Biscuits:
My main strategy to deal with load shift, straps or not, is to not drive like a knobber.
my first picture is of a load that was just fine for over 1800kms, until a deer ran out on the road at 3am. I’m guessing that falls under driving like a knobber then?
I believe this picture shows up a problem.
It doesn’t look strapped at the back and has let the whole load shift backwards towards the doors, before falling forward. How else could it have moved forward if it was loaded up to the headboard? If you couldn’t strap the white boxes, a couple of upturned pallets across the back may have held them in place and then stacked the other brown boxes using the pallets as a new wall.
One more point, the wires in the armoured curtains are no more designed to be weight bearing than standard curtains, but are designed to stop Stanley Knives and theft.
From Road Transport
“The curtains have thin wire in them to make the shape of small boxes all along the trailer, not all the way to the roof, but as high as a person could reach. This means they can poke their knives only in a small square of the trailer at one time, not run the knife the whole way down the side. I am surprised more hauliers have not got trailers of this spec in their fleets.”
there was a gap of about 15cm between the pallets so the boxes on the pallets had space to move forward
Biscuits:
One of the places I work at carries empty plastic bottles. Even double stacked they’re quite easy to move by hand and even with 52 pallets on the load is barely more than a ton. The loaders cross strap them at the back of each drop but that’s more to stop them falling back on acceleration (one of the few loads that will). I can’t see them busting out through the sides under any circumstances, or that them shifting would cause instability.I strap most loads but don’t buy this “treat a curtainsider the same as a flat bed” line. Anybody who says that should be shut in the back of one and asked to bust out by taking a running jump at the sides. I was looking at a torn curtain of one the other day and it had steel wire in it, and the internal straps must have some load bearing capability.
And whilst we’re at it; roof straps, the rail they’re attached to doesn’t look up to much. For things like paper reels I’ll cross strap them as instructed, but I’m sure if they got moving they’d just rip the rails or the roof off. My main strategy to deal with load shift, straps or not, is to not drive like a knobber.
This is what I wrote
Assuming that I am loading it, I look at a curtain-sider as if it were a flat trailer.
So, if the load would stay on with very little/without restraint, no straps required.
If it would fall easily off the side of a flat,ropes/straps/chains required.
If it doesn’t reach the headboard or back doors, whatever it is, it gets ropes or straps at the front or back.
Your load of empty plastic bottles on a flat trailer would need to be restrained by a sheet and the ropes would need to be carefully tightened and positioned between the pallets, to avoid crushing the load.That’s what I used to do with empty beer tins.
Something at heavy as reels would require straps to the floor or round the chassis, whatever trailer they were on. The idea is to prevent them from moving, since as you quite rightly say, once moving they won’t stop.
My point was really to highlight the alarming view that some drivers have that the curtains will hold any load onto the trailer.
As to driving like a nobber, the load has to stay on regardless of how it’s driven and even the most careful can be caught out, like the deer that ran out in the post above.
Milodon has clearly done all he could to restrain the pallets,short of crossing each pair as it was loaded, something which I doubt many of us would have done.
Regards,
Nick
Milodon, the full pallets on the nearside appear to be shrinkwrapped, the others don’t .
In fact, on closer inspection they appear to be different loads. Is that the case?
yup, different loads, the overturned load had some shrink wrap on it but no more than a few layers. The other photo shows a load I didn’t feel comfortable driving with before using the amount of straps shown.
milodon:
yup, different loads, the overturned load had some shrink wrap on it but no more than a few layers. The other photo shows a load I didn’t feel comfortable driving with before using the amount of straps shown.
Hate to tell you this but if you’d done that with at least the front part of the other load it might not have gone over.
Bad loading as well if the pallets were that far apart. Our lot do the opposite, tending to squeeze pallets tight up so that the end result is they lean backwards. Not a problem till you have to do a hill start or go up a 1 in 5 farm track, both of which of course I do daily. 
Bottom line is, within reason there’s no such thing as having too many straps on a load.
I do know that but since it had never happened to me before, I thought I’d be okay. the pallets were tightly packed but the boxes were smaller than the pallet by 15 cm. you cant really strap down a pallet of wine though, they don’t have any pallets available to load on top of the cargo at the winery as well.
milodon:
I do know that but since it had never happened to me before, I thought I’d be okay. the pallets were tightly packed but the boxes were smaller than the pallet by 15 cm. you cant really strap down a pallet of wine though, they don’t have any pallets available to load on top of the cargo at the winery as well.
