Carrying 26 pallets beer do I have to strap all pallets down or criss cross back two any advice please brand new trailer marked load restraining curtain what would vosa say if only back two cheers
If it’s a brand new trailer then surely it has internals?
So yes, strap them and do the criss cross on the back, why on earth would you not?
david2867:
Carrying 26 pallets beer do I have to strap all pallets down or criss cross back two any advice please brand new trailer marked load restraining curtain what would vosa say if only back two cheers
No offence intended, but with “25 years vast experience” you must have read/heard/been informed in the last couple of years about the new load restraint requirements.
In brief, anything over 400 kg MUST be restrained.
“Google” vosa strapping policy. Loads of info available.
Thanks for sarcasm but have a life out of trucks
So do I, but I am aware of the rules/regs for my job.
At the end of the day (and your experience far outweighs mine if indeed you’ve been in the game 25yrs) if I look at a pallet and think “if that goes over that’s gonna make a right mess and cause me a shed load of problems” irrelevant of whether it will stay contained within the curtains (load bearing or standard) or not, then hell yeah I’d strap it down!
It takes a maximum of 10 mins to throw straps over (less time if using internals whilst it’s being loaded) but how long does it take to sort out a shot load?
Oh and btw I used to work out of Magor brewery and did kegs and palleted cans so yeah I have some experience with beer 
dunno why people / so called professional drivers keep asking a basic question really.
Whoopy do its in a curtain trailer all the curtain does is keeps the load from getting wet.(even if its load bearing ).
It might keep it in place until you open the curtain then all hell breaks loose because at that point the trailer is nothing but a flatbed.
just treat ay trailer as a flat and you’ll never be wrong it really is that simple
These kind of questions do get a little annoying as it really is common sense and ANY professional driver should have done the research, read the books, been on courses and KNOW the answer.
If the trailer is constructed to EN 12642 XL - which is a load bearing curtain and it will have a big YELLOW sticker saying EN 12642 XL then the minimum standard is as follows.
HEADBOARD - 0.5 OF PAYLOAD
READ DOORS - 0.3 OF PAYLOAD
CURTAINS - 0.4 OF PAYLOAD
Therefore - if you are expected to secure the load to 0.5 of the payload sideways, the curtains will hold 0.4 and you have at least 0.1 coefficient of friction for the load to the deck then it is OK sideways.
If the headboard can hold 0.5 then you will need at least 0.3 coefficient of friction to get the 0.8 you need to restrain forwards.
Rearwards - the body will hold 0.3, you need to secure 0.5 - so as long as you have 0.3 coefficient of friction you have it made.
BUT - all of the above only applies if there are NO GAPS at all in the load front to back side to side. And realistically a lot of pallets only attain 0.2 coefficient of friction and not 0.2
PS - The internal straps are useless and do nothing. I would suggest you would need a SPRING LASHING for the rear pallets - that’s if your trailer is definitely EN 12642 XL
shep532:
PS - The internal straps are useless and do nothing.
I understand what you’re saying but I disagree, if you crossover all the way down (left strap buckled on the right side and so on) and then use four internals crisscrossed on the back two with one of those sets going through the pallets then you’d have to be driving like a complete moron to disturb that load, at the end of the day you “should” drive for the load your carrying.
The law states that a load should be safely secured to the bed of the trailer, not that you should be able to tip that trailer upside down and shake it and still have nothing fall off!
Having said all that though… If a driver feels that he/she needs to put four ratchet straps on each pallet then go ahead and stick four straps on, at the end of the day you put on as many as you think you need to feel confident in transporting that load from point A to point B.
If you use internals on somthing like beer yout only strapping one case anyway. Strap the back yes.
But at the end of the day do what you think is right your the captain of the ship
Reef:
shep532:
PS - The internal straps are useless and do nothing.I understand what you’re saying but I disagree
We are all entitled to our opinions. Some are opinions based on experience and some are based on scientific fact. If we look at the strength of an internal strap - what it has been tested to actually be capable of it is far less than you would think. I have a strap here on my desk - LC 350DaN - that’s about 350kg.
Of course - it then depends what it is fastened to and unless the vehicle is made to the XL standard it will be weak, flimsy and not up to much.
An internal strap does not restrain the load. It does not secure it to the vehicle. Internal straps are a form of containment - not restraint.
Personally I would rather KNOW my load CANNOT move during NORMAL driving rather than HOPE it doesn’t move. Each to their own.
If you consider that putting 350kgs of sideways inertia upon a strapped pallet amounts to your NORMAL driving then please do everyone a favour and hang up your keys and become a postman or a shelf stocker! 
Reef:
If you consider that putting 350kgs of sideways inertia upon a strapped pallet amounts to your NORMAL driving then please do everyone a favour and hang up your keys and become a postman or a shelf stocker!
I don’t drive so don’t be worried. If you trust in your years of ‘it hasn’t happened to me yet’ experience that is fine. I prefer hard facts and figures to back up my own experience. I have seen internals snap, rip out, pull the roof down and I’ve also seen them seemingly do the job.
If you consult various European Commission Best Practice Guidelines as well as documents such as EN 12195 and the DFT Code of Practice you would see that NORMAL driving conditions should be considered to include ‘emergency’ situations such as hard braking, swerving to avoid collision, emergency lane change and even all at the same time and also adverse camber etc etc. These are activities that could easily be caused by someone else and even with the most observant and careful driver - ‘could’ happen and often do.
Therefore it makes sense to secure the load accordingly. Secure it for what ‘could’ happen
A cornering truck can generate upwards of 0.3G maybe even as much as 0.4 before tipping over. If a pallet of beer weighs 750kg - 0.3G is a force equivalent to around 250kg so we’re getting there.
Bear in mind we aren’t talking about a strapped pallet as you quote. A pallet would be strapped if you had strapped it down to the chassis by over strapping which would increase frictional force but an internal strap doesn’t apply any force to the pallet and it could therefore gain some momentum before applying its weight to that strap.
Of course no matter how strong the individual strap is - if there are a few of them trying to hold back a few pallets the total force applied to the rail/track they are fastened to will likely be too much for it and the flimsy lightweight roof it is attached to. XL trailers often have diagonal bracing wires/cables tensioned to distribute forces around the whole roof and body structure as it distorts from pressure applied. A non XL trailer roof will soon distort and give making the internal straps attached give and the load gains further momentum.
We can all choose to think or believe what we like. I believe some people think there is a God!! Me - I’d rather deal in facts and figures and take advice from various industry best practice guidelines. They make an interesting read.
We could of course just drive carefully - it’s so easy on UK roads
shep532:
snip!We could of course just drive carefully
Sift out all the verbal diarrhoea and we’re actually left with the crux of it, well done, top of the class.
…read this…movingon.blog.gov.uk/load-secur … -vehicles/