Has anyone else come across a client who will try and tell you the they are DVSA exempt and can carry loads eg stillages unrestrained in curtaintainsiders?
The story I was told was that when vosa moved the goal posts on securing loads, the pallet networks got together and put pressure on vosa for an exemption. Their argument was that due to the nature of the load it was impossible to securely strap it down. Vosa didn’t go for this but did compromise and allowed the pallet networks to use internal netting instead of straps.
We got a memo at our place that dvsa are having a trial run from the m62 northwards where instead of only pulling lorries and checking loads of vehicle that attract their attention, they will now pull any lorry they fancy and check load security.
How can you have an exemption from load security. It’s either going to move or it isn’t regardless of who takes it.
That was my thought too. We take a load down there that has to be strapped to be safe but when they distribute it it’s safe enough to not need strapping. I’m guessing their argument was that due to the varying size and shapes of their pallets, it wasn’t possible to securely strap them without causing damage.
Like I said, just what I was told.
I’ve done the JLR job out of Normanton which involves suspension parts from Newton Aycliffe to Hailwood. Those stillages are huge, (length = width of trailer), 2 or 3 high fill the height and volume of the trailer, and ain’t going anywhere. The trailer curtains are load bearing
Done that job too with DSV out of Newton Ayecliffe, like you said they’d go nowhere but we always strapped and had to mark down how many straps we used. Not sure if we were taking notes on how many straps used were for load security or just so they knew how many to expect back once they got across the water.
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Not sure about being exempted by the DVSA, or whether the load you’re talking about would fit the requirements, but there are situations where the DVSA will accept au un-strapped load on a curtainsider, provided it fits certain criteria.
DVSA accept an EN 12642 XL rated vehicle/trailer keeping 50% of the rated payload to the side without any extra securing, as long as the load fills the entire load area to the front, rear and to within 80mm of the side. This is often called a ‘positive fit’.
The EN 12642 XL standard refers to the entire vehicle or trailer and not just the curtains. So, reinforced curtains fitted to an ordinary trailer don’t meet the XL standard. There’s no such thing as an ‘XL curtain’.
XL-rated bodies have stickers in prominent positions - usually on the rear door or front bulkhead - to show they meet the standard.
The curtains of an XL-rated body also have to be built to EN 12641.
Stickers confirming this are usually found on the inside of the curtains at the rear of the body.
When I started driving in the mid 90s there was none of this nonsense with curtainsiders unless it was a difficult load that would move about easily, I carried catfood, toilet rolls, breakfast cereals amongst other things, no straps, and nothing was ever likely to move anyway, even if cornering too fast.
The only things that got strapped was exhibition stuff that might slide about.
I would like to see the statistics involving shifted/ spilt loads due to not being strapped, or is this just VOSA (or whatever they call themselves this year) jumping onto another money making scam, which if I remember rightly started in Germany, then Belgium and France latched on.
Lets face it, internal straps won’t really do much in a roll over. Maybe double ratchet strapping each 2 pallets of tinned stuff will help but half the time that’s impossible with a forkie rushing to load/ unload.
I just hope they apply a bit of common sense when they pull over these trucks with no straps.
peirre:
I’ve done the JLR job out of Normanton which involves suspension parts from Newton Aycliffe to Hailwood. Those stillages are huge, (length = width of trailer), 2 or 3 high fill the height and volume of the trailer, and ain’t going anywhere. The trailer curtains are load bearing
This ^^^ I’m sure thay are meaning loads like this that are loaded to the roof and more often having to raise the roof to get them in . If they are low enough to be strapped then they still should be . I used to bring them in from Germany to Solihull and as long as slip mats where used even the Germans where happy
It has been blindingly obvious since the start that those companies with a vested interest in not spending their shekels on compliance would try any type of argument to claim that they should be exempt. When they can produce the evidence of a so-called exemption on DVSA headed notepaper detailing exactly how they are exempt, then and only then can we believe that is not lies, lies and more ■■■■ lies.
Nite Owl:
I’m guessing their argument was that due to the varying size and shapes of their pallets, it wasn’t possible to securely strap them without causing damage.
Never seen any pallet network truck using nets although K&N seem to with the barrels, but I do pallets at night and everything is supposed to be strapped.
If it gets damaged by the straps then it wasnt packaged properly which is why you might get boxes of percil slightly squashed as Trev strapped it. Admittedly i do draw the line at bubble wrap. 
Curtains are useless for many loads, eg had one last week unstrapped, he got to depot with huge curtain bulge and £1000s of radiators fell off due to not using internals even.
On M62 they are running checks even at night in VOSA vans do be warned. Have seen them esp near Birch services after midnight.
trevHCS:
Nite Owl:
I’m guessing their argument was that due to the varying size and shapes of their pallets, it wasn’t possible to securely strap them without causing damage.Never seen any pallet network truck using nets although K&N seem to with the barrels, but I do pallets at night and everything is supposed to be strapped.
