Tipper Truck incident in Bath

[turbobloke]

Very tragic indeed.

The sentences will hopefully act as a deterrent as well as giving the guilty parties time to reflect on the horrific consequences of their actions.

[miniman]

Friend of mine used to work for them and testified in the trial. Good to see these two where they belong.

[Huff]

It has been, rightfully, a huge story here (in Bath). Four dead, in an utterly avoidable accident; and there's no undoing that.

Good to see the sentencing ram home the Corporate Manslaughter responsibility. Apart from lengthy custodial sentence, the owner is banned from directorship for 12 years. I hope that lights a fire under other chancers.

[PF62]

Huff said:

Good to see the sentence ram home the Corporate Manslaughter responsibility. Apart from lengthy custodial sentence, the owner is banned from directorship for 12 years. I hope that lights a fire under other chancers.

Unfortunately I doubt it will deter the complete cowboys, but might persuade some of the lazy ones to do a bit more.

[alfie2244]

Absolute tragedy... the amount of larger vehicles does seem to have reduced since it happened... just a shame so many still exceed the speed limit or feel the need to tailgate those that don't.

[saaby93]

italianjob1275 said:

This is a very good point. One of our super brilliant CPC courses we where lectured at length (by a non HGV driver!) that it was "brakes to slow gears to go" always be in the highest gear possible and always avoid using your exhaust brake. It's all MPG MPG these days...

Why not use the exhaust brake?

[FiF]

saaby93 said:

italianjob1275 said:

This is a very good point. One of our super brilliant CPC courses we where lectured at length (by a non HGV driver!) that it was "brakes to slow gears to go" always be in the highest gear possible and always avoid using your exhaust brake. It's all MPG MPG these days...

Why not use the exhaust brake?

In a previous life, on one of our regular driving courses/check days we were at the getting a demonstration drive stage. The instructor was doing the economy / reduce emissions bit and was so engrossed that he completely failed to spot an ambulance on blues heading our way. When he got a blast of the twos as warning suspect a little bit of poo came out, as they'd say on Top Gear/ Grand Tour.

Naturally when it was my turn behind the wheel, bugger the mpg, foot in the bucket, go for it.

Back on topic, standards of the really criminally negligent end of the transport industry is beyond belief. Written about it before but one fatal coach crash years back, the brakes hadn't been serviced and were completely ineffective on one axle and only partly on the other. Similarly the mechanisms to warn of excessive friction material wear varied between seized or disconnected. Driver unfamiliar with vehicle did his moving brake test first thing, OK for that, but once on a journey with lots of stops and starts and hills the result was unfortunately inevitable.

[powerstroke]

saaby93 said:

Why not use the exhaust brake?

Because those that can do, others teach !!!!

[carinaman]

To be discussed on File on Four on BBC Radio 4 this evening at 20.00 along with other ways rogue hauliers get around checks and rules and the reduction in the numbers of officers available to check trucks and enforce the rules.

Cuts have consequences?