Well well, it looks as if I’m in a minority here, and I’ve been doing things all wrong all these years eh? 
Thanks for the heads up lads anyway…(…but got no plans whatsoever to change ANY of my methods in the job, you do it your way, and I’ll do it mine. 
)
robroy:
Well well, it looks as if I’m in a minority here, and I’ve been doing things all wrong all these years eh?Thanks for the heads up lads anyway…(…but got no plans whatsoever to change ANY of my methods in the job, you do it your way, and I’ll do it mine.
I’m with you on this robroy. There is nothing better than doing it that extra click for your own peace of mind. I’ve seen what happens with chipboard if you don’t use the correct way of strapping. A young whippersnapper in Chirk a few years back got loaded and threw just 1 strap over each stack buttoned up the curtain and head for the weighbridge, as he swung right onto the bridge everyone turned to see what the noise was as the whole load came out his n/s curtain and ■■■■■■ the whole yard up so no one could get in or out.
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I wonder if this guy also thought a bar or piece of wood to add a couple of clicks on the ratchet was only ‘‘done by idiots’’?
As ever nothing is black and white.
Its simple maths isn’t it? The chipboard needs a certain amount of pressure pulling downwards to the deck to hold it in place. each strap can exert so much pressure before breaking, so to get the required pressure you either use more straps or you tighten the ones you’ve got on more fully if they are not yet maxed out. I have never needed a bar but that’s because I’m 6ft tall and 15 stone, I don’t need a bar to max out a ratchet. But not all lorry drivers are able to fully max out a ratchet, so using a lever is perfectly appropriate, its not dangerous and doesn’t make you an idiot… The TFI’s on newer ratchets are bloody brilliant, so simple, and cost buttons in the scheme of things, you can visually see when the ratchet is at its max.
Work smarter, not harder.
lizard:
robroy:
Well well, it looks as if I’m in a minority here, and I’ve been doing things all wrong all these years eh?Thanks for the heads up lads anyway…(…but got no plans whatsoever to change ANY of my methods in the job, you do it your way, and I’ll do it mine.
I’m with you on this robroy. There is nothing better than doing it that extra click for your own peace of mind. I’ve seen what happens with chipboard if you don’t use the correct way of strapping. A young whippersnapper in Chirk a few years back got loaded and threw just 1 strap over each stack buttoned up the curtain and head for the weighbridge, as he swung right onto the bridge everyone turned to see what the noise was as the whole load came out his n/s curtain and [zb] the whole yard up so no one could get in or out.
Bloody hell, that’s must have been chaos, Kronospan is heaving with trucks on quiet days
But I’m with you two, and the proof is in the pudding, that being the load where you strapped it when you arrive at destination
Though what I used to do, (been on boxes for 9 years now) was to use the spare strap pulled around the ratchet handle and give a couple of good tugs, seemed that I could get more purchase like that(and I smacked myself in the face with a bar once )
A lot of this stuff about slipped loads is down to how the truck is driven obviously.
If you terarse around roundabouts and corners, brake hard and all the rest of it, stuff whatever it is will slip.
An example just this week, I brought up a palletised load 350 mile from Devon on Fri pm/Sat am. I got back to the yard looked in the back it was as straight as I had loaded it when I left Devon.
The guy who took it up to Livingston, on Monday, (about 100mile or so) had complained that the back pallets had slipped, …even though I had strapped it to within an inch of it’s life. (This is the second time in about 6 months this has happened, same driver afaik.)
Luckily for me the boss admitted that he knows I can strap up properly, and if I said it was straight, well it was straight, so it was not down to me, but I have now been told to double strap the back 4 pallets to allow for the second part of the journey by another driver. 
Ok, no hardship, paid by the hour etc etc, but you know what I mean.
going to take photos from now on.
robroy:
A lot of this stuff about slipped loads is down to how the truck is driven obviously.
If you terarse around roundabouts and corners, brake hard and all the rest of it, stuff whatever it is will slip.
An example just this week, I brought up a palletised load 350 mile from Devon on Fri pm/Sat am. I got back to the yard looked in the back it was as straight as I had loaded it when I left Devon.
The guy who took it up to Livingston, on Monday, (about 100mile or so) had complained that the back pallets had slipped, …even though I had strapped it to within an inch of it’s life. (This is the second time in about 6 months this has happened, same driver afaik.)Luckily for me the boss admitted that he knows I can strap up properly, and if I said it was straight, well it was straight, so it was not down to me, but I have now been told to double strap the back 4 pallets to allow for the second part of the journey by another driver.
Ok, no hardship, paid by the hour etc etc, but you know what I mean.
