Sorry yeah another loading question, but cant find the official answer.
If say you’ve got a single stacked bog std pallet of 600kg on a curtainsider, are you allowed to use 2 internal straps on that pallet since that should be valid to 800kg or does it have to be a ratchet?
Personally i cant see in most cases why 2 internals wouldn’t be just as effective but as our lot are having a blitz currently, I just wanted to see if there’s official VOSA / DVSA / HSE / Nina document on this.
Oh and large electric shock for anyone mentioning CPC as I didn’t do 35 hours in the classroom.
I’d use a ratchet strap and secure it to the deck to avoid any ambiguity. The rules seem to change depending on what they want. Besides, vosa website says internals are only good up to 400kg.
There has to be sufficient restraint to prevent 100% of forward motion, 50% sideways and rear motion.
I would say that it depends a lot on what is on the pallet, how tall it is, and how well wrapped. A single pallet can be a problem because there is nothing to stop it moving sideways, even with straps over the top. The worst pallet when I was with Palletforce were water or pop in plastic bottles. Even when they were well wrapped, they always wanted to escape; sometimes I would get the loader to put a stack of empties alongside to keep a single pallet of water stable.
I am saying that there is no definitive answer because there are too many variations.
Single pallet, ratchet strap every time. No matter what you do with internals you’ll not be able to secure it enough even crossing left strap over to the right and vice versa and by the time you’ve tried twisting two together, tying knots etc you’d be quicker just throwing a strap over it.
I’ve done this before on a mixed load. Crate of slate, can’t ratchet it because of what’s on the other side of it so I put 2 internals on. Probably wrong but I’d happily have the argument with a vosa officer aboit it.
Most ratchets that we use are rated for either 4 tons or 5 tons. Let’s say I have stacks of timber weighing 8 tons in a stack. 2x 5 ton rated straps on that is in theory fine, so you’d use more than 1 ratchet on things, by that theory your ok to use more than one internal on something that’s heavier? Same logic? If they say you can’t have 2 internals then why can you have 2 ratchets on something?
DickyNick:
I’ve done this before on a mixed load. Crate of slate, can’t ratchet it because of what’s on the other side of it so I put 2 internals on. Probably wrong but I’d happily have the argument with a vosa officer aboit it.
Most ratchets that we use are rated for either 4 tons or 5 tons. Let’s say I have stacks of timber weighing 8 tons in a stack. 2x 5 ton rated straps on that is in theory fine, so you’d use more than 1 ratchet on things, by that theory your ok to use more than one internal on something that’s heavier? Same logic? If they say you can’t have 2 internals then why can you have 2 ratchets on something?
I’m not saying you did the wrong thing at all, but I suspect you may be told if you can’t secure a heavy plt because of a fragile plt next to it, don’t load heavy and fragile plts next to each other.
And please don’t shoot the messenger!
Either put something like a stack of pallets the other side or break it down into two stacks. If two stacks are then too low for what needs to go on behind then drop order has to go out of the window, and the two stacks either get made back up to full height with something suitable alongside, or the two stacks end up on the back and get moved however many times are necessary at each delivery/collection.
Just don’t do what the Currie’s driver has done in Lockerbie , [emoji6]
Whole trailer of timber is just secured with internals [emoji47]so he’s now gotta restrap the lot
DickyNick:
I’ve done this before on a mixed load. Crate of slate, can’t ratchet it because of what’s on the other side of it so I put 2 internals on. Probably wrong but I’d happily have the argument with a vosa officer aboit it.
Most ratchets that we use are rated for either 4 tons or 5 tons. Let’s say I have stacks of timber weighing 8 tons in a stack. 2x 5 ton rated straps on that is in theory fine, so you’d use more than 1 ratchet on things, by that theory your ok to use more than one internal on something that’s heavier? Same logic? If they say you can’t have 2 internals then why can you have 2 ratchets on something?
I’m not saying you did the wrong thing at all, but I suspect you may be told if you can’t secure a heavy plt because of a fragile plt next to it, don’t load heavy and fragile plts next to each other.
And please don’t shoot the messenger!
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I know. But especially on pallet distribution hub trunks with such mixed loads you’ve not got a chance. If you had to play EXACTLY by the rules they all might as well shut down.
Nite Owl:
I’d use a ratchet strap and secure it to the deck to avoid any ambiguity.
