Hauliers complain about fines for using ropes
Roger Brown
Tuesday 17 August 2010 16:37Agriculture hauliers in Aberdeenshire have complained to CM that police and VOSA officers have recently stopped vehicles, imposed on-the-spot fines, and handed out three penalty points to drivers for not using ratchet straps to secure their loads.
But traditionally, haulage firms transporting bags of fertiliser have used ropes or straps because they believe ratchets can damage and split bags, potentially resulting in spillages of products containing chemicals such as ammonium nitrate.
Martin Cessford, director of R&N Cessford Haulage, based in Brechin, Angus, says transport businesses in the area are now “terrified” about being stopped and fined, merely for continuing a practice they have carried out in good faith for a long time.
A change in method
"We are now being told fertiliser bags must be secured with a strap and ratchet across each row of bags rather than the traditional roping method, or using the straps inside a curtainsider securing the bags through the loops.
“We are concerned about fines and penalty points, but most of all we are concerned that damage to fertiliser bags caused by the ratchets could result in a serious accident,” he stresses.
Agricultural products and fertiliser manufacturer Yara UK employs several haulage contractors in the area. Simon Barley, its customer service and distribution manager, says both the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and Freight Transport Association (FTA) have advised his firm that if one of the contractors gets stopped “they should contest it with the local VOSA area manager”.
Potential spillages
“There can be problems with using straps and ratchets, as if too much pressure is put on the bags, it can split their inner liners. We are concerned this could result in spillages,” he says.
“This is a big issue for us and we want some clarification on the law as a matter of urgency.”
Barley says Yara would welcome discussions with VOSA - through its trade association, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) - to agree a way forward and establish a clear securing load method.
“We are disappointed that this has not been possible before fines and penalty points have been imposed on our hauliers,” he says.
VOSA says it is keen to educate operators and drivers on load security and is continuing to publicise these issues.
Safety advice
A spokesman says a recent load safety campaign involving it, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Highways Agency (HA) and police resulted in 26 improvement notices and eight advisory notices issued by the HSE, as well as six prohibitions issued by VOSA. “Our primary focus is to educate and advise, but, of course, we will take action in cases where there is clear evidence of an immediate and significant risk of personal injury.”
Grampian Police has sought to clarify the issue, saying that it does not issue fixed penalty notices on the basis of ratchets being used rather than ropes, but that it will issue fixed penalty notices where a load is “not properly secure” .
A spokesman says: “Safety advice has been issued to drivers in the past that ropes should be avoided as they are very rarely designed to withstand forces exceeding 1.0 to 1.5 tonnes. This is in line with Department for Transport [DfT] code of practice on safety of loads on vehicles.”
The RHA is calling on the police, VOSA and the HSE to suspend enforcement action in respect of the security of “live” loads such as large bags of fertilizer, except in cases where there is “clear evidence of an immediate and significant risk of personal injury”.
Impact on OCRS
It also wants VOSA to consider the impact on a firm’s Operator Compliance Risk Score (OCRS) in each case where action has been taken recently, and for Traffic Commissioners to look sympathetically on both drivers’ and operators’ records should these matters be drawn to their attention.
RHA chief executive Geoff Dunning says: "It is unreasonable to embark on a new enforcement approach without an agreement across interested parties about a way forward, and the industry being given reasonable notice of the arrangements that they are expected to establish.
"The RHA is working with the HSE and others to establish a new standard, and we hope to reach agreement soon.
“In the meantime, we hope that enforcement organisations will be flexible in their approach.”
VOSA says it is keen to educate operators and drivers on load security
This should read “VOSA says it wants as much money as possible to bail out a stricken Government. It is not prepared to learn from those who have been doing the job without incident from decades, we just want your money and we don’t care how flimsy the pretext”
I think that it is a bit deeper than that Harry.
All these “government” bodies that are set up immediately expand their remit in an effort to grow their size, empire building is the term I believe.
This is done for various reasons, mainly in an attempt to make themselves indispensable, although the collection of fines is a major part nowadays.
Not connected to the road haulage industry but as an example, the FSA, (food standards authority) set up in the wake of the BSE crisis to ensure safety of food, has nowadays expanded to give dietriciary(sp) advice etc.
After all, the bigger the organisation can grow, the more salary the chief gets
and the more power he can control…
Hiya … I just think they need to put everyone out of work. a pal of mine picked up a second hand desk for our tsp manager
(like the rest clueless)the manager was there to see it loaded as it was on a 6 legger curtain sider traveling from basildon
to chester. the chap said it needed straping down, my mate said it,ll be ok,no strap it,Paul got out his ratchet strap and put
his 20 stone into action (possibly on purpose as he did,nt want to mess about)crack the desk broke in half on the weak spot
where your leggs go underneath, are you still taking the desk or should we put it into the skip.This trip was to collect the
waggon from the basildon depot, my mate said he would drive from chester to basildon in his car pop it into the lorry
(via loading ramp)with the desk,no no said the tsp manager i don,t think its safe to carry a car on a lorry.
never heard of tolmans…abby hill… glendenning and god knows how many others.