Your boss shouldnt really have to ask you to do this though Rob, you obviously strapped the load well as it got safely back to the yard , if another driver takes it out and it goes ■■■■ up its not your problem. Mostly all our stuff is pre loaded either at our own depot and the guys here are very good or the trailer will come in already fully freighted from elsewhere. Tilts being what they are mostly anything can be slung on unstrapped and its not going to end up on the road but…if it does go wrong and a more fragile load than the usual agg gets damaged if it moves its entirely our responsibility not the previous drivers…
If your mates good with faces he need not worry,I’m sure he will see him again sometime,then he can remind him about his bar (hopefully in a nice way)lol.
robroy:
A lot of this stuff about slipped loads is down to how the truck is driven obviously.
If you terarse around roundabouts and corners, brake hard and all the rest of it, stuff whatever it is will slip.
An example just this week, I brought up a palletised load 350 mile from Devon on Fri pm/Sat am. I got back to the yard looked in the back it was as straight as I had loaded it when I left Devon.
The guy who took it up to Livingston, on Monday, (about 100mile or so) had complained that the back pallets had slipped, …even though I had strapped it to within an inch of it’s life. (This is the second time in about 6 months this has happened, same driver afaik.)Luckily for me the boss admitted that he knows I can strap up properly, and if I said it was straight, well it was straight, so it was not down to me, but I have now been told to double strap the back 4 pallets to allow for the second part of the journey by another driver.
Ok, no hardship, paid by the hour etc etc, but you know what I mean.
Surely, in this sort of case it’s down to the driver as part of their checks before going anywhere in a wagon? I know I wouldn’t trust anyone else to tell me it’s ‘safe’ unless it’s sealed or signed off as loaded correctly by someone else to take any flack if it goes ■■■■ up.
andy_s:
robroy:
A lot of this stuff about slipped loads is down to how the truck is driven obviously.
If you terarse around roundabouts and corners, brake hard and all the rest of it, stuff whatever it is will slip.
An example just this week, I brought up a palletised load 350 mile from Devon on Fri pm/Sat am. I got back to the yard looked in the back it was as straight as I had loaded it when I left Devon.
The guy who took it up to Livingston, on Monday, (about 100mile or so) had complained that the back pallets had slipped, …even though I had strapped it to within an inch of it’s life. (This is the second time in about 6 months this has happened, same driver afaik.)Luckily for me the boss admitted that he knows I can strap up properly, and if I said it was straight, well it was straight, so it was not down to me, but I have now been told to double strap the back 4 pallets to allow for the second part of the journey by another driver.
Ok, no hardship, paid by the hour etc etc, but you know what I mean.
Surely, in this sort of case it’s down to the driver as part of their checks before going anywhere in a wagon? I know I wouldn’t trust anyone else to tell me it’s ‘safe’ unless it’s sealed or signed off as loaded correctly by someone else to take any flack if it goes ■■■■ up.
Believe me mate, it was straight, and I.would bet a weeks pay the driver checked it prior to leaving, and knew it was straight.
Even if it had slipped with me, if the driver did not see it before he left, he could have been reprimanded for not checking it,.
The trailer was not sealed
AndrewG:
robroy:
A lot of this stuff about slipped loads is down to how the truck is driven obviously.
If you terarse around roundabouts and corners, brake hard and all the rest of it, stuff whatever it is will slip.
An example just this week, I brought up a palletised load 350 mile from Devon on Fri pm/Sat am. I got back to the yard looked in the back it was as straight as I had loaded it when I left Devon.
The guy who took it up to Livingston, on Monday, (about 100mile or so) had complained that the back pallets had slipped, …even though I had strapped it to within an inch of it’s life. (This is the second time in about 6 months this has happened, same driver afaik.)Luckily for me the boss admitted that he knows I can strap up properly, and if I said it was straight, well it was straight, so it was not down to me, but I have now been told to double strap the back 4 pallets to allow for the second part of the journey by another driver.
Ok, no hardship, paid by the hour etc etc, but you know what I mean.
Your boss shouldnt really have to ask you to do this though Rob, you obviously strapped the load well as it got safely back to the yard , if another driver takes it out and it goes ■■■■ up its not your problem. Mostly all our stuff is pre loaded either at our own depot and the guys here are very good or the trailer will come in already fully freighted from elsewhere. Tilts being what they are mostly anything can be slung on unstrapped and its not going to end up on the road but…if it does go wrong and a more fragile load than the usual agg gets damaged if it moves its entirely our responsibility not the previous drivers…
AndrewG, the boss is only doing his job, asking the collecting driver to ensure load safety. After all, it doesn’t matter if the collecting driver or the delivering driver damages the load, it all comes out of his companies pocket, or at least his Goods In Transit insurance.
