HGV driving and changing bulbs. Driver legal requirements?

helpimcrap · 7 Jun 2018 at 21:33

I'm pretty sure it's the company that has to provide safe and competent machinery.

However some 'jockey' proclaims drivers have be able to change it by law etc. I know that's BS but anyway of proving it? Lol

Next time I have a bulb out on my check unless they change it I'm going home lol.

Scuzi · 7 Jun 2018 at 21:43

If your “profession” is driving the surely it’s reasonable to expect that you can peform very basic maintenance on your vehicle?

I’m pretty sure that certain countries require that all drivers carry spare bulbs. Therein lies an assumption or a requirement for competence in changing a bulb, even for the amateur driver.

I can’t help you with legal references, this is just my layman opinion.

Lopéz · 8 Jun 2018 at 00:33

Drivers in most commercial operations would be expected to effect minor repairs such as changing a bulb or replacing a wiper blade. They should be trained how to do so if necessary.

You won't really find this covered in law. The law points responsibility for roadworthiness at both the driver and the company, with you being responsible for checking the vehicle is safe and reporting defects. How your company chooses to rectify those defects (ie do they expect you to change a bulb) is up to them, as long as they provide adequate training if necessary.

helpimcrap · 8 Jun 2018 at 14:13

My bad. Never been shown, just 'expected'.

Guess I'd better start taking my toolbox and invest in bulb kits as well. Cheers all.

Uther · 8 Jun 2018 at 20:47

Just nick a bulb off one of the other trucks.

helpimcrap · 9 Jun 2018 at 04:58

Ps the bulb was fine - broken wire.

"Well, you don't use your sidelights, only main beam so they won't notice."

I'll be sure to let Vosa know that and I'll be ok eh? Lol

Burnsy2023 · 12 Jun 2018 at 21:00

Ultimately it's the driver's legal responsibility to make sure the vehicle they are driving is roadworthy. If the bulb fails during a journey that means that you need to make sure it's repaired, either doing it yourself or getting someone else to.

EB_Prophet · 12 Jun 2018 at 22:41

So this is one of those H&S nightmare questions. I'm a transport manager for a supermarket distribution centre, the managers in my department have just recently (last 6 months) been given training from Scania (our truck provider) and been signed off to change bulbs - we can't touch LED though so restricted to headlight, indicator, number plate light. My drivers have no training and as such are not expected to touch them even though many would be more than competent to do so. We do not have any spares in the trucks for the drivers, and there are no tool kits or anything. If a bulb is found out when performing pre shift vehicle checks one of the managers will change it, or if there is a fitter on site they do it. If a bulb goes whilst out on the road/delivering the driver is expected to call the office who will arrange a call out costing a stupid amount for a 50p bulb, but that's just how it is now. So depending on who you work for the expectation on the driver differs I suppose. It's you're responsibility to make sure the vehicle passes it's checks, and your company should advise how they wish you to deal with defects.

Lopéz · 13 Jun 2018 at 02:41

Theoretically you could train all the drivers to change a bulb, but in reality this isn't practical

1) Turnover
2) Numbers
3) Time off the road
4) What do you do about subcontractors? There are often complications when it comes to training subbies or indie owner-drivers

Much easier for the company to take the approach that EB Prophet mentions and only train a select group, and take the financial hit on exceptions to the norm such as a mid-journey failure.

Rroff · 13 Jun 2018 at 02:46

Been a bit of fuss with our drivers recently as it says in their contract that some minor maintenance or other tasks they might reasonably be expected to do that isn't part of their primary job description, etc. might be expected of them but some disagree they should be doing it - expect to turn up and drive and anything else taken care of for them. Seems to be a bit of a grey and sometimes contentious area that a lot of companies don't really have a set in stone plan for.

Hotwired · 13 Jun 2018 at 04:15

Lopéz said:
Theoretically you could train all the drivers to change a bulb, but in reality this isn't practical

1) Turnover
2) Numbers
3) Time off the road
4) What do you do about subcontractors? There are often complications when it comes to training subbies or indie owner-drivers

Much easier for the company to take the approach that EB Prophet mentions and only train a select group, and take the financial hit on exceptions to the norm such as a mid-journey failure.

If the call out cost is excessive maybe the sums could work out better by replacing bulbs at regular intervals in a convenient time before any failure.

EB_Prophet · 13 Jun 2018 at 06:19

Hotwired said:
If the call out cost is excessive maybe the sums could work out better by replacing bulbs at regular intervals in a convenient time before any failure.

I dunno, bulbs blow... it's not such a maintenance thing as just a thing that happens as far as my experience goes. Besides if we were to change every bulb every 8 week service for a HGV the cost would soon add up!

Lopéz · 13 Jun 2018 at 08:31

Hotwired said:
If the call out cost is excessive maybe the sums could work out better by replacing bulbs at regular intervals in a convenient time before any failure.

With the number of vehicles we have in our fleet, that would not be practical (approx. 3500, plus around 1500 trailers)

Scania · 13 Jun 2018 at 14:49

Believe it or not, in this day & age drivers are NOT expected to perform any kind of routine maintenance on their vehicles.

They defect the fault, obtain a defect number - for the paper audit trail - and it’s then repaired at the roadside or in the company’s or dealers workshop by somebody qualified to do so.

When I worked for Stobart I lost count of the number of times I called somebody out to change a bulb on a unit or trailer at £200+ per call out, the procedure is the same at the small (by comparison) haulier I work for now, we drive, we don’t do repairs end of.

I had the rationale for this explained thus...

If you swap a bulb and somehow do it wrong which results in a vehicle fire, who’s liable? Equally if your out of the cab on the hard shoulder swapping a bulb and your killed or seriously injured, it’s far better to pass that risk to a qualified repair contractor rather than have that risk and liability on the company’s drivers.

Look at it this way, nobody expects a computer operator to fix any issues arising with it, drivers are paid to drive not to do the job of maintenance fitters.