Read on here a lot about loads in curtain siders have to be strapped etc as curtain not load bearing. Saw other day dulux trucks have armoured curtain from firm in pboro on side it says CURTAINS WILL SUPPORT UP TO MGW OF VEHICLE. LIVE LOADS (COWS SHEEP?) NEED ADDITIONAL SECURING.
Will these become the norm or are they so expensive won’t be ever be economicaly viable for hauliers?
We have some of these so yesterday I only secured my back two pallets to stop them moving backward, then when our driver trainer saw it he said I need to still strap every pallet so after arguing I’m in for a bollacking now.
Why buy the things if your still going to strap everything sometimes I despair at our firm 
.
.
I prefer my trailers with doors - on the side.
.
.
yorkshire terrier:
Why buy the things if your still going to strap everything
sometimes I despair at our firm
.
.
Keep on the lookout for jobs that only use box vans.
They’ll then have to pay extra wages for curtainsider men.
Even then I would do any curtain work.
.
.
yorkshire terrier:
We have some of these so yesterday I only secured my back two pallets to stop them moving backward, then when our driver trainer saw it he said I need to still strap every pallet so after arguing I’m in for a bollacking now.
Why buy the things if your still going to strap everything sometimes I despair at our firm
That is also VOSA’s view on those curtainsiders, although they are acceptable on mainland Europe, and in a euro court VOSA would lose on this matter.
weeto:
yorkshire terrier:
We have some of these so yesterday I only secured my back two pallets to stop them moving backward, then when our driver trainer saw it he said I need to still strap every pallet so after arguing I’m in for a bollacking now.
Why buy the things if your still going to strap everything sometimes I despair at our firmThat is also VOSA’s view on those curtainsiders, although they are acceptable on mainland Europe, and in a euro court VOSA would lose on this matter.
VOSA live in cloud cuckoo land though. You’re expected to strap the top deck of a decker, in driving rain and gales force winds, in the dark without any safe way of getting up there?
I did a run a few weeks ago and the warehouse guy was chatting. He’d done the same runs himself years back. And you know what? They used to transport the same load on a flatbed with just a sheet roped over the top. No straps at all. Could have been BS but, there were plenty that used to do such things. And they didn’t lose their load on the first roundabout… 
I’ve never strapped stuff inside a curtainsider, and I still don’t. Sure, I’ll cross strap the back two and any others which look like they might fall over backwards, but I’m not going to strap eveything down the side. I know this renders me liable to a massive fine, and I know that my explanations that it’s potentially dangerous to the driver will fall on deaf ears if I’m ever stopped by VOSA, but in fifteen years of driving curtainsiders, I’ve never yet had anything fall off.
I agree, but times change, and the rules are there to protect not only yourself, but also the people who get the load tipped over them, via the side curtain, and seeing that you mentioned the old days, we used to carry 20 foot containers that were tied on with ropes, and perched on the rave, so metal to metal, and twistlocks were only used on the railways, whose containers we were carrying, there wasnt the equipment around in those days, that are around today. although chains and toggles were used, on certain loads, and eventually purchased to secure the containers, until twistlocks became a part of a trailers build.
truckyboy:
I agree, but times change, and the rules are there to protect not only yourself …
That’s just my point, though. I believe it to be less safe for me than simply opening the curtains on an unrestrained load.
If a pallet’s tipped over on the top deck and is leaning on the curtains … I go round the trailer undoing the buckles, then go to the front of the trailer and release the ratchet. Where am I standing when the pallet descends as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath? Well out of harm’s way at the front of the trailer, that’s where. If on the other hand, the pallet is leaning on a strap and I’ve already undone the curtains, when I release the tension from the strap the whole lot comes crashing down upon my head. That’s why I don’t strap every pallet as a matter of course, because I believe it to be an ill thought through policy. None of this will stop me getting into trouble if I’m ever pulled over by VOSA.
Cruise Control:
LIVE LOADS (COWS SHEEP?) NEED ADDITIONAL SECURING.
Live loads…ie- Timber. NOT cows & sheep, made me smile though!! 
