Handling and Pre-Trip Inspection
The exam expects a repeatable daily inspection routine and an understanding of how a heavy vehicle behaves when it is tall, long and fully loaded.
The daily walk-around
- Check under and around the vehicle for fresh leaks, then fluids, belts and battery security.
- Tyres: tread depth, sidewall cuts, correct pressures, no objects between dual tyres, valve caps fitted.
- Lights, indicators, reflectors, horn, wipers, washers, mirrors and the number plate.
- Build air pressure, listen for the governor cut-out, drain the reservoirs, and check the low-pressure warning works.
- Coupling: fifth-wheel jaws closed and locked, kingpin seated, safety catch on, air lines and electrical lead secured, landing legs fully raised, trailer brakes tested separately.
- Record every defect and report it. A vehicle with a safety defect does not leave the yard.
Handling characteristics
- High centre of gravity: rollover risk rises with speed in a curve, because sideways force grows with the square of speed.
- Off-tracking: the rear wheels cut inside the front wheels, so give tight corners and roundabouts extra room.
- Tail swing: the rear of a long rigid swings out in the opposite direction at the start of a turn.
Worked example
After loading, the vehicle sits 30 mm lower at the rear and the steering feels light. Walk-around shows a cracked leaf spring on the rear bogie. Reasoning: the vehicle is unroadworthy. Do not "take it slowly" to the customer. Offload or transfer the load, record the defect, report it, and use another vehicle.
Traps that cost marks
Skipping the trailer brake test; forgetting to re-check overall height after loading; over-inflating dual tyres so they rub.