We couldn’t strap over the coffee jars either, but a couple of pallets and straps made a new wall to pull the bottles tight. It takes a few minutes, much quicker than restacking a trailer load of boxes.
Obviously with a fridge or a box, you could use pallets and locking bars to fill the void.
Restacking 20 pallets is the best DCPC lesson ever!
The drivers bonus comes later from the 4 pallets and a convenient pallet yard 
Ahh the pleasures of strapping down at Ardagh. The pallets at the back are easy-peasy once you get the straps right and a pain with old or buggered straps . . . and then there’s the wonder of strapping down between 90,000 and 120,000 beer bottles for Stag brewery or Interbrew, every pallet compression packed and totally reliant on the pallet next to it behaving itself.
Stan
Amazes me how companies expect loads like that to be strapped onto trailers not having roof straps yet refuse to supply corner boards.
AlexWignall:
Wheel Nut:
The difference with the BAG is that they have got some big teeth and the consignor is at risk as is the driverPerhaps with H&S and high insurance costs in the UK we are taking a different route to consigner responsibility?
I think by the end of my career every load will be in Containers. Even stuff like timber and smaller JCBs
W
Caught my eye this post! I’m talking about pre Tautliner/curtainsider times and The Paddy’s inability to sheet and rope! So what did the Boyos do----they built what was simply a 40ft ISO box onto Tandem running gear and Bingo----they could throw anything into it( and they did!) and they weren’t fussy about Heavy cargo on top of light stuff!! The bottom line was nothing fell off or out and it was vandal proof! A bit like the motors you see in the Middle east and Pakistan/India on the tele to-day.If you could turn the clock back to the early 70’s these were the type of trailers the likes of Woodsides and Montgomery’s were pulling,bomb proof and Paddy proof–give it some “wellie” paddy!!! Bewick.
Bewick:
AlexWignall:
Wheel Nut:
The difference with the BAG is that they have got some big teeth and the consignor is at risk as is the driverPerhaps with H&S and high insurance costs in the UK we are taking a different route to consigner responsibility?
I think by the end of my career every load will be in Containers. Even stuff like timber and smaller JCBs
W
Caught my eye this post! I’m talking about pre Tautliner/curtainsider times and The Paddy’s inability to sheet and rope! So what did the Boyos do----they built what was simply a 40ft ISO box onto Tandem running gear and Bingo----they could throw anything into it( and they did!) and they weren’t fussy about Heavy cargo on top of light stuff!! The bottom line was nothing fell off or out and it was vandal proof! A bit like the motors you see in the Middle east and Pakistan/India on the tele to-day.If you could turn the clock back to the early 70’s these were the type of trailers the likes of Woodsides and Montgomery’s were pulling,bomb proof and Paddy proof–give it some “wellie” paddy!!! Bewick.
So the steel plate, tractors and broadloom carpets were all true than 
Wheel Nut:
Bewick:
AlexWignall:
Wheel Nut:
The difference with the BAG is that they have got some big teeth and the consignor is at risk as is the driverPerhaps with H&S and high insurance costs in the UK we are taking a different route to consigner responsibility?
I think by the end of my career every load will be in Containers. Even stuff like timber and smaller JCBs
W
Caught my eye this post! I’m talking about pre Tautliner/curtainsider times and The Paddy’s inability to sheet and rope! So what did the Boyos do----they built what was simply a 40ft ISO box onto Tandem running gear and Bingo----they could throw anything into it( and they did!) and they weren’t fussy about Heavy cargo on top of light stuff!! The bottom line was nothing fell off or out and it was vandal proof! A bit like the motors you see in the Middle east and Pakistan/India on the tele to-day.If you could turn the clock back to the early 70’s these were the type of trailers the likes of Woodsides and Montgomery’s were pulling,bomb proof and Paddy proof–give it some “wellie” paddy!!! Bewick.
So the steel plate, tractors and broadloom carpets were all true than
They sure were Dave!!!
Scarab:
I never really used to when I first started as, on agency, everywhere I worked said “Oh it doesn’t need it” or “we don’t have any straps” but VOSA round here, especially on the M23 had a big clamp down last year, lots of curtainsiders pulled and although no penalties handed out there are plenty of companies in Sussex with a very similar note pinned to the notice board, from VOSA about Curtains not being load-bearing and anyone found with an insecure load would be fined.Now I’m much more careful and will always take the time to find out some straps before I go out. Even if it means sitting in the transport office for 10 minutes while they rally round.
Just not worth the hassle of getting fined for the sake of an extra 10 (paid) minutes
I like this post - seems to hit the nail on the head.
