Tanker accident Mona Vale

There are many different avenues as to what may have 'failed', including the drivers concentration. Like Pete said, there is more than one brake on the truck so a single failure would not have caused this.

Greenie, you are on the money with the current ownership. I know a few drivers for the company, I was nearly one myself when it was owned by Ian. Like anything, there is a cost involved with running an impeccable operation and once a multi corporate takes over the first thing they do is cut cost and that stems down the line.

I don't think your post needs to be removed (as long as you don't get too personal ) but I agree and don't agree with your thoughts. As much as I fully understand and go along with what you are saying - ie in the good ole days you'd simply get under and adjust them - I'm sure that with your experience in the industry you know that you just can't do that anymore, COR laws (Chain of Responsibility) have stopped that from happening. Even with an apprentice adjusting brakes nowadays it needs to signed off by a fully fledged Heavy Vehicle Mechanic. I'll get technical for the sake of this friendly discussion : but without looking up the Australian Standards I'm thinking that the ruling would be that a person 'deemed competent' would be qualified to adjust the brakes. But if that's the case, a company would need to train and sign off the person as competent so as they could do it otherwise, leave them for the company mechanic. That would satisfy COR laws which is what makes the transport industry tick. Like Greenie is saying you would be expected to know what you are doing if you can operate a semi trailer but considering that most new drivers don't know what a crash box is, do you really think they'd know how to hold a 9/16 ring spanner

Well and truly, IF it's a brake adjustment failure that caused this and the driver could have adjusted them and prevented it, that would be an ideal scenario but all the other arguments come in then which would be ongoing. As for the defects, show me a list. This will be another media witch hunt. Were they defected for worn brakes, kinpins, suspension bushes or tyres or did they include reflectors missing, faded marker plates or headlight adjustment. Even when Bobbins got nailed six weeks back, his truck that were defected for 'Excessive Speed' were trucks that had been set at 103.6 km/h by Western Star from the factory. No wizzers, pulse rings or wires to the speed limiters. Don't believe everything you read in the papers

For what its worth, after 20 years in Transport, the last 10 of which I spent as a Transport Manager, I quit 2 weeks ago mainly, amongst other things, to get out of the firing line with COR laws. My future rode in the palm of the hands of 65 drivers that were under me along with a dozen or so mechanics and with every vehicle on the road, every day I faced time behind bars if one of them had a fatal accident. So screw that.

At the end of the day there will be a full criminal investigation into the Mona Vale tragedy which will be ongoing for a couple of years. Best of luck to all involved :-[

Awh,
Here we go again.
Brakes.

On and on and on and on and and on and on and on and on and on and on about brakes.
STOP

Start a separate topic.

This is Re: Tanker accident Mona Vale.

-b
> :-[ :-X

no one is forcing you to read this post mate!!!
go buy a newspaper

Just read your post binder, spot on about RMS's defect procedure, what a joke!

Exactly.
Now its personal flames.

You just proved my point.

-b

Nothing personal BB, this accident is fairly close to the bone to a few of us on here. If a few people want to discuss it so be it. Plenty of other things to read if you don't like this topic mate.

I appreciate your input BB but I think this accident and the subject of braking are interconnected. Despite passing my licence and driving trucks for about 15 years I don't know that much about air brakes and welcome any information that others in the industry, including yourself, can give.

I am sure all the comments are very worthy of reading.
There is knowledge within the reading.

I have spent most of my life within the transport industry.
While I may not carry certification for every aspect of this industry, i do have hands on experience in many aspects of repair, maintenance and operation....
With the background I have I am no where near qualified to assess what may or may not have taken place.
Our 'being' will find blame and I have no doubt, someone or something will be found to be at fault, a penalty applied and perhaps yet another revision made to an already 'heavily' regulated industry.

However i believe I am in a position to offer some respect and compassion to those who have been effected by this incident.
There will be a lot of people hurting as a result of of this crash..

The personal tragedy will last far longer than the paperwork or the fine..

Will we ever get to a point where such a tragedy can be avoided..I sincerly hope so...


chocs

cunning re don't believe everything you read in the papers!!!!! firstly this accident is a tragedy for all concerned and I feel deeply for those involved and it has not done much for the P R of the industry,
between the rta and the media im sure it will be a witch hunt!!!
I know the rta pretty well , they chew my @rse if I miss one loose bolt on a rego but if they stuff up on a pit inspection there immune from any criticism so if there was anything drastically wrong with that truck the entire fleet would have been grounded no ifs or buts????? and the defects on the other cootes trucks inspected must have been minor also or the grounding would be in affect regardless of the media b/s reports
I fully agree with you comments

....it'd be great to see Greenie and Binder at the bar after a couple of sherbets........










........everybody run!!!!

detective cant see any problems havin a beer with greenie ???even though he has overlooked the fact self adjusting brakes have been standard equipment on nearly all trucks for at least a decade?? and are pretty much foolproof . I have only replaced 2 automatic slackadjusters in that time and both were due to a driver trying to adjust them and destroying the mechanism!!!

p.s do I get to bring me pallet board?????