Haulier Newsletter April 2023

Haulier NEWSLETTER

In this issue...

Positive feedback

News on Safety

Bridge and cable strikes

Incident reporting

Load securing systems

Vehicle hire

April 2023

Safety Positives

This is a great safety positive of one of our ICT truck mixer drivers (Hermon Abraham) stepping in and doing the right thing as well as helping our communities. We had the following email from a local resident for an incident that happened at 9:25am on 21st March 2023

Dear Sir/Madam

I would very much appreciate it if you would commend one of your employees who earlier this week whilst driving along the Wandsworth Bridge Road in Fulham, London acted quickly and bravely to stop a neighbouring house from going up in flames.

As he passed in his cement mixer lorry the driver saw that a motorbike was on fire in the front garden of one of my neighbours. At that point the fire brigade had not yet arrived, but the bike was in flames and thick black smoke was everywhere. The driver stopped his lorry and began to spray water from the lorry onto the bike and the house. The house had already caught alight by this point and with the aged timbers of the window frames it wouldn’t have been long before the entire house went up in flames, yet your employee’s quick thinking managed to contain the fire until the fire brigade arrived and left the house with minimal damage and all local residents visibly relieved. This man demonstrated bravery as the

on the motorbike could have presumably exploded at any time.

I would be very grateful if the company would find a way to commend this man who did not need to stop but chose to do so as so many others passed on by or stood watching helplessly. Please pass on my sincere thanks.

Kindly acknowledge receipt of this email.

Yours faithfully Resident on Wandsworth Bridge Road.

fuel tank

Safety Positives

One of our Transport account managers Mark Robinson received an email which originated from a traffic officer with some positive feedback on one of our ICH drivers regarding an incident that took place on Friday 17th March 2023 on M4 West Bound approaching junction 4b.

Just wanted to share the experience that a customer had when he broke down on the M4 yesterday. I had stopped with a BDV during my patrol on night shift. I found over the barrier the driver and two teenage girls (one his daughter and the other her friend).

The driver had driven down from Reading to take the girls to a concert at the O2. On the way home they broke down on the M4 close to junction 15 with engine problems. I took information from the driver and confirmed he had a recovery service. At this time there was no ETA, but he had made contact with them, so I was happy to leave them and return after my sweep in about an hour.

When I next attended, The Driver informed me that the recovery firm was struggling to resource a unit. The driver’s anxiety was building at this point, but ` he remained in good spirts along with the teens in his care.

He also informed me that another motorist had stopped with him and asked if he could be of assistance. He offered to give them a lift to the next junction, but they declined, thanking him. The good samaritan then offered to bring them hot drinks and some snacks which again, the driver declined thanking the man for his generosity. The nice driver left and said he would return.

I returned to this location after the good samaritan had left, advised the driver of the STAT removal process and discussed his options. As we talked the ‘nice but strange’ man returned, as promised, hot chocolate for the Girls and a coffee for the driver, also an M&S carrier bag with biscuits and other snacks. The driver was really surprised that the man had made good on his promise and accepted the hot drinks and snacks.

The good samaritan turned out to an ICH of TARMAC who are based near Heston out station in Hayes. He had seen the BDV on two occasions as he went back to Hayes to collect more TARMAC for the resurfacing work on the A404.

As he finished his shift and was driving home, he saw the white jag XF still in place on the hard shoulder not knowing I had already stopped.

This generous act was so unusual to the driver, he couldn’t understand why someone would go out of their way and then also feed them!!??

Although the driver found this behaviour odd, it wasn’t to me. You see the man who was so generous was Sikh, and as Sikh’s we believe in giving back to our community. It’s a practice that is at the very core of what we believe as Sikh’s.

I explained this to the driver who was still surprised and very grateful to this kind man. After he left, I remained on scene a bit longer as the driver was now talking to his recovery, still not able to find anyone to remove him and his car.

I left scene as the now fed and watered driver maintained he would rather wait for recovery. I was happy to do so as he had not gone over two hours in the place he was, and it was a relatively safe section of hard shoulder.

I gave the driver a welfare phone call after 1 hour, he informed me he had just called the HAIL line and asked NH to remove his vehicle himself and his passengers.

When I arrived to request the STAT removal, the driver informed me that his partner was on her way to collect the girls due to the ordeal they had been through with their recovery. I suggested that the driver didn’t need to remain with the BDV and to leave with his partner back to Reading.

I remained on scene until R&S removed the car back to Taplow compound.

Expect a phone call or email from the driver or his partner who were genuinely appreciative and thankful for the attention that had been given to them. Unfortunately, I did not take the Sikh man’s name, nor did he offer it. The act of giving and helping someone was enough for him.

I think this guy needs some form of recognition. If he was an NH employee, he would most definitely get a High Five from me. Could we contact TARMAC and tell them what a fantastic guy they have working for them?!!!