I attended a Load Security course at The health & Safety laboratory in Buxton. This is where they test things and advise the HSE and Government.
A young lady there had been working with VOSA over quite a few months. She went out on checks and they pulled curtain siders. She reckoned over 80% had an unsecure (or is it insecure?) load - but that 60% or so of those the driver rectified there and then with equipment he had with him.
It was a very interesting course. One thing they didn’t have however was any real practical advise that would help secure many of the loads our company carries.
The more interesting point is the they were apparently going to be training VOSA officers in load security.
if you read the DFT good practice guide - a curtain sider should be treated as a flat bed and the curtains are weather protection only.
Last week one of our drivers was pulled. Full tacho and vehicle inspection then - to the drivers surprise, lets open the curtains sonny!! They checked his load and issued a ‘warning’ for a partially secured load. it was only secured with internal (roof) straps and they said this wasn’t good enough. Didn’t help he had ratchet sets with him but hadn’t used them.
The vehicle in front of him got a GFPN for no load security at all and a prohibition until he sorted it out.
The whole load security thing is going to become a higher profile over the next few years.
On the same subject - our local council Health & Safety inspector turned up a few weeks ago carrying out a survey into load security and safe loading. Apparently there is a campaign on nationwide.
I think all drivers should attempt to secure a load as best they can. Doing nothing is not the answer.
I do waffle on don’t I?
In answer to the original question. YES - always secure the load in a curtain sider.
Pete
Wheel Nut:
Bewick:
AlexWignall:
Wheel Nut:
The difference with the BAG is that they have got some big teeth and the consignor is at risk as is the driverPerhaps with H&S and high insurance costs in the UK we are taking a different route to consigner responsibility?
I think by the end of my career every load will be in Containers. Even stuff like timber and smaller JCBs
W
Caught my eye this post! I’m talking about pre Tautliner/curtainsider times and The Paddy’s inability to sheet and rope! So what did the Boyos do----they built what was simply a 40ft ISO box onto Tandem running gear and Bingo----they could throw anything into it( and they did!) and they weren’t fussy about Heavy cargo on top of light stuff!! The bottom line was nothing fell off or out and it was vandal proof! A bit like the motors you see in the Middle east and Pakistan/India on the tele to-day.If you could turn the clock back to the early 70’s these were the type of trailers the likes of Woodsides and Montgomery’s were pulling,bomb proof and Paddy proof–give it some “wellie” paddy!!! Bewick.
So the steel plate, tractors and broadloom carpets were all true than
I would say so,
When I started out I was lucky enough to work with some of the original lads from when Monty’s first set up shop in Preston.
Many happy tales about “The meanace from Glengormly” on Friday afternoons before they let us go home…
Good lads who really did show me the ropes. One of those Lancashire Containers nearly did for one of them when it crushed his cab near Charnock Richard…
W
I’ll just chuck my tuppence in here, not as a haulier but as a wrecker driver/recovery man.
We never go out to a shed load from a Tautliner, that hasn’t overturned.
I’ve never attended anything where the load has come through a curtain but the vehicle has stayed upright.
That says to me that them curtains, wether rated for loadbearing or not, are strong enough to hold a load to the extent the vehicle will go over first. Sadly for us, they’re not strong enough to contain the load when we lift the vehicle back up, we have to cut the curtain from the trailer and then lift the trailer, leaving the load neatly on it’s side on the road!
Containers are not bullet proof either but that’s down to the way they’re loaded. We go out to a fair few containers overturned. The last one had square bales of paper, stacked to roof height in two rows, one down each side with a big gap in the middle. First roundabout out of Teesport the load shifts and the trailer goes over.
Always strap, no excuse not to imo 
Paid by the Hour
I’ve done a fair bit of 7.5t and 18t work and no matter what other drivers say and do, I spend as long as I need to make sure the load is secure.
As for the seals on P&O Curtains, I’ve always cut them to check on the load, 99% of the time it’s fine, that 1% could cost you £60, if your lucky or a lot worse.
Only 1 Company that I’ve worked for asks if you have enough straps after each job, nice one GM 
cieranc:
Containers are not bullet proof either but that’s down to the way they’re loaded. We go out to a fair few containers overturned. The last one had square bales of paper, stacked to roof height in two rows, one down each side with a big gap in the middle. First roundabout out of Teesport the load shifts and the trailer goes over.
The loader sounds like a right ■■■■, I’ve done loads of Containers and with Paper and plastic they ram as much in as possible, there is absolutely no gaps and no chance in hell of the load moving.
Think I’ve got some pics somewhere of a container being loaded. 
