Morning all, I’ve got a bit of a concern I started a new job on Monday and it requires pulling sealed tautinliners (ewals) from the docks straight to the customer, now as it’s sealed I’m unable to check the load to make sure it’s secure as some customers will reject the load if the seal is broken,
I tipped a load of new engines the other day and to my surprise when the seal was cut and curtains pulled back there was no straps on the stilages, quite a heavy load which I personally would of strapped down,
I’m just wondering if I was to get pulled off vosa can they make me break the seal to check the load security and if so who would be held responsible?
Obviously I was unable to check load security being a sealed tautinliner
Depends a bit on your position, but make contact in writing straight away with either Ewals if youre a contractor, or with your boss. Say you had a dangerous load. See what response you get, helpful or not? You may choose to refuse to pull another potentially dangerous load. If it falls out the side onto those famous Nuns carrying kittens you will be at fault, especially since you have had one of these trailers and now KNOW they can be dangerous. If youve a CMR for 2 tons of electronic goods you may choose not to break the seal.
Load of engines in stills written on CMR, Id pull the seal off straight away. Never mind the Nuns and kitties I dont want to write out an accident form.
It’s a strange one this as I’m not sure anybody has ever given a definitive answer. I think with ferry trailers DVSA will more than likely say you should break the seal, check the load and then reseal it and write on the CMR why it’s a different seal.
However, back in the real world who has time for that ■■■■ on Immingham docks at 3am in the ■■■■■■■ rain, most blokes do the same thing, get under it get it hooked up, kick tyres, check lights and get on the road…if it made it to the port the other side and across the sea without incident, as long as you’re not driving like Nigel Mansell round roundabouts it should be ok.
I know that it’s YOUR license etc etc etc but I’m just giving my view…hundreds of trailers a day come off the port, I don’t see many drivers with curtains open, boards stripped out strapping down loads before they hit the road.
If you personally are not totally happy, or prepared to take a bit of risk, then my original point of breaking seal, resealing and annotating paperwork is usually acceptable, very few places refuse a load over a seal number in my experience, most don’t even check it.
Scac, Euroliner and what ever else passed for a tilt trailer I ever pulled out of the docks on import loads, I opened them up and restrained the load how I wanted to.
This was going back many years and I carried my own chains, straps and ropes then.
Bottom line, if it falls off or out, YOU and YOU alone will be the first to be hauled up for insecure loading and god forbid, the possible manslaughter charges that you might be charged with too.
Seems like Ewals /DSV are getting their act together…usually theyre pulled from loading to customer by one unit…so i assume for the hours regulation, theyre restructuring deliveries to be legal. As for the strapping, if a driver is dropping the trailer…hes not gonna put straps on the load…that hes not gonna get back !!..and many dont strap in the first place as the French etc aint bothered…But as you know, in the Uk, vosa are very interested, and will fine you ( they got me once for £100 ) and i had on china clay in 3/4 ton bags…yeah right…and they wont care if your sealed or not…they will break them…as theyre not customs seals…but customers seals and can be broken by the police or vosa. I would certainly ask my boss what to do, and he in turn can ask DSA…and if they said the customer would refuse the load/trailer/…then thats what i would be doing if i can not strap up myself…unless they offer in writing to pay the fines…but it still goes on your record…good luck buddy.
Wildy:
DVSA can only ASK you to open up the trailer. You can say no. The only time they have authority is if they carry out a joint operation with customs.
Only if you posture confidently, and ask the DVSA officer to show his warrant card, and explain clearly that he has ‘no legal authority’.
He will then apologise profusely for the delay he has caused you, and make you a cup of tea.
truckyboy:
Seems like Ewals /DSV are getting their act together…usually theyre pulled from loading to customer by one unit…so i assume for the hours regulation, theyre restructuring deliveries to be legal. As for the strapping, if a driver is dropping the trailer…hes not gonna put straps on the load…that hes not gonna get back !!..and many dont strap in the first place as the French etc aint bothered…But as you know, in the Uk, vosa are very interested, and will fine you ( they got me once for £100 ) and i had on china clay in 3/4 ton bags…yeah right…and they wont care if your sealed or not…they will break them…as theyre not customs seals…but customers seals and can be broken by the police or vosa. I would certainly ask my boss what to do, and he in turn can ask DSA…and if they said the customer would refuse the load/trailer/…then thats what i would be doing if i can not strap up myself…unless they offer in writing to pay the fines…but it still goes on your record…good luck buddy.
Most trailers I’ve picked up this week have had straps and ratchets tied to the side of the trailer, it’s the driver loading can’t be arsed to use them making my job more awkward.
Company told me on the rear occasion we Do ferry work allways check the load if anything happens your responsible also has been known for some immigrants sorry doctors and engineers to be stowing away
truckyboy:
As for the strapping, if a driver is dropping the trailer…hes not gonna put straps on the load…that hes not gonna get back !!
My first job as an international driver I got sent to pull a DSV trailer to Serbia/Turkey/Ukraine etc about twice a year. Whenever we started to get low on straps, according to the gaffer
Around here they give out as many straps as you want from the warehouse at DSV and none get accounted for when the trailer is returned.
If I pick up a trailer in the country where it’s going I’m not bothered about any stowaways. I don’t care about seals either, if there is one on, break it, check it and annotate the paperwork, time, date, place.
We do a lot of ferry trailer work, and have a load of spare seals. Company policy is simple if you want to look, take a picture of the seal, break it, do your thing, re-seal and keep original seal with paperwork.
As stated Dvsa don’t care about any other ‘company policy’ that prevents you from playing by their rules.
yourhavingalarf:
Bottom line, if it falls off or out, YOU and YOU alone will be the first to be hauled up for insecure loading and god forbid, the possible manslaughter charges that you might be charged with too.
^ This
Insecure load is under the heading of dangerous driving no ifs no buts.
Any security problems with precious guards, just ignore them, your job is to get the load to the destination. Precious is on 9 bob a week because they are otherwise unemployed
fridger:
We do a lot of ferry trailer work, and have a load of spare seals. Company policy is simple if you want to look, take a picture of the seal, break it, do your thing, re-seal and keep original seal with paperwork.
As stated Dvsa don’t care about any other ‘company policy’ that prevents you from playing by their rules.
This does it for me , our company policy is load must match paperwork ,and on rare occasions there is a need to check , sealed or not its a re seal and keep original
scac that jogged the old grey matter, I used to pull them out of Portsmouth back when you could park up overnight on the quay, next trip in the bag under the stairs, test drive the motors going to or coming from the channel islands as they were all parked with the keys in them, there was a few times paper reels went over when they ran the top row along one side of the trailers instead of straddling the two bottom rows, and some loads came on the floor with no dunnage as some of the lazy bods sent steel from the likes of stocksbridge down to Italy without dunnage even though it was free issue rough cut old railway sleepers from a transport yard (I cannot remember where they were), and you could carry a spare set on the trailer landing legs in case you were short on time, the trailer repair man on the docks was very helpful if you had a problem with lights or air on your unit as most people did back in the day, reminiscing over carry on.
