roll away, never shown / told hand brake tightening

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Fido

Don’t worry he’s friendly
i wont take the truck from now on if the brake isnt correct. im never going to be ok parking these trucks ever again.
don't get stressed about it. be concerned if you get in t3. your car rolled and ran over a mailbox. if you're not :censored2: at your job they're not going to want to get rid of you. it's just unfortunate it happened again so soon. some people are just unlucky.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
OP, tell them you didn't know, beg for forgiveness, say it will never happen again.
You don't want to be throwing blame, you want to keep your job.
 

burrheadd

KING Of GIFS
I cant stop someone barrelling out of their driveway backward into my truck when I'm away with the package. If im not taught something I should know about the handbrake, how am I supposed to know and act accordingly? were you born with infinite knowledge of everything? do you remember everything always? or do you need to be taught and reminded like everyone else?

Do you alway blame others for your
friend* ups
 

burrheadd

KING Of GIFS
its probably a set up. they could be lazy about it and send a diad message everyday or SOMETHING. a lot of new drivers im talking to say they havent been told either.

Yeah that’s the ticket a few more ignorant messages on the diad

that will fix it
 

burrheadd

KING Of GIFS
obviously im not going to scream at them they are unacceptable. I didnt shut up for 2 hrs about not knowing to check this last night with them. They said it wasnt my fault. but im going to just say it would have been great if this was mentioned a lot more. these brakes should not be adjustable. if you dont like the brakes u dont drive for ups.

Wut??
 

Mutineer

Well-Known Member
I have never worked at UPS. But I have driven a wide variety of vans with a hand brake like the one being discussed.

When I began driving heavy-duty vans (with no training other than being shown to wait for the glow-plug light to turn off when starting a cold, Diesel engine) nobody ever told or showed me that the hand brake is adjustable. And that it can very easily come out of adjustment unintentionally from everyday use.

It took me about six months before I accidentally discovered that the hand brake tension could be adjusted at the handle.

As a tinkerer/home mechanic, adjustment of the parking brake tension via the handle is NOT something I have ever seen on any ordinary, light duty passenger car or truck. The parking brake on these vehicles are adjustable underneath the car, at the individual rear brakes, and you NEED tools to do it.

I can absolutely understand that if this adjustment at the handle feature is not specifically demonstrated and physically shown to a new driver, right in front of his face, that he would remain ignorant of this feature. Therefore, the OP has my sympathy.
 
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retiredTxfeeder

cap'n crunch
Back when I was a young buck, everyone drove manuals. No telematics. Where I live in Texas, it's as flat as a pancake. I'd leave the bulkhead door open, pop it it neutral, leave it running, raise the hand brake (which was adjusted loosely) jump up, grab a package, hop out the door while the PC was still rolling. I'm sure Rod will back me up on this.
 

retiredTxfeeder

cap'n crunch
I used the handbrake every stop, no matter what. Why? because every time you slapped it down, the odometer would turn over 1/10 of a mile. It added up.
 

olroadbeech

Happy Verified UPSer
I had a stop on a slight slope, as far as I know, I did my normal park and hand brake routine. I turn around after delivering, this #$%*%^$# truck is rolling back towards the right, into a yard crushing a mailbox. Its the worst nightmare dream-like experience I can't even explain. I just got reinstated after someone backed into my truck while I was out doing a delivery, now this.

What I can't fathom is how we are not drilled about checking the tightness of our hand brakes every day. It should be in our diad and there should be a daily routine check by mechanics that have signatures. I've never been told anything about tightening or loosening the handbrake. We are behind these trucks countless times doing deliveries, how are we not reminded to check this every day like we are told everything else, use horns, feet on pavement, etc.

I could have been killed, someone else could have been, this could have been absolutely devastating. I have some questions for a lawyer. How can the DOT not require management to regularly quiz us on handbrake checks? When we got back to the center, my sup tested the brake and it rolled in drive with the brake up. He showed me how to tighten it. Ive never been shown this. Ive never heard anyone talk about this ever. :sad::sad::sad:

Was it a mechanical failure? If not you are SOL. Accident.
 
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