Pre-trip defects on a frosty Monday
At 06:50 on a frosty Monday you collect a 7.5 t C1 truck that has been parked outside all weekend. The outside temperature is -3 °C. During the walk-around you notice a bulge in the sidewall of the rear left tyre, but the tread still looks deep. In the cab, the ABS warning lamp stays on after the self-test, and the brake pedal feels slightly soft and sinks a little when you hold pressure at a standstill. There is a faint hissing noise near the left rear wheel that stops when the engine is switched off. The tachograph calibration plaque shows the last calibration was 26 months ago. You are due to carry 2.2 t of furniture on a 180 km route, crossing the Storebælt bridge. The dispatcher says the truck was 'fine on Friday' and asks you to leave immediately.
1. Classify each finding as (a) normal, (b) note and monitor, or (c) do not drive, and explain why.
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The tyre sidewall bulge is a clear do-not-drive defect. A bulge means the casing is damaged; at motorway speed or under a 2.2 t load it can burst without warning. Tread depth is irrelevant here.
The ABS lamp staying on after self-test is a do-not-drive fault until diagnosed. ABS may be disabled, and braking performance can be uneven, especially on the wet or icy surfaces you will meet. The soft, sinking brake pedal and the hiss near the left rear wheel together point to a hydraulic or servo leak. That is also do-not-drive: the pedal may sink further when you need maximum braking. None of these are 'monitor' items. The dispatcher's comment about Friday does not override the walk-around; defects can appear while a vehicle is parked.
2. What must happen before this vehicle carries the load, and what will you tell the dispatcher?
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The truck must be taken out of service and inspected by a workshop. The tyre must be replaced, the brake system pressure-tested and repaired, and the ABS fault read and fixed. Only after a successful brake test and a road test should it be loaded. Do not load the furniture first and then look for a workshop; the load would have to be transferred anyway.
Tell the dispatcher plainly: 'The vehicle is not roadworthy; I am not driving it. We need a replacement vehicle or a workshop repair, and the delivery will be delayed.' Record the defects in the vehicle defect log or equivalent, with time and mileage. If the dispatcher insists, the correct answer is still refusal; a C1 driver is responsible for the vehicle's condition before use.
3. Is the tachograph calibration relevant to whether you may drive? Explain.
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Yes. A digital tachograph must be calibrated every two years, and the plaque shows 26 months since the last calibration. That means the calibration has expired. The vehicle should not be used for transport subject to the tachograph rules until it has been recalibrated and the new plaque fitted.
This is separate from the safety defects, but it reinforces the same decision: the truck stays off the road. Even if the brakes and tyre were perfect, driving with an expired calibration would create a compliance problem and could make the recorded data unreliable. The correct sequence is workshop repair, tachograph calibration, then load.