Nick Garlick's recent post on insecure loads has certainly created a fair amoubnt of feedback--some pro others well... Meanwhile, Andrew Cooper (Biglorryblog's favourite truck painter) has sent me this picture and the folowing explanation: "Hi Brian, following Nick Garlick's photo from Antwerp, I thought you might like to see an image my good mate Stan Evans took back in the spring of 1995 whilst he was tipping a load of welsh steel coil in Northern Italy. Several miles away from the drop he was overtaken at break neck speed by these two Italian steel waggons, now the steel coil on their trailers would weigh at least 8-9 tonnes each!"
Andrew continues: "To be honest i wouldn't know about Italian gross weight limits [ the maximum is 44-tonnes BLB] so suffice to say it would be fair for anyone to sumise that they would be at least slightly over? More importantly as you see them queuing for the weighbridge that was how they were delivered, not a ratchet strap, dog and chain or more importantly coil well in sight! just those tiny frames and gravity... Scary stuff. Andrew."
Now click through here for a similar story from BLB on Italian 'load security'...
Along time ago (in a Galaxy far, far away) Bill Brock and I travelled to Italy in the very late 70s (I reckon it much have been 1979) to drive a truck at 44-tonnes when the UK limit was then just 32-tonnes for an artuic. The trip was organised by Volvo and we travelled to Bergamo in Northern Italy where the local Volvo dealer arranged for an owner-driver to turn up with an unladen truck which we'd then load to 44-tonnes---then Bill would drive it and I'd take the pictures.
Through a local family connection the load was to be propvided by the local marble factory and there we met the owner driver with a 4x2 F12.440 and a tri-axle flat bed trailer which he used for hauling pipes. Sitting the trailer under an gantry they placed two enormous lumps of marble on the back of the trailer which sat down on itsd (steel springs) with much groaning cracking and banging. With just two lumps of marble the outfit was at 44-tonnes! The ownerd-river then gestured for Bill to get behind the wheel and have at it....not surprisingly he enquired as to whether the load might be secured...the request was met with blank stares and a rapid oputburst of Italian whichh translated as: "Are you kidding? Those two blocks are so heavy they aren't going to fall off and if they do nothing will stop them anyway!"....
http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/foto/2008/2008_11.htm#anfang
Dear BLB, take a look at this German site - they take load security very seriously. The article here is an extremely detailed analysis of 'wot went rong' and how it could be avoided. There's a new pic and analysis every month.
Regards, Paul Webster