jase:
Mmm the old road through the houses to the isle of grain was the one but it was well worth it when you got there to check in at the old portakabin especially if that young lady with the enormous knockers was wearing her bingo top!!!,wahay!!!
But no,unless it was a regular customer and I knew what was in it,id take it very steady for the first few miles till I’d got the gist of it.
I reckon they couldn’t do you for it though if you haven’t loaded it,suppose the same may apply to those that do un-accompanied trailers if their sealed up.
I was just thinking about that place the other day, didnt the check in girls sit a bit higher than normal, i remember a few times coming face to thigh with a lovely set of suspender bumps, was about the only time i didnt mind being kept waiting cos the paperwork was wrong
OVER here in Germany when you have picked up a container or demountable and it has a custom seal , you can not open this however if when you move off you hear loud bangs or the load shifts you have felt it , then its a telephone call to the Disponent/TM and its his job to take action, ----------------------------------- If the seal is just a factory seal or firm seal and you hear bangs or the load has shifted then stop look inside and act as required also writing why the seal was broken and when , -------------------- WHEN stopped by the police and they break open the seal and the load is insecure but not noticiblyto you the driver, the loader and firm gets done,if however there are signs noticeably from the outside like say fluids leaking out then you are in for it,
Steve-o:
It was my understanding your load is the box, not what’s in it. If all the twist locks are on and secure then that should be that for the driver. I would just heed caution on bends and that and just overall take it easy.
Legally, your responsibility is for everything that’s on your lorry!
I’d agree with that. While drivers have no business removing a customs seal, if, when heading for the outgates (be fair most boxes will be collected from a major port) it feels dodgy, get the old bill/gate staff to authorise it’s removal in their presence.
I very much doubt that they have the authority to authorise the removal of a customs seal.
I would imagine that if you were that worried you would need to get Customs to remove it and re-seal it.
Certainly in terms of weight, drivers have been prosecuted successfully for being overweight because of discrepancies in the available paperwork.
Depending upon who you’re working for, the line and/or the forwarder will be able to arrange to break the seal and to re-seal the box. And yes, I have first hand knowledge of hauliers and drivers being convicted for weight offences even where the paperwork has been incorrectly (maybe falsely) completed.
Being a lazy [zb]stard I’ve spent a few years on the boxes, I’ve never opened one to see what’s inside, you can get a feel for the way it’ll handle before you leave the dock, the first couple of turns will give you a clue into how it’ll behave out on the road, this coupled with a bit of experience will see you right. By experience I mean knowledge of delivery points, for example if you’re delivering to a place that has packs of timber, they don’t always go to a company with timber in the name, yet you really need to know if there are unsecured packs of timber inside the box, it may handle quite well in the dock, but if you have to throw it around a bit the packs of timber will all slide to one side, coincidentally it’s usually the same side you end up lying on at a roundabout
As Wheelnut says, the height of British chassis when compared to Euro & US chassis doesn’t make life easy, but that’s what you have, so that’s what you need to be comfortable with, the best advice is, if you don’t know what’s inside, go slowly, you may not get nicked for an insecure load if it falls on its side, but it’s still going to hurt
Doesn’t the shipping note or SDG note if it’s hazardous have a section (box15 on a dg note) that is to be signed by the loaders of the container? It’s supposed to be a declaration that the container was suitable for the cargo, ie clean and dry, only sound packages have been packed - no leaks for example, weight has been evenly distributed, and most importantly from our point of view, that all packages have been properly stowed and secured in the container? If there is an accident because the load has moved becuase it wasn’t strapped down properly or loaded sensibly, then all or some of the blame should lie with the loading company. I know that isn’t going to work out well when you are dealing with something that is loaded in Johannesburg or Shanghai, but I think that’s the theory.
When you collect a box that has been loaded in the UK, the box on the SSN/DG certifying that the container has been loaded correctly should be signed by the loaders.
That is only my understanding of it, I’m not saying I’m right.
albion:
Doesn’t the shipping note or SDG note if it’s hazardous have a section (box15 on a dg note) that is to be signed by the loaders of the container? It’s supposed to be a declaration that the container was suitable for the cargo, ie clean and dry, only sound packages have been packed - no leaks for example, weight has been evenly distributed, and most importantly from our point of view, that all packages have been properly stowed and secured in the container? If there is an accident because the load has moved becuase it wasn’t strapped down properly or loaded sensibly, then all or some of the blame should lie with the loading company. I know that isn’t going to work out well when you are dealing with something that is loaded in Johannesburg or Shanghai, but I think that’s the theory.
When you collect a box that has been loaded in the UK, the box on the SSN/DG certifying that the container has been loaded correctly should be signed by the loaders.
That is only my understanding of it, I’m not saying I’m right.
Indeed you are correct about the container checks and consignor signature required on the note for goods carried under ADR. Nonetheless, the security of the load remains the sole responsibility of the driver (and his employer) once it goes on the road, and the consignor has no legal liabilty for it.
There was a Maritime truck gone over on the slip road of J10 M40 south today, anyone else see it? Not sure what caused the roll over but thats the second truck gone over in as many weeks in that area.
