Hi all. Recently undertook my cpc to finally get me back on the road after 20+ years of doing other things. One of the subjects covered during the 35 hours training was safe loading and how VOSA could fine you if you don’t get it right. The trainer said that loads have to be up against the truck/ trailer headboard or you could be fined if it isn’t. Surely though, if you have a short but heavy load, you may need to spread the load over the axles and to stay within the axle weights, it isn’t always possible to tuck it up to the headboard.
I guess I should have asked for clarification at the time but didn’t (mainly because the instructor would confuse me and others more whenever we did ask questions on some points so gave up trying to get clarity). Is it ok to leave a gap between the headboard/ bulkhead to get the load distributed within axle limits? I’ve seen a few youtube vids where loads such as steel bars/ steel sheets etc. are a good 4 feet from the bulkheads, is this acceptable in general.
tia
Doing multidrop I can have a gap between the load and the headboard, not heard anything about it. Just make sure what you’re carrying is secure.
Flat bed lorries are very dangerous in the event of a frontal crash. The load can destroy the headboard and kill the driver. What’s needed is an aluminium crumple box fitted behind the headboard to absorb the impact of the load if you hit something solid, like a tree or brick wall. I’ve got one fitted to the front of my Smart car and that’s only 2.5m long!
Would’nt think what he told you was right…Of course most loads can go against the headboard…But some of the big reels of paper we carry don"t.And as long as they are secure i can’t see that being a problem with vosa.
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Our instructor told us we could use “dunnage” to pack the gap. This could be pallets, packing material or sheets. But you still need to make sure they were strapped down as well. It would need to be robust though…
Don’t worry, your CPC trainer is talking ■■■■■■■■, or at least has not explained to you clearly what they meant. And there in lies the rub, it’s almost plausible, but like so much of the CPC delivered courses its partly correct.
If you are using the headboard as part of the load restraint then yes it needs to be butted up tight, or packed out with dunnage.
But if its a heavy load that cant be placed that far forward you just need to use extra restraints to take the place of the headboard.
Based on what I’ve been told by my bosses, VOSA / DVSA would apparently prefer that you stack everything against the headboard since that provides less movement potential, but there are essentially 2 critical things you must have above all else:
- Enough load restraint such as straps / chains for the load to ensure it doesn’t move.
- Make sure you’re not overloading the axles as mentioned.
For example, on my 18 tonne truck I carry mostly pre-cast concrete in various forms and most sit several feet from the headboard otherwise I’d overload the front axle which is a major no-no. The company has been doing this for 20 years now and apparently never had any complaints from VOSA for the loading practices, so it would seem your instructor is wrong. We can’t even chain most of the stuff which usually comes in around 10 tonnes due to it being “finished product”.
The thing is, even if you stack everything against the headboard and then crash into something very solid, it’s really not going to stop say 10+ tonnes of anything ending up in the cab.
DVSA would have laid an large egg if they saw one of my loads as it was 2 5ft tall 3.25t each cable drums I had chained just forward of back axle so 10ft of clear space in front ,
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blue estate:
DVSA would have laid an large egg if they saw one of my loads as it was 2 5ft tall 3.25t each cable drums I had chained just forward of back axle so 10ft of clear space in front ,
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That’s the point - they wouldn’t have done at all as it sounds like you had the appropriately restrained. If if had just been a couple of straps they might have laid your large egg 
F-reds:
blue estate:
DVSA would have laid an large egg if they saw one of my loads as it was 2 5ft tall 3.25t each cable drums I had chained just forward of back axle so 10ft of clear space in front ,
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That’s the point - they wouldn’t have done at all as it sounds like you had the appropriately restrained. If if had just been a couple of straps they might have laid your large egg
If I only had straps the forkie wouldn’t have loaded me