If it gets damaged by the straps then it wasnt packaged properly which is why you might get boxes of percil slightly squashed as Trev strapped it. Admittedly i do draw the line at bubble wrap.
Curtains are useless for many loads, eg had one last week unstrapped, he got to depot with huge curtain bulge and £1000s of radiators fell off due to not using internals even.
On M62 they are running checks even at night in VOSA vans do be warned. Have seen them esp near Birch services after midnight.
I’ve been running Pallet Network recently and the trailers dont have nets…its only internal straps. One company had us sign a bit paper last week saying about loads being strapped. I don’t think for one minute the internals will stop some of these loads if they go but can only pee with what you have.
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chester:
Has anyone else come across a client who will try and tell you the they are DVSA exempt and can carry loads eg stillages unrestrained in curtaintainsiders?
When I worked at JLR Solihull on Shunting I/we had to strap each row of stillages. ISTR there were reinforced bars at the top of the roof with straps off them, and spares so we could put 2 straps on each stillage row if we wanted.
Then there were the foreign trailers that you had to jack up the roof as that clamped the stillages in place… They didn’t use straps at all but the stillages didn’t go anywhere, as they were held in place.
GORDON 50:
When I started driving in the mid 90s there was none of this nonsense with curtainsiders unless it was a difficult load that would move about easily, I carried catfood, toilet rolls, breakfast cereals amongst other things, no straps, and nothing was ever likely to move anyway, even if cornering too fast.
The only things that got strapped was exhibition stuff that might slide about.
I would like to see the statistics involving shifted/ spilt loads due to not being strapped, or is this just VOSA (or whatever they call themselves this year) jumping onto another money making scam, which if I remember rightly started in Germany, then Belgium and France latched on.
Lets face it, internal straps won’t really do much in a roll over. Maybe double ratchet strapping each 2 pallets of tinned stuff will help but half the time that’s impossible with a forkie rushing to load/ unload.
I just hope they apply a bit of common sense when they pull over these trucks with no straps.
If some of the alleged drivers showed some common sense when behind the wheel i’m quite sure that happy state of affairs would still be the case.
As it is lowest common denominator (or one size fits all) applies, and because a half wit can’t drive for toffee nor work out that behind the curtain are things that can move if stupid enough to drive like plank, then once again everyone else must also be assumed to be at half wit level of competence.
It’s all downhill from now on, gawd above nose wot it’ll be like in another 20 years 
Juddian:
GORDON 50:
When I started driving in the mid 90s there was none of this nonsense with curtainsiders unless it was a difficult load that would move about easily, I carried catfood, toilet rolls, breakfast cereals amongst other things, no straps, and nothing was ever likely to move anyway, even if cornering too fast.
The only things that got strapped was exhibition stuff that might slide about.
I would like to see the statistics involving shifted/ spilt loads due to not being strapped, or is this just VOSA (or whatever they call themselves this year) jumping onto another money making scam, which if I remember rightly started in Germany, then Belgium and France latched on.
Lets face it, internal straps won’t really do much in a roll over. Maybe double ratchet strapping each 2 pallets of tinned stuff will help but half the time that’s impossible with a forkie rushing to load/ unload.
I just hope they apply a bit of common sense when they pull over these trucks with no straps.If some of the alleged drivers showed some common sense when behind the wheel i’m quite sure that happy state of affairs would still be the case.
As it is lowest common denominator (or one size fits all) applies, and because a half wit can’t drive for toffee nor work out that behind the curtain are things that can move if stupid enough to drive like plank, then once again everyone else must also be assumed to be at half wit level of competence.
It’s all downhill from now on, gawd above nose wot it’ll be like in another 20 years
I saw a photo on Facebook of a stobart container truck who had gone into some services and clipped the curb and bounced the container off the twist locks! Had a crane there to put it back on. I think he will have some explaining as he must have hit with some force to do that
chester1:
peirre:
I’ve done the JLR job out of Normanton which involves suspension parts from Newton Aycliffe to Hailwood. Those stillages are huge, (length = width of trailer), 2 or 3 high fill the height and volume of the trailer, and ain’t going anywhere. The trailer curtains are load bearingThis ^^^ I’m sure thay are meaning loads like this that are loaded to the roof and more often having to raise the roof to get them in . If they are low enough to be strapped then they still should be . I used to bring them in from Germany to Solihull and as long as slip mats where used even the Germans where happy
iirc they where tall boy trailers with only inches between the top of the load and the roof, the roof didn’t need raising, but there was no way of throwing a strap over the stillages, and I doubt the rod/hook system they use for chicken cages or gas cylinder cages would work