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Too many operators are failing to have their drivers trained to avoid rollover accidents and jack-knifing incidents, says David Weynberg, training manager at International Road Safety Training. That is despite the fact that rollovers can result in deaths and serious injuries. Even if nobody is hurt, they can still cost a company as much as £500,000 if damage to the vehicle, the cargo, and the bill for cleaning up the mess is included.

IRST has been offering such training for the past 12  years. "We regularly have company managers come along and take a look at what we do, and leave full of enthusiasm," he says. "But they then discover that their firms aren't willing to take a driver off the road for a day and pay for a replacement."

Weynberg is also concerned by the extent to which poor loading practices are contributing to rollovers, especially where double-deck trailers are concerned. "Unfortunately there's no law against sending double-deckers out with an empty lower deck and the top deck fully-laden," he says. The result is a high centre of gravity and an increased risk that the entire rig will topple over. Even correctly loaded, trailers can roll over at low speeds, taking the tractor unit with them.