, fix and maintain their own wagon after a day’s graft, (thereby knowing how it works), are thankfully long gone.
Although I suspect there are some oldtimers on here who look down their noses at anyone who doesn’t have a full and working knowledge of every truck made since the war.
I am proud to say I can fix most things on my 58 reg actros I work for a o/d and If I can fix it with out calling some one out I save money. I think you should learn the basics as part of leaning to drive.
rob22888:
Montmerency:
How can I put this? Err,you are not the boss and I am paid pounds to drive…I have mechanical and elecrical knowledge but I’m encouraged not to use it. Keep your shirt buttons.True. I needed to change a headlight bulb once, was an Iveco and I needed to tilt the cab. Had a bit of time to spare so away i went, got the cab half tilted and was told to stop… not allowed. They got a fitter out later that day.
Not allowed to change a bulb, dashboard tells us if theres any faults, cruise control, automatic gearboxes, some trucks will even keep you in lane… lets face it a lot of us ARE mostly just steering wheel attendants.
Sounds about right for Iveco, so if a Stralis needs some engine oil do they call a fitter out too?, filling point under cab.
Those lads who really don’t know very much it might be prudent to learn as much as you can, in coming years when good drivers are in short supply, those who are skilled, competent and self sufficient will be at a premium.
I think the family run transport businesses for e.g shuttlespanker
they rely on drivers fixing basic things like airlines, bulbs, body work, trailer curtains etc when out on the road just even a bodge job to get the job done and back to base.
These are the transport company’s that I try to work for.
I think you are just a number and a drone if you work for a big company, you don’t have to do anything except drive and you dont have to think, thats why there is so many knocks and problems because people just get into their lazy comfort zone and dont care.
Half the drivers I’ve met wouldn’t last 5 minutes in a family run business.
10-08:
cieranc:
Who else does their job without knowing how things work?Me. Unfortunately my driving course only taught me how to drive not the finer mechanical points of the truck. You’ve got to learn this stuff as you go on, I rely completely on kind drivers/fitters for learning how things on my truck work.
Did your driving course teach you that you need air in the truck for the brakes to release?
I don’t find it worrying that this guy didn’t know how an anchorlock/quick release valve/MCER valve works, not at all.
But a driver who doesn’t know that the air needs to be up to release the park brake?
I think a lot of the trouble is caused by firms that forbid drivers from doing the most basic things, like changing a bulb, for fear they might do it “wrong” and fall foul of the ever present H&S gnome.
Fat Controller:
I think a lot of the trouble is caused by firms that forbid drivers from doing the most basic things, like changing a bulb, for fear they might do it “wrong” and fall foul of the ever present H&S gnome.
Their fear is real and justified, lost count of the times i’ve sorted lights out where single contact bulbs have been fitted to double contact holders and vice versa, and headlight bulbs jammed in upside down.
Some of these ‘drivers’ are a menace and shouldn’t be allowed out without supervision.
Juddian:
Fat Controller:
I think a lot of the trouble is caused by firms that forbid drivers from doing the most basic things, like changing a bulb, for fear they might do it “wrong” and fall foul of the ever present H&S gnome.Their fear is real and justified, lost count of the times i’ve sorted lights out where single contact bulbs have been fitted to double contact holders and vice versa, and headlight bulbs jammed in upside down.
Some of these ‘drivers’ are a menace and shouldn’t be allowed out without supervision.
And I’m fed up of turning up to a customer with a headlamp hanging on the wires where a “Skilled” fitter has replaced a Volvo headlamp bulb but not properly slid the locking strips that hold the whole unit in across afterwards. 
Just wondering how these drivers can do their daily checks properley if they have so little mechanical knowledge?
Have to say I started with a family firm and when the truck went in for a service (company workshops), the driver would work with the fitters doing basic stuff like filling fluids, tyre pressures etc, talking to those guys you got to know what to watch for on the different motors we had and picked up some useful “get you home” tips too.
If you put in a defect then it got repaired first time every time, the repair lasted for more than 5 minutes too, sadly, in my experience, a main dealer can never quite manage to do that hence a rear light cluster on my daily drive has been secured with string 5 times in the last month, main dealer can’t quite figure a tack weld on a bracket won’t hold as far as their gate let alone back to our depot.
Daily checks by drivers on our fleet are a joke, fitters get called out to rectify ad blue faults for vehicles without ad blue because the driver marks the sheet with an “x” instead of N/A, one guy said he hadn’t topped the oil up since he started with the firm because he didn’t know how to check the level, management have to take some of the blame there too but surely any driver worth employing would have asked anyway?
cieranc:
Who else does their job without knowing how things work?
Me! Here in Canada we have to do a lot of stuff with regard the air brake system to get your class 1 licence and I must confess that I’ve forgotten just about all of it as it has never come up in my job once since the day I passed the test here three and a half years ago. Its like when I did my ADR in England in 2006, 3 years later, by the time I was about to move to Canada, I’d forgotten a heck of a lot of it. I’d remember the main bits I used on a daily basis as it was relevent but other areas where a complete loss in my brain.
I think thats just natural though, no one is going to remember everything they’ve been taught unless they are using it and keeping it fresh in their minds. I’m half German and although I could never speak excellent German, could do quite well. But I’ve barely spoken a word in German in 10 years now and have forgotten the vast majority of it. Same with thr airbrakes, same with the ADR and I’m sure the list could go on.
cieranc:
10-08:
cieranc:
Who else does their job without knowing how things work?Me. Unfortunately my driving course only taught me how to drive not the finer mechanical points of the truck. You’ve got to learn this stuff as you go on, I rely completely on kind drivers/fitters for learning how things on my truck work.
Did your driving course teach you that you need air in the truck for the brakes to release?
I don’t find it worrying that this guy didn’t know how an anchorlock/quick release valve/MCER valve works, not at all.
But a driver who doesn’t know that the air needs to be up to release the park brake?
I don’t think that’s what the op said happened. It seems that you actually have to manually release the brakes not just wait for the air to build up. Bit like a broms brake on a Volvo and how many non Volvo drivers would be caught out by that? I expect this trailer would catch me out as I’ve never known of a trailer that actually operates the park brake when the air line is removed.
muckles:
cieranc:
10-08:
cieranc:
Who else does their job without knowing how things work?Me. Unfortunately my driving course only taught me how to drive not the finer mechanical points of the truck. You’ve got to learn this stuff as you go on, I rely completely on kind drivers/fitters for learning how things on my truck work.
Did your driving course teach you that you need air in the truck for the brakes to release?
I don’t find it worrying that this guy didn’t know how an anchorlock/quick release valve/MCER valve works, not at all.
But a driver who doesn’t know that the air needs to be up to release the park brake?I don’t think that’s what the op said happened. It seems that you actually have to manually release the brakes not just wait for the air to build up. Bit like a broms brake on a Volvo and how many non Volvo drivers would be caught out by that? I expect this trailer would catch me out as I’ve never known of a trailer that actually operates the park brake when the air line is removed.
Yeah they did say something about having all the dials up (I’ve read your post a bit wrong) but I’ve never come across a park brake that pops out on its own. I’d probably suss it out but I wouldn’t know what was up straight away. Some of ours are still ratchet handbrakes and that would catch a few of the agency bods out.