This is just a general “I wonder how you do that?” type question that crosses my mind as I drive a load of Royal Mail yorks from A to B. In my job all we do is cart yorks (roll-cages), or RSCs (reuseable steel containers), which are easily restrained with ratchet straps, but very rarely pallets. My question is how should pallets be secured without damaging their contents? Some drivers I’ve spoken to say they don’t bother, even in curtainsiders, but surely a curtain is only weather protection and not a restraint system?
In vans and 7.5tonners with solid sides we would use spring loaded bars.
When loading pallets on my truck with 250 pots of cream i use a metal bar which has two cups (same as above).
There are two rails on my trailer, a highrr and lower one, because the pallet is only about waist high i use the lower one, so if it was to shift back or foward the metal bar would hold it.
As for curtainsiders ive seen in the back of some curtainsides they have straps hanging from the roof, i saw this kind of setup in the back of a James Irlam Trailer
James
oakeedokee:
This is just a general “I wonder how you do that?” type question that crosses my mind as I drive a load of Royal Mail yorks from A to B. In my job all we do is cart yorks (roll-cages), or RSCs (reuseable steel containers), which are easily restrained with ratchet straps, but very rarely pallets. My question is how should pallets be secured without damaging their contents? Some drivers I’ve spoken to say they don’t bother, even in curtainsiders, but surely a curtain is only weather protection and not a restraint system?
most curtainsiders have a rating on the curtain stating how much they can restrain, as for tying down there usually aint a need as long as you load the pallets on correctly, if you do need to use the straps from the roof there is a few ways, either to cross over the straps like an “X” or get the strap from the roof down to the pallet, put the strap around the center wooden knuckle then attach it the the side of the trailer
I used to wonder the same thing until I started work for a general haulage company, (they know how to load anything!!) Ive got NVQ’s for transporting goods by road but it was useless until I started with my current job.
you just have to use a bit of common sence im on general haulage and could be carrying anything.look how the other drivers are doing it,ask someone to help you.make sure its loaded corectly and if it looks dodgy dont carry it,if it comes off and kills somebody youll bear the brunt.with pallets i just use a couple of internals to stop the load moving backwards,also drive according to the load
thanks guys, got some good pointers there. One chap at work told me “oh I don’t bother securing them, it’s only paper, won’t hurt anyone if it moves.” Yeah, right, I thought, that pallet load of magazines looks bloody heavy to me! Imagine that coming out the side of your trailer - no thanks,
i don`t bother strapping mags
I too wonder how it’s all secured, different loads ect, ect!! all comes with experience though i guess. I’m due to be taking a cpc load securing course to count towards my cpc hours so i hope that will give me alot of insight!! still searching for work at the moment so maybe this will give me a little insight!