I think that’s going to have to be the case. Still can’t find any official guidance on multiple internals combinations, although thinking about it, does any internal prevent both sideways and backwards movement? I know there’s the idea of cross strapping, but only works if there’s equal number of pallets and effectively you’re asking 2 straps to take the weight of the whole load.
Think I’ll go find a job doing fridges again - much simpler.
Thanks for the input and no one gets shocked due to lack of mentions of CPC…oh doh!
Quite often I haul pallets of bottled water, most of the other drivers don’t bother strapping at all just shut the curtain and drive on, but I prefer to at least put internals on. The thing is though I put 1 internal on each pallet and cross 2 at the back but in reality if ■■■■ hit the fan these internals are very unlikely to hold the weight of the water but I don’t have anything better to do the job with and standard straps would just crush the load. What are other people’s ideas on these types of loads?
FTBlunder:
Quite often I haul pallets of bottled water, most of the other drivers don’t bother strapping at all just shut the curtain and drive on, but I prefer to at least put internals on. The thing is though I put 1 internal on each pallet and cross 2 at the back but in reality if [zb] hit the fan these internals are very unlikely to hold the weight of the water but I don’t have anything better to do the job with and standard straps would just crush the load. What are other people’s ideas on these types of loads?
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I do the same mate, internals over every row, cross over at the back, or even the back bound in with 2 stood up empty pallets with a ratchet strap fed through.
In the old days a cross over on the back 2 only was sufficient, but with the dumbing down of the job, and taking into account those who teararse from A to B on a daily basis, we were encouraged (or told) to strap every row.
Now they are telling you to strap every bloody thing whether actually ‘‘needed’’ in reality or not, not only that but apparentlly ‘they’ are saying ratchets and straps rather than internals over stuff such as pallets of bottled drinks, which imo is well ott.
Way I see it is on that type of load a crossed strap at back is enough as long …as you don’t drive like a ■■■■!!
However, to the detriment to the rest of us, the problem nowadays is that many knobs drive just like that,…ie, ‘‘drive’’ their trucks as they would a car, (being that they are just car drivers with Class 1s in reality ) and the load ends up strewn all over the ■■■■ road.
So.consequently… we now ALL have to cater and allow for these type of pricks, and strap every bloody thing to within an inch of it’s life, but… even if it is strapped sensibly, and in the real world adequately, it’s often not good enough for the Police and Vosa, and their financially led criteria , but at least we are stocking up on the funds that they collect for (as their priority) out of our hard earned. …so they’re happy.
According to recent incidents with drivers getting fined for insecure loads, if its a heavy load like bottled water on a non XL trailer it needs ratchet strapping, period. If you aren’t going to use ratchets, you may as well not bother strapping at all because you’ll get fined anyway.
Would say for strapping drinks etc, you probably need something like these corner protectors so in theory at least it spreads the weight. However, not sure how well they’ll actually work, or of course how many H&S hoops you have to go through to climb up to put them on each pallet.
I can’t understand a word of these German clips, but the actions seem to be clear. I’m sure it won’t be long before the DVSA start opening up trailers similar to the one in the second clip and treating them the same as curtainsiders.
You are never going to win with these people because they are determined to find something wrong in order to justify their existence. You can put pallets on top of the load or use corner boards, but as is shown in the clip below, if the pallets haven’t been loaded so that they are touching each other across the vehicle, then the straps may well come loose and they will have you for that.
They have made the rules and expect you to comply. This seems to be understood in Germany, but the British haulier and manufacturer, being cheapskates, will never be interested until it hits them in the pocket at an eyewatering level.
i suppose if you had to clear up all the damage and recover the bodies as many times as some of the transit countries have to we would all be governed by the rules of safety first profit last, at one laminate flooring manufacturer I loaded out of in germany they had photographs of how the load was to be loaded and how many straps were needed, the forkie loaded the pallets and took photos which were straight to the office and after being inspected I was told ok you can go, that was 26 ratchet straps for a full load two pallets high, and each strap tested for tension with their own hand held machine which most BAG men carry in their vans, one strap I was told to replace asap as it had a rub line across it not cut or tatty just a definite rub line.
I often look at the german bag videos and have tried getting my phone to convert the language to English but it is not quick or sensitive enough to be able to understand it and I have not yet found a piece of kit that can do it, so if anyone has any ideas I would like to hear from them, I enjoyed my time driving in germany as there are no grey areas there its either right or wrong end of.
) and the load ends up strewn all over the ■■■■ road. 
, but at least we are stocking up on the funds that they collect for (as their priority) out of our hard earned. 
…so they’re happy.