hello,any one pls tell if im pulling a curtain sider with 24 palletts @ pallett size of around 2ft in height all clingfilmed up, do i still need to use straps as well to secure palletts??.. hearing allsorts saying VOSA will prosecute for not securing your load, even if the palletts weigh 100kg each…
Yes
hello coffee. thanks for the quick reply mate, the cutainsider i use has not got a hanging center pole with straps that hang from the ceiling, would i need to use ratchets then??
Yes mate. I normaly have 13 straps in the motor. also there should be a label on the curtains that tells you the load restraint for the curtains.
I do multi drop work where the pallets are wrapped, but not strapped ect, some of the pallets are broken down when we get to the drop say 15 cases taken from a pallet at drop 1, 15 cases drop 2 ect… the stuff is,nt picked in any order so we have to dig through the pallet to find the correct products which can and does leave the pallet unstable… been told that to pick in drop order or palletise/cage everything in order would take too long and extra staff■■? (lob me thinks)
would straps be needed for this? we prob don,t run full 75% of the time and normally the pallets are loaded in a way that we can see/find what is on the pallet …
hi, this is the confussion im getting, the totall weight of all 24 pallets are around 3 tons AND 2ft in height and well wrapped in clingfilm and are very unlikley to move due to all 2x pallets from headboard to tail end of trailer, i would have thought the LOADBEARING CURTAINS ARE QUITE ADEQUATE!
A mate drives a curtainsider for a leading Supermarket Co,his trailer is always loaded/unloaded from the back doors,he said his load is never strapped,yet said Supermarket Co are pretty big on health and safety,but don’t seem too ar$ed about strapping thier loads.
Also,see a lot of trucks running around carrying bricks with no straps,just a net over the bricks,taking a chance,I suppose.
There is no confusion really. You have to secure the pallets and the remaing load. VOSA seem to be cracking down on this sort of thing and they will either slap your wrists and tell you to fasten them down or do you.
The only way I can see you going with it is by using cages and straps. You still need to secure them but at least the remaining goods are contained.
i wouldnt consider that load as insecure if it was strapless
the curtains will take the strain of the minimal weight
Coffee has his German head on
lets worry about proper insecure loads
packs of blocks and bricks
strapped but no support in centre
and tonne bags of sand gravel stones just with a strap at the rear
Ok put it this way, if this load was on a flatbed would you strap it.■■? Or is it a matter of out of sight out of mind.
I would strap it, just to keep the vosa chappy happy.
IF your trailer has curtains that are certified as load bearing the
german Bag /police will ask for this certificate to check, However
you will still need to load and secure the goods carried in a safe &
secure way,or you will end up getting a fine & points plus they will
if required tell you to reload and secure your load, there and then
which may involve the use of a forklift or crane etc which means
more costs for your firm, have a look at this clip it shows some
reasons why, HERE
hitch:
i wouldnt consider that load as insecure if it was strapless
the curtains will take the strain of the minimal weight
Coffee has his German head on
No, just the not getting nicked one. 
just remember that EU LAW states the DRIVER is fully responsible for the "Safety & Contents of the Load "
simple as that if you feel it is secure enough then go otherwise strap it
would you take a unit that was not safe on the roads 
same applies to the trailer & contents
there are always means of strapping the load without havin a holdin bar 
if you cant strap you can refuse to take it as it is not road worthy
all loads ar safe untill it comes off. maybe its about the way drivers drive that makes loads move.
The question was "Do I need straps?
The answer is yes. obviously. What will you do when the cab phone rings and tells you are picking up a load of pallet racking or a new freezer for the RDC. Or when VOSA do decide you need straps and you havent any, you will be parked up for a long time until someone brings you a set from the depot, or worse still the boss sends you off to the local town to buy some. Don’t worry mate. Put them on your credit card and I will sort you next month 
I am doubtful about the load restraining properties of a curtainsider, just look at how they are assembled, how they twist when the curtains are not tensioned properly or when a “temporary” patch has been put on to cover that 8’ square hole that those Scallies cut into the sheet last weekend.
