SDCB ->Sit Down CounterBalanced. There can be no compromise when it comes to safety - I thnk the forum is agreed on that. Too many people believe that applying the park brake puts the truck into the safest possible position when in fact, it does not. The action of pulling on a mechanical lever does not in itself ensure that the brakes are properly applied given the nature of typical parking brake mechanisms. Improper adjustment due to wear over time, stretched cables etc can cause the actual holding force to be diminished.

By being taught to consciously apply the service brakes, the operator is in total control. The service brakes are generally more powerful and the operator will know immediately if they are not functional. The conscious application means however that he is aware of what he is doing at all times.

The repetitive action required in applying the park brake as taught today means that for the simple pallett handling outlined by Wayne, the handbrake has to be applied and released around 8-10 times. Do the math and you can see that in a normal shift, the figure is mind blowing. Park brakes are not designed for this intensive use and by teaching this non sensical way of driving, productivity is negatively impacted, park brakes wear out very quickly, downtime is increased and operators can face strain injuries because of the fact that the brake is designed to be applied sparingly.

The acid test is that in the real world, no-one drives as they are taught. It cannot be enforced because it is non sensical. It is high time that training authorities wake up, smell the roses and modify their practice such that the correct way is to apply the service brake which holds the truck safe when making all hydraulic movements.

My thanks to all who have contributed to this debate so far.....