Silver_Surfer:
I’d love one of these:
now strap and chain 24 tone of steel in it or timber that comes right to the edge or your 26 pallets of pop for the as she said
drinks industry
2012 that video was made with the comments board locked off
VOSA could only do you for an unsafe load. The defence is the fact that the curtains are load bearing to the Max GVW of the vehicle. If you went to court and your load was not overloading the vehicle VOSA would have no chance of winning. You could even counter sue them for loss of earning etc. If any VOSA officer or Police officer tells you otherwise then they are wrong.
Rhythm Thief:
I’ve never strapped stuff inside a curtainsider, and I still don’t. Sure, I’ll cross strap the back two and any others which look like they might fall over backwards, but I’m not going to strap eveything down the side. I know this renders me liable to a massive fine, and I know that my explanations that it’s potentially dangerous to the driver will fall on deaf ears if I’m ever stopped by VOSA, but in fifteen years of driving curtainsiders, I’ve never yet had anything fall off.
36 years… never lost anything off a trailer…
Pop transport just for you Nick:
youtube.com/watch?v=6qKbVdSDSB0&sns=em
It has the lift up eye hooks on the edge of the bed for hooking straps on, I appreciate if the load needs to come right to the edge or bulge the curtains then the trailer wouldn’t be suitable but most folk know what they’ll be carrying except in general, a lot of loads that bulge the curtain apart from chip are a bit of a ■■■■ take anyway.
The curtains are rated to BS EN XL bladdy blah or whatever.
Rhythm thief and truckkertone, 15 years and 34 years without losing anything off a trailer but I bet you both have had pallets go over inside your wagon at some point?
Which I think is the point about strapping loads as its about the load shifting causing a dramatic shift in the centre of gravity causing roll overs and not only to do with something coming out through your curtain.
For the record, I don’t usually strap pallets unless they look dodgy or poorly wrapped either.
To strap or not to strap:
Scenario:
I pick up a trailer full of pallets of ambient food stuff on a curtain sider, looked in the trailer and the pallets where all roughly the same height, nicely cubed in standard 2 x 2 formation, pallets about 4 foot high with a couple of 8 footers at the front that where double decked.
Now playing my ‘what would I do if its was an open flatbed’ logic I deceided I would have only been able to rope and sheet it any way and shutting the curtains would offer more load retaining potential if things went ■■■■ up.
So would any one here strap it using the internal straps or just leave it to the curtains.
Dipper_Dave:
So would any one here strap it using the internal straps or just leave it to the curtains.
Yes because it has to strapped and i won’t get any thanks of my company for not doing it.
Dipper_Dave:
To strap or not to strap:Scenario:
I pick up a trailer full of pallets of ambient food stuff on a curtain sider, looked in the trailer and the pallets where all roughly the same height, nicely cubed in standard 2 x 2 formation, pallets about 4 foot high with a couple of 8 footers at the front that where double decked.Now playing my ‘what would I do if its was an open flatbed’ logic I deceided I would have only been able to rope and sheet it any way and shutting the curtains would offer more load retaining potential if things went ■■■■ up.
So would any one here strap it using the internal straps or just leave it to the curtains.
I personally would use the internal straps to secure the front 2 that are on top against the headboard to stop them falling back.
If its exactly how you described then that’s a good secure load as it is, pallets solidly together with no space to move around.
Silver_Surfer:
Pop transport just for you Nick:youtube.com/watch?v=6qKbVdSDSB0&sns=em
It has the lift up eye hooks on the edge of the bed for hooking straps on, I appreciate if the load needs to come right to the edge or bulge the curtains then the trailer wouldn’t be suitable but most folk know what they’ll be carrying except in general, a lot of loads that bulge the curtain apart from chip are a bit of a ■■■■ take anyway.
The curtains are rated to BS EN XL bladdy blah or whatever.
thats my point but also the load was still not (as we keep getting told) secured from sideways movement and the only restraint was the floor to roof bars ONE set so all the forward load movement under breaking is on the headboard…