Unfortunately some drivers are not sure how to tension a trailer correctly. I have seen some that have had a bar over the ratchet handle to get them tight, I have seen the curtains pulled so tight that that it felt like a drum skin. There are some loads cannot be strapped easily, but things like tyres can be strapped over the roof and side posts before starting to load, this and building a trellis with the side boards in a Euroliner will be sufficient, even in Germany and Luxembourg.
Interesting to see what VOSA would say when we carry full loads of crisps. they are going nowhere and ok, you would restrain them on a flat bed probably with a sheet, but wouldnt carry them on a flatbed anyway. Its all down to common sense. There are some loads that would be damaged by straps. obviously, a load of timber or suchlike needs plenty of straps, and I have seen drivers going out of Tilbury just using their internals ffs.
[quote=“bowserman”} Its all down to common sense.[/quote]
Unfortunatley i don’t think it is. Its not a question of is it likley to fall off, come through the curtains etc…A simple “is it secured?” gives you only two possible answers.
I’m hating curtainsiders to be honest. They hide too much, and give a false sense of security. An attitude of “it’ll be ok” develops in everyone to the point you get a raised eyebrow or a dismissive comment when you suggest straps. There is quite a bit of peer pressure if you find yourself in the wrong place.
I’ve driven 7.5 tonne flatbeds for a while, and learned the hard way at times that when you make a pigs ear of securing the load, it falls off onto the road. You soon work out how to hold stuff on there.
I’ve been carrying all sorts in the curtains lately, and far too much of it isn’t strapped as standard. It isn’t just me, I used to work at a horse feed supplier, and ton pallets of paper feed bags that were delivered in to us were wrapped in cling firm but loaded unstrapped, all the time, not even internals.
Quite often though, it is the suppliers fault, as a crushable load stacked on pallets cannot be secured with ratchets, as it just cuts into the load and doesn’t compress or hold anything. All you can do in this instance is use internals and hope for the best basically.
I’ve carried flat pack furniture stacked on pallets, with no wrap round it, and been told “no need to strap it drive, it won’t go anywhere”. Sure enough it did, and I had bulging curtains after the first few corners, and the people at the delivery point were less than happy as well. It’s embarressing turning up with a load that looks like its been thrown on.
Also, lots of curtainsiders are expected to load through the back doors via bays, loading or unloading there is nothing put into the plan about pulling off the bay then parking up with enough room either side to open both curtains and throw straps across. There is never any space and never any time.
We have a lot of drivers go through our trucks, its just the nature of the work, lots of agency drivers come through etc. Straps are a precious commodity, it isn’t unusual to come in at 0345 and find no straps onboard. You can’t ring anyone for help at this time of the morning but are still planned to be on the road within 15 minutes. So i’ve purchased my own set of straps to cover this eventuality, it means I don’t have to fret about the “what if” possibilities the night before.
I have also ‘acquired’ a set of 30 timber bearers which will live in the back of my car until needed, for a similar reason - there are never any when you need them. Plenty of signs up at the big timber docks that they won’t load you without your own bearers.
I don’t trust internal straps to do anything, if the weight of me swinging off them can flex the roof inwards, what will happen to the trailer if 2-3 tons suddenly pulls sideways on them. Waste of time in my opinion, a tick in the box for elf and safety but nothing more.
If it isn’t secured with straps to the chassis equal to or greater than the weight of the load, then drive it like you are delivering a load of eggs and glass to a house made of straw built on an ice rink.
browncow2:
all loads ar safe untill it comes off. maybe its about the way drivers drive that makes loads move.
Have you saw some of the way fork lift truck drivers load some wagons, I worked in a warehouse for 2 years when I left school and there were a couple of lads there that did not have a clue how to load. We often loaded stand trailers and they would just throw the stuff on the amount of times I got asked to reload it when drivers complained was stupid but as they were the brown nose boys nothing was really said to either of them.
Obviously you need to carry straps with you and it comes down to common sense when you need to use them. Why does this question come up so often?