I would be grateful if you circulate this to the other OM, not for my part. What “I” did is all in a days work for me. I just think that this act of kindness would make people smile. Traffic Officer (on road) – Team 1 Heston Outstation Coach (on road)

SAFETY NEWS ON

Bridge/cable strikes

HGV height indicators

Since 1st October 1997 the law states that HGV height must be indicated inside the cab of a vehicle if the ove rall travelling height (OTH) of the vehicle or trailer exceeds three metres.

This should be done using an HGV height indicator. A height indicator for an HGV must:

• be where it can be easily read by the driver. Numbers must be at least 40mm high

• indicate the overall travelling height, with a tolerance of plus 150mm

• be in feet and inches or both feet and inches plus metres (but not in metres alone)

• be clear with no other letters, number or notices that could be confused with the height indicator.

A driver is committing an offence if the vehicle OTH is greater than three metres high and the correct maximum height is not displayed in the cab. The maximum fine for being stopped without a height indicator in the cab is a fixed penalty fine for the driver.

HGV height limits and bridge strikes

Any HGV driver or operator would agree that bridge strikes by vehicles should be avoided for a number of reasons. Bridge strikes are costly, dangerous and not to mention inconvenient for other road users.

Most bridge strikes occur where roads pass under railway bridges.

But how can bridge strikes be avoided? Simply put, the easiest way to avoid bridge strikes is to ensure that a driver is made aware of and is constantly reminded of the height of their HGV.

The height indicator displayed in the cab of an HGV should always be checked and routes planned in advance.

Furthermore, drivers should be made aware of road signs and what they mean – if a vehicle is higher than shown on a circular (prohibition) traffic sign, the sign should not be passed. You would be very likely to collide with a bridge and be prosecuted.

Are you one of the 32% of HGV drivers who don’t know your vehicle’s height?

Research conducted by Network Rail found that lack of knowledge was the most common cause of bridge strikes in the UK.

• 32% of drivers don’t know their vehicle height

• 8% of drivers don’t believe road signage

• 9% of drivers report inadequate signage

• 11% of drivers reported poor information about low bridges when planning a route

• 22% of drivers reported poor route planning

• 15% didn’t understand signage

• 3% other.

In the UK, those responsible for causing a strike are liable for meeting the costs associated with the strike. And with an average cost per bridge strike of £13,500, drivers and operators should take every step possible to ensure their HGVs don’t cause strikes.

Where an HGV strikes a bridge, the DVSA will investigate the company involved and both driver and operator could face criminal prosecution.

Every year trucks come into contact with overhead electricity cables

• You do not have to make physical contact with the cables, going close to live overhead lines can result in a ‘flashover’ which may kill

• Electricity can ‘arc’ especially in damp conditions

• HSE guidance note GS6 provides guidance for people who may be planning to work near overhead power lines.

What you need to know

Accidental contact with live overhead power lines kill people and cause many serious injuries every year. People are also harmed when a person or object gets too close to a line and a flashover occurs. Work involving high vehicles or long equipment is particularly high risk, such as:

In Construction;

• Lorry mounted cranes (such as Hiabs or Palingers)

• Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWP’s)

• Scaffold poles

• Tipper vehicles

• Cranes

• Ladders.

Remember:

• Going close to a live overhead line can result in a flashover that may kill. Touching a power line is not necessary for danger;

• Voltages lower than 230 volts can kill and injure people;

• Do not mistake overhead power lines on wooden poles for telephone wires; and

• Electricity can bypass wood, plastic or rubber, if it is damp or dirty, and cause fatal shocks. Don’t rely on gloves or rubber boots to protect you.

The guidance note “Avoiding danger from overhead power lines” describes how to work safely near overhead power lines in a range of industries.

What you need to do...

Plan and manage work near electric overhead power lines so that risks from accidental contact or close proximity to the lines are adequately controlled.

You can eliminate the danger by:

• Avoidance – find out if the work really has to be carried out under or near overhead lines, and can’t be done somewhere else.

If the danger cannot be eliminated, you should manage the risk by controlling access to, and work beneath, overhead power lines.

Below are some of the fines that have been given to various companies:

• Large Construction Company has been fined £4.4m after its staff twice struck overhead powerlines while working on the M6

• Construction haulier has been fined more than £565,000 after a tipper driven by one of its employees came into contact with overhead power

• Stone Merchants has been fined for safety breaches after a vehicle made contact with an uninsulated overhead electric power line.

