Car Transporter drivers...

[ChickenvanGuy]

... are they especially skilled \ fearless?



I really don't fancy loading the first car on the top deck, the one that sits above the cab.

It must take a decent bit of skill to do it, unless vehicles are loaded by winching them on, in which case I expect a whoosh parrot straight away.

Anyone loaded a transporter \ seen it done \ seen it go wrong \ had transporter issues with a new car?

[Wheelrepairit]

That's why they earn reasonable money, only beaten by tanker drivers.

I used to work for a company that built transporters, and have loaded one to do some testing, as you say, the one at the front is petrifying , and not something I wish to do again.

[carreauchompeur]

Speak to Yorkieboy. It's a flipping difficult job. Difficult to load the big cars on, difficult to drive a big wobbly artic, difficult to keep up with the targets! Fair play.

[PumpkinSteve]

It must be scary trying to squeeze out the car without falling off the side, especially with cars getting wider and trucks widths being regulated.

[needabike]

Nowt to it...just drive straight ahead, secure, then use the hydraulics to tilt the bed forward, then the same with the next one, then the next......

[Dan_1981]

Used to watch it being done daily, been a passenger in cars being loaded before aswell which was rather scary the first few times!

[Wheelrepairit]

needabike said:

.....

That's one I built.

[Simon O]

Seen it go wrong, it was a salvage car transporter, car was driven up backwards and went off the front, landed on it's roof in front of the truck! Apart from a sore head, the driver had no injuries.

[It's a me]

I've seen the front car come off the top before. Transporter stopped at the lights, car obviously broke it's straps and landed on it's roof. Luckily no one was in front of the transporter. Unluckily he was less than half a mile from his destination at the car auctions.

[oobster]

Remember travelling over the A66 a few years ago and a transporter heading in the other direction, with a load of Corsas on board, had went over on its side scattering the cars all over the road.

I remember thinking what a waste, I could have had one of them new cars!

Checked the news reports online later, driver had minor injuries apparently and no other vehicles involved. Insurance claim must have ran easily into 6 figures though.

[markmullen]

Driving them up is reasonably easy. Climbing up the edges of the decks in the rain and wind to get to the top ones is hair raising.

[Dan_1981]

Digging them out in the snow isn't much fun either.

[T16OLE]

It's a me said:

I've seen the front car come off the top before. Transporter stopped at the lights, car obviously broke it's straps and landed on it's roof. Luckily no one was in front of the transporter. Unluckily he was less than half a mile from his destination at the car auctions.

Luckily there were no cyclist too

[nice1two]

needabike said:

Nowt to it...just drive straight ahead, secure, then use the hydraulics to tilt the bed forward, then the same with the next one, then the next......

Welling high street?

[Eighteeteewhy]

How about this one!

[Rickyy]

Eighteeteewhy said:

How about this one!

Would have thought cars of that value would be transported more discreetly! One hell of a payday if someone hi-jacked that!

[PUA]

Eighteeteewhy said:

How about this one!

jeez! 200k worth of cars on there too, wouldn't want to be driving anywhere near that

[Fun Bus]

Wheelrepairit said:

needabike said:

.....

That's one I built.

Transporter Engineering? Proper kit IMHO - better than Rolfo although Lohr run a close second.

I started my career in transport and distribution with a car transport firm - I loved it and would get back into it tomorrow if I could. I always admired the drivers for dealing with the peak above the cab on an articulated trailer - training was done with a tennis ball hanging off the front so the driver could see more clearly where the peak was in relationship to the tractor unit when turning. No longer allowed which has changed things.

[northwestrecover]

If you can get all them cars for 200k ill have two truck loads thanks

[Lunablack]

oobster said:

Remember travelling over the A66 a few years ago and a transporter heading in the other direction, with a load of Corsas on board, had went over on its side scattering the cars all over the road.

I remember thinking what a waste, I could have had one of them new cars!

Checked the news reports online later, driver had minor injuries apparently and no other vehicles involved. Insurance claim must have ran easily into 6 figures though.

10 corsas falling from a transporter.......must have been 100's of pounds worth of improv errrr damage