Road Legal

Securing loads

Insecure loads are a danger to the public and overloading may make the vehicle difficult to control and therefore dangerous to road safety.

See The Safe Operator's Guide for more information on using goods vehicles safely and legally. This guide also provides suggestions about loading vehicles in a safe and secure manner, such as:

• Check the load before moving off and whenever items are added or removed
• Remember that loads can settle and shift during a journey causing lashings to slacken
• Check  the load at regular intervals and after heavy braking or sudden changes in direction
• Never reduce the load on the steered axles by positioning the load too far back

The Safe Operator’s Guide suggests following the advice in the code of practice Safety of Loads on Vehicles: this sizeable document includes detailed information on how to secure specific loads (see below).

Load information

There are journeys where an HGV driver is required to carry with them a considerable amount of detail regarding their load; this is certainly the case with Hazchem, for example.

However, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) advises operators that, even when it is not mandatory, drivers should carry with them certain details, especially relating to:

• Type and weight of load
• Names and addresses of consignors
• Passenger lists
• Pick-up points
• Delivery places

This information will save time for a driver and the operation they work for if an incident happens during a journey or if the vehicle is the subject of an enforcement check. 

More information

The code of practice Safety of Loads on Vehicles is comprehensive, going from first principles to detailed descriptions and diagrams of how to secure specific types of load. For example:

The document can be ordered in hard copy from The Stationery Office.

For a more basic read, the LGV drivers’ manual Drive on Confidently includes sections on securing your load and roping and sheeting; the 2006/07 edition has been updated to include new regulations.

The FTA's Yearbook covers loading of vehicles and the RHA produces a guide to the haulage industry for members with relevant information.

Courses

• VOSA runs a one-and-a-half-day HGV ADR course.
• Commercial trainer CTTS offers courses covering: load characteristics; weight distribution; load stability and its effects on vehicle handling; load securing equipment (straps, ropes, chains, chocks and blocks).
•  Transport Training Services offers specialist courses on roping and sheeting.
• The Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association offer their members a raft of training courses, including ADR; security of dangerous goods; securing loads; and the safe loading of vehicles.

Points to ponder

A few years ago the HSE commissioned a study into the rolling over of lorries when cornering bends or roundabouts at relatively low speeds. These sorts of accidents are costly in property and injuries.

The study, Transport at Work: Rollover of Lorries Transporting Paper Reels, concluded by suggesting the installation of sensors into cabs that could inform drivers of lateral acceleration and proximity of rollover. It also noted that the use of low-loaders, or stacking heavy cylindrical objects such as paper reels horizontally rather than vertically, would significantly reduce the centre of gravity of the loaded vehicle and hence the risk of rollover.

The HSE also carried out a study into the Security of Cross Loaded Round Timber. Its testing found that loading to the industry code of practice is inadequate for securing the load.