John
And another story from a farming magazine, this time Yara are advising the hauliers to fight Vosa and Grampian Polis.
Plea for clarity over fertiliser haulage rules
Alleged insecure loads resulting in prohibition notices and driver fines
By Joe Watson
Published: 21/08/2010
Agricultural hauliers have called for clarity on the rules surrounding the transportation of fertiliser after several incidents in recent months that have seen vehicles served with prohibition notices and drivers fined for alleged insecure loads.
The Road Haulage Association, fertiliser manufacturers and the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) have also asked for improved guidance from the government’s Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (Vosa).
Their demand follows lorries being pulled over by the police and Vosa staff who are insisting fertiliser bags are ratchet strapped to trailers rather than the age-old method of lacing rope through the bag straps to hold them together. Martin Cessford, of R. and N. Cessford, Whanland, Montrose, has had two vehicles stopped. The most recent, at 6am on Tuesday, involved fertiliser bags being carried inside a curtain-sided trailer. Police served a prohibition notice on the lorry and Mr Cessford’s driver was only allowed to move again after ratchet straps were placed over each bag and attached to the trailer.
Mr Cessford said the rules needed to be clarified as he viewed the method now being demanded as dangerous as the ratchet straps dug into bags and chaffed the linings of them as the vehicle moved. That increased the likelihood of the bags bursting and the tiny fertiliser pellets cascading out onto the road and creating a huge hazard for other road users or a chemical spillage as most of the product carried was ammonium nitrate. He warned the increased demands for strapping could add at least £1 to the cost of a tonne of fertiliser delivered to farms. He added: “We’ve never lost a bag of fertiliser off the side of a lorry on to the road doing what we’ve been doing for years.”
RHA Scottish director Phil Flanders criticised the apparent rule change that had not been communicated to industry, adding it would be better if Vosa educated hauliers about safely hauling fertiliser instead of the current situation. He accepted the need for all goods to be transported safely, but said fertiliser had been moved by lorry for years without any incidents.
Yara UK’s Simon Barley said he understood Vosa had been “very active” in Aberdeenshire stopping lorries carrying its fertiliser. He too was worried about the pressure straps could put on bags, adding the advice it had received from the RHA and Freight Transport Association was for its haulage contractors to contest with Vosa every notice it served on vehicles.
Mr Barley added: “The safe transportation of our fertiliser products is very important to Yara. Through the AIC we would welcome discussions with Vosa to agree the way forward and establish a clear securing load method. We are disappointed this has not been possible before fines and penalty points have been imposed on our hauliers.”
The AIC said it was attempting to find out from the Department for Transport and Vosa what represented best practice to safely secure fertiliser loads without the risk of damaging the bags in transit.
Yara dismissed complaints that fertiliser bags were not as strong as they once were, adding they were manufactured to a British standard.
Vosa was yesterday asked to comment, but did not provide one.
voice of farming, page 33
Read more: pressandjournal.co.uk/Articl … z0xiW7qPHv
No one is suggesting carrying unsecured loads, but ropes and tarpaulins have been used for many years and the act of wrapping is part of the load security, obviously 25 tonne bags are not secure in a curtainsider without straps or other restraint. It must be much easier for the plod up there to see a flat trailer with ropes over the load then having to stop every pvc sided trailer and check if there any restraints at all.
I suppose using dropside trailers similar to the brick carriers is a possible solution. I feel it is a better remedy than fighting a case in court, which would probably be lost on the grounds that VOSA must always know best. We all know that there is a severe lack of commonsense displayed in our courts
Why fix something that isn’t broken? Its been done that way for generations without incident 
As for dishing out points , i find this to be disgraceful it is an extremely grey area for operators never mind drivers. This is people lively hoods they are poofing about with
Ive heard countless stories about grampian vosa they must be right ■■■■■ up there 
This little snip intrigues me…
VOSA says it is keen to educate operators and drivers on load security and is continuing to publicise these issues.
In all honesty, what do they know, any of them? Ropes were good enough for hanging, weren’t they? They tie ships to docks with ropes…
bobthedog:
This little snip intrigues me…VOSA says it is keen to educate operators and drivers on load security and is continuing to publicise these issues.
In all honesty, what do they know, any of them? Ropes were good enough for hanging, weren’t they? They tie ships to docks with ropes…
your bang right there mate 