Watch this video regarding overhead power cables

IN ACTION Safety

Chute work

DON’T

7 Raise the vehicle body without instruction;

7 Allow anyone to be within 5m of the rear of the vehicle when the vehicle body is first raised;

7 Continue if the product fails to flow or if there is an issue with the chutes. The body MUST be lowered prior to any investigation being carried out;

7 Allow any person to access vehicle body;

7 Stand directly behind the vehicle and it is the responsibility of the site receiving the delivery to ensure that the exclusion zone is adhered to;

7 Use base and binder through chutes.

DO

3 Ensure Tailboard of the vehicle has secondary restraint mechanisms such as twist lock or sword pins fitted;

3 Demonstrate the operation of chutes to personnel;

3 Agree with Banksman that it is safe to commence tipping;

3 Allow the Banksman to instruct you when to begin raising the vehicle body;

3 Raise the body until the product starts to flow, and then lower slightly;

3 Use handlay procedure to clear the remainder of the product behind the chutes at the end of delivery;

3 Remain in cab where this is possible;

3 All hatch/chute operation to be done from side.

It’s early morning and the outside temperature hovers at around three degrees, yet there is a wintry feel to the weather with a biting easterly wind making it feel that much colder. It is supposed to be spring. In the yard outside a busy quarry, eight truck drivers shuffle from their warm cars and – after the walk-round check – into very cold trucks. Six of those drivers have day-cabs, the other two have sleeper cabs. After the pre-shift vehicle check is completed, all six day-cab drivers fire up their engines and put their heating systems on full blast to get warm. The other two drivers switch on their night heaters and clamber into warm cabs.

From early autumn, through winter and into spring is a continuous battle to generate heat inside a day - cab before the driver heads down the road and using tickover to try and retain it during the entire shift.

Speak to truck manufacturers and the number of operators who order a truck with a day-cab and then specify the optional night-heater is so few it’s hard to quantify – between 0.3 and 1 per cent. Buyers simply do not think about this option when ordering new trucks.

Therefore, there is a thriving night heater retrofit market as more operators, local authorities and own-account businesses realise their mistake when subsequently striving to reduce their overheads and carbon footprint.

“Many operators are acquiring night heaters within the first 12 months of buying a truck that doesn’t have one,” he says. “Often, it’s to keep the drivers warm but there is an environmental impact too. Idling engines deliver unwanted CO2 into the atmosphere.”

Hidden wastage

There is an increasing number of truck fleets revealing their green credentials and subsequent CO2 emission and fuel savings: Idling Tippers - Month of March

37,292

Hours of idling across 761 vehicles

186,000

2.4

Hours of idling per vehicle per working day

Litres of fuel burnt from idling £280k

Cost of fuel burnt from idling 480 Tonnes of CO2 burnt from idling

COST =

7.5L of diesel per day per truck

c.£8 per day per truck (exc VAT)

£40 per week2 grand a year

That latter point was, in part, down to fitting night heaters into each vehicle. “During the cold spell drivers used the night heater rather than run the engine on tickover when taking a break, it also helped reduce the fleet emission levels,”

If the majority of your idle time is spent in traffic it’s worth considering stop-start technology l Instruct drivers to switch engines off when loading, unloading and waiting in yards, warehouses and delivery points l Use driver training, challenges and incentives to reduce idle time.

LOAD SECURING

Why load securing is important

DVSA is responsible for lorry, bus and coach enforcement including:

• roadworthiness - including both the vehicle and the load it’s carrying

• traffic enforcement - including drivers’ hours and overloading

DVSA issued over 2,000 prohibitions to vehicles which presented a road safety risk because of how their load was secured.

In the same period, the Highways Agency reported over 22,000 road impact incidents caused by objects falling from vehicles. This is dangerous to all road users.

Load securing systems

• damage to goods

• damage to infrastructure.

The load securing systems you use should be appropriate for both:

• the loads being carried

• the vehicles being used

These may include:

• ‘over-the-top’ lashings

• rear kites

• intermediate bulk heads

• direct lashing to specific anchor points

Load Security & Restraint Guidelines

Block products

Whoever is responsible for loading a vehicle needs to consider other important factors like axle weights and vehicle stability. These are the fundamental requirements in making sure vehicles are safe before starting a journey.

A risk assessment should:

• identify the hazards;

• give the likelihood or risk of these hazards causing an injury;

• propose ways for removing or reducing these risks.

FLEXIBLE CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE HIRE

At Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, we understand your need to move fast yet maintain flexibility when you need vehicles. That’s why we’re the leading vehicle rental provider for UK construction companies.

With over 60 years of experience in the construction industry, Enterprise Flex-E-Rent provides the specialist vehicles you require to get any job done.

Flexible and contract hire available

Service and maintenance included National network or 28 commercial vehicle depots

Full UK Coverage

7.5T Insulated tippers / 18t hotboxes / 32 tippers / 32t tipper grabs

Digital access to compliance documents and maintenance scheduling through R2C

To talk to a vehicle hire expert about your vehicle requirements or for more information about our products and services please contact:

Danny Matthews HGV Technical Sales Manager

t. 07469 155796

e. Daniel.p.matthews@ehi.com