As for the Chip-Board-Gate which appears to have erupted further up the thread, its different strokes for different folks. When I do chipboard out of Thirsk, (very rare now but it does happen) I strap it to within an inch of its life, then strap it another foot or two. The nature of the product says its going to try to move in transit so you have to do it. I personally go down the lots of quite tight straps route rather than risk damaging the product by over-tensioning, and I’ll usually stop at the first major services and check the straps too, which is the main reason I strap to the chassis rather than the rave, so I can check without undoing the curtains.
On the learning from the old hands comment, if it wasn’t for Ian, (saved in my phone as Ian (Yoda)) and Gavin (saved as Gav (Obi-Wan), yes I know I’m a bit sad,) who took me under their wing when I was new, then I wouldn’t have a clue. There are still times when I have something I’ve not done before that I drop one or both a text asking for advice. People who offer this help are vital parts of the industry, teaching us newer drivers the tribal wisdom earned over more than a hundred years of shifting crap by road. If you go only on what the company tells you then you are in trouble, to illustrate:
Eddie Stobart Ltd on the Aggregate Industries contract told me it was absolutely fine to use a single 750kg ratchet strap per row of packs on a tautliner. The product was concrete blocks weighing in at 1300kg per pack on a brand new trailer. Now reading the legislation, one 750kg strap combined with an EN-XL trailer and curtains satisfies the rules. You, I and anyone else with half a brain knows that a) those piddling little straps won’t stop the blocks from moving, b) load bearing curtains are not designed for rough concrete blocks, c) if for some reason I managed to get the bloody things to start moving, the M1 would be closed for hours clearing the resulting mess up. ESL didn’t care when I argued the toss on having proper straps. They knew that their setup met the regs. I knew, from having done the bloody job for a year when Norbert had the gig, that it was nowhere near good enough. In the end they wouldn’t budge so I strapped it up like they wanted and drove like a saint to the nearest truck dealer and bought a load of straps of my own to put on the load.
After all, if I did get it wrong and someone died as a result, William bloody Stobart wouldn’t have to live with it, I would. I’ve not been back to them since that, I wont drive for companies that put profit above the safety of the public.
Finally, on the bar stealing snotnose. Next time he is seen, be sure to punch him clean on the nose.
AndrewG:
robroy:
A lot of this stuff about slipped loads is down to how the truck is driven obviously.
If you terarse around roundabouts and corners, brake hard and all the rest of it, stuff whatever it is will slip.
An example just this week, I brought up a palletised load 350 mile from Devon on Fri pm/Sat am. I got back to the yard looked in the back it was as straight as I had loaded it when I left Devon.
The guy who took it up to Livingston, on Monday, (about 100mile or so) had complained that the back pallets had slipped, …even though I had strapped it to within an inch of it’s life. (This is the second time in about 6 months this has happened, same driver afaik.)Luckily for me the boss admitted that he knows I can strap up properly, and if I said it was straight, well it was straight, so it was not down to me, but I have now been told to double strap the back 4 pallets to allow for the second part of the journey by another driver.
Ok, no hardship, paid by the hour etc etc, but you know what I mean.
Your boss shouldnt really have to ask you to do this though Rob, you obviously strapped the load well as it got safely back to the yard , if another driver takes it out and it goes ■■■■ up its not your problem. Mostly all our stuff is pre loaded either at our own depot and the guys here are very good or the trailer will come in already fully freighted from elsewhere. Tilts being what they are mostly anything can be slung on unstrapped and its not going to end up on the road but…if it does go wrong and a more fragile load than the usual agg gets damaged if it moves its entirely our responsibility not the previous drivers…
Though the side of a Tilt is obviously somewhat more robust than a curtain sider, I would say that practically anything that needs strapping in a Curtainsider. needs strapping in a Tilt. I never saw chipboard escape a Tilt, but once its rammed hard against the side, there is some damage to both load and trailer. I have though seen photos of Bricks, reels of paper and a large steel roller and their after effects having escaped tilts, those alli dropsides aren’t as strong as they at first seem.
andy_s:
Surely, in this sort of case it’s down to the driver as part of their checks before going anywhere in a wagon? I know I wouldn’t trust anyone else to tell me it’s ‘safe’ unless it’s sealed or signed off as loaded correctly by someone else to take any flack if it goes ■■■■ up.
When I was on Tilts, any load that was loaded through back off a ramp, where the driver had no access, we were instructed to write “loaded and sealed by sender” on the CMR, not sure how water tight that would have been, but there you go
