Hi Guys, bit of advice please…
Thanks
The same , your licence on theirs if stuff goes over its your rear that’s on the line
Sorry, should have made it more clear…
Not if you have an adequate amount of ratchet straps available no.
If you let them push you out with strapping down the load then that’s only one persons fault; yours!
Also the fact its an ADR load makes no odds either.
What you have on the back has to be safe, and make it to the destination as it left the start point, whether its radioactive or steel beams, they are both going to bloody dangerous if not secured correctly!
On the rare occasion I pull a curtainsider I don’t even bother with the internal straps. I strap everything using proper straps the same way you would if using a flatbed. So unusable internal straps wouldn’t stop me taking the trailer out. I wouldn’t have left the yard until I was satisfied that I’d secured everything regardless of how much I was being pressured by the office. As already said if you get a pull and something isn’t secure it’s you that’s paying the fines. I’m assuming you’re agency? Refusing to take it out might result in them saying they no longer need you, that’s it. The agency will find you something else to do.
Sundance10:
Hi Guys, bit of advice please…
Hi Sundance10,
ADR is what I do, so here’s the answer…
ADR 7.5.7
Where appropriate the vehicle or container shall be fitted with devices to facilitate securing and handling of the dangerous goods. Packages containing dangerous substances and unpackaged dangerous articles shall be secured by suitable means capable of restraining the goods (such as fastening straps, sliding slatboards, adjustable brackets) in the vehicle or container in a manner that will prevent any movement during carriage which would change the orientation of the packages or cause them to be damaged. When dangerous goods are carried with other goods (e.g. heavy machinery or crates), all goods shall be securely fixed or packed in the vehicles or containers so as to prevent the release of dangerous goods.Where restraints such as banding or straps are used, these shall not be over-tightened to cause damage or deformation of the package
I’ll be the first to say that the above direct quote is rather legalistic and quite wordy, but it roughly translates into plain English like this:
- The vehicle must have some kind of load restraint system.
- Packages containing dangerous goods must be secured in such a way that they can’t fall over or slide around.
- When dangerous goods are carried with other (non-dangerous) goods, the whole load must be secured to the same standard.
- Securing straps must not be overtightened to the extent that they crush the packages in any way.
Then you asked about outcomes and what to do…
A load that isn’t secured as above will count as an insecure load, and YOU will get you penalty points and a fine if it’s discovered.
The points will go on YOUR licence and YOU will be paying the fine. Sorry mate, but that’s how it is.
Depending on the particular enforcement officer concerned (their approach sometimes varies) your boss may also come to their attention, and he probably won’t like having to explain any prohibitions to the Traffic commissioner when his ‘O’ licence comes up for review.
The company where you load must have a DGSA, and so must your company.
My honest suggestion is that (because this is an ADR matter) you should ask your boss to speak to their company DGSA, and get him/her to speak to the DGSA for the company where you load.
This is easily solvable by your boss actually providing what ADR requires him to provide for the vehicle, and maybe a couple of phone calls between managers.
This is easily sorted by a couple of phone calls if it’s tackled correctly.
The last one of this type of case that I dealt with resulted in me having to do some grovelling to the police on behalf of the company. The driver received three penalty points and a fine, whilst the company received an immediate prohibition and a delayed prohibition, with the whole episode being reported (by the police) onwards to the HSE and the Traffic Commissioner for any extra further actions they’d like to take. 
Now you know what’s at stake for you and your boss, you and your boss both have choices to make.
Sorry if my reply seems a little brutal, but the enforcement authorities take a really dim view of this kind of thing, but I’m sure you’d prefer to know it ‘as it is’ because we can’t always sugar-coat everything.
F-reds:
If you let them push you out with strapping down the load then that’s only one persons fault; yours!
This^^^
harrawaffa:
I wouldn’t have left the yard until I was satisfied that I’d secured everything regardless of how much I was being pressured by the office.
And this too^^^
thanks, thanks
Sundance10:
Thanks guysThe trailer is a double decker. What about the loads on the top deck?
What’s the best approach to get those pallets and goods secure? Do I get up onto it and ratchet strap or is there another way?
Hi Sundance10,
I’m sorry to say that the number of decks makes no difference, because the load must be secured as per the quote from ADR above.
It is for the company where you load to risk assess the job and provide you with a suitable and safe way for you to comply with the law, and there’s other proper British law that says this too. 
This sounds like one of the pallet networks to me, because several of them are well-known for exactly what you’ve pointed out.
Thanks again.