Over 400kg needs ratchet strapping.
Curtains are weather protection - XL or not. Think of it as a flatbed that can keep stuff dry and forget about the XL/Positive fit stuff and you’ll not fall foul of anything… or shouldn’t at least.
With regard to the overspeed, your vehicle will register an overspeed, and you can be prosecuted for speeding if you are travelling above the limited speed of the vehicle. So if the vehicle limiter is set to 56 mph, you are speeding if you drive at 58 mph, as it is deemed to be above the safe capability of the vehicle
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XL rated bodies display stickers in prominent positions.
Trailers and vehicles built to the EN 12642 XL standard can withstand a minimum of 40% of the rated payload to the side - without extra load securing - when following the manufacturer’s guidance.
DVSA accept an EN 12642 XL rated vehicle/trailer keeping 50% of the rated payload to the side without any extra securing, as long as the load fills the entire load area to the front, rear and to within 80mm of the side. This is often called a ‘positive fit’.
It’s acceptable to fit lateral bulkheads or use packing material to fill any gaps in the load to guarantee positive fit when loading.
Using XL rated vehicles to transport diminishing or part loads isn’t ideal but it’s still possible as long as the following are met:-
any gaps created by a diminishing load are blocked keeping a positive fit
a partial load which doesn’t fill the load area has extra securing - this should be enough to meet the DfT rules: 50% to the side, rear and 100% to the front
For example, the use of rated lashing straps across the rear of the load must provide security for 50% of the entire load. This will secure the load in the same way as the rear of the vehicle would for a full load.
Or, the load should be secured as it would in a non-‘XL’ rated vehicle.
The EN 12642 XL standard refers to the entire vehicle or trailer and not just the curtains. So, reinforced curtains fitted to an ordinary trailer do not meet the XL standard. There’s no such thing as an ‘XL curtain’.
XL-rated bodies have stickers in prominent positions - usually on the rear door or front bulkhead - to show they meet the standard.
The curtains of an XL-rated body also have to be built to EN 12641.
Stickers confirming this are usually found on the inside of the curtains at the rear of the body.
XL stickers should provide the following information:
confirmation that the body structure - not just the curtain sides - meets the EN 12642 XL standard
the name of the vehicle or trailer manufacturer
the year of manufactureXL bodies are also given a certificate, specific to the vehicle tested, from the organisation responsible for testing vehicles and trailers to the standard.
The Vehicle Certification Agency does this in the UK.
There’s no need to carry this certificate with the vehicle or trailer. But you may find it useful to either provide a copy of the certificate or other documentation so they can be shown to enforcement authorities at the roadside.
Some vehicles are tested to a higher standard than EN 12642 so that they can carry larger or unusual loads. In these cases, DVSA expects you to be able to show the relevant certificate at the roadside.
Now my understanding of what the DVSA expect is a load secured to 100% of its weight to the front and 50% to side and rear. They accept that a trailer built to EN 12642 XL standard can so this provided the load fits certain criteria as to how it fit to the trailer.
CookieMonster:
With regard to the overspeed, your vehicle will register an overspeed, and you can be prosecuted for speeding if you are travelling above the limited speed of the vehicle. So if the vehicle limiter is set to 56 mph, you are speeding if you drive at 58 mph, as it is deemed to be above the safe capability of the vehicle
No, that is RDC waiting room ■■■■■■■■. If a truck is coasting downhill on a motorway where the speed limit is 60mph for trucks, then travelling at 58mph is not an offence.
Harry Monk:
CookieMonster:
With regard to the overspeed, your vehicle will register an overspeed, and you can be prosecuted for speeding if you are travelling above the limited speed of the vehicle. So if the vehicle limiter is set to 56 mph, you are speeding if you drive at 58 mph, as it is deemed to be above the safe capability of the vehicleNo, that is RDC waiting room ■■■■■■■■. If a truck is coasting downhill on a motorway where the speed limit is 60mph for trucks, then travelling at 58mph is not an offence.
There is some leeway given to allow for downhill driving, however if you have several instances of overspeeding on your tacho then you could be done for it.
Same for this as for running over your driving time, you do it once, and it’s only slightly then you’ll be ok, repeat offending will be punished.
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CookieMonster:
Harry Monk:
CookieMonster:
With regard to the overspeed, your vehicle will register an overspeed, and you can be prosecuted for speeding if you are travelling above the limited speed of the vehicle. So if the vehicle limiter is set to 56 mph, you are speeding if you drive at 58 mph, as it is deemed to be above the safe capability of the vehicleNo, that is RDC waiting room ■■■■■■■■. If a truck is coasting downhill on a motorway where the speed limit is 60mph for trucks, then travelling at 58mph is not an offence.
There is some leeway given to allow for downhill driving, however if you have several instances of overspeeding on your tacho then you could be done for it.
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What would be the offence?
CookieMonster:
Harry Monk:
CookieMonster:
With regard to the overspeed, your vehicle will register an overspeed, and you can be prosecuted for speeding if you are travelling above the limited speed of the vehicle. So if the vehicle limiter is set to 56 mph, you are speeding if you drive at 58 mph, as it is deemed to be above the safe capability of the vehicleNo, that is RDC waiting room ■■■■■■■■. If a truck is coasting downhill on a motorway where the speed limit is 60mph for trucks, then travelling at 58mph is not an offence.
There is some leeway given to allow for downhill driving, however if you have several instances of overspeeding on your tacho then you could be done for it.
Same for this as for running over your driving time, you do it once, and it’s only slightly then you’ll be ok, repeat offending will be punished.Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
In all the times I have been stopped by the police and VOSA not once has anyone mentioned overspeeds despite there being plenty for them to see
CookieMonster:
With regard to the overspeed, your vehicle will register an overspeed, and you can be prosecuted for speeding if you are travelling above the limited speed of the vehicle. So if the vehicle limiter is set to 56 mph, you are speeding if you drive at 58 mph, as it is deemed to be above the safe capability of the vehicleSent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
More rdc or cpc crap. I regularly have overspeed, if it’s an over speed going down hill, no problems, if it’s a continuous overspeed eg all the time. they might want to check your speed limiter. Only pointy shoes will bother, real company don’t care.
Re: overspeed
As soon as you hit a downhill and the speed hits 90kph and it starts to over speed, start mentally counting 1, 2, 3 etc when you get to 15, hit the brakes, coz time you count to 25 it’s likely to register an over speed
XL curtains and trailer can in theory be used with just the internals since the curtain will contain the load, but there are an awful lot of cavats.
The distances from the edge and the back are crucial but you still need to cross strap the back pallets. Plus both the trailer and curtains need to be rated not just curtains.
Personally I would ratchet them if over 400kg then you don’t need to spend hours explaining XL to VOSA and arguing about whether it qualifies or not. Don’t assume all VOSA bods are all up on every reg.
Plus if the load isn’t even and you don’t strap, you’re still responsible if the load isn’t secured. Eg: if the load isnt the same height.
ChrisEnglish90:
Back to my strapping question is my EN12462XL trailer enough to just cross the backs with a full load ? Or do I need RATCHET STRAPS or are internals enough?
I would say everything depends on the nature of the load, also taking into consideration potential strap damage to that load.
Also tbf if you get paid hourly, what’s the problem spending a bit of time strapping…(assuming you aint one of the ‘‘aint got time for a ■■■■’’ clowns that is)
If you are carrying palletised bags of say…compost peat for eg, ratchet straps across each row, arse end cross strapped.
On other end of scale, say…pallets of cardboard, use internals.
Any thing in between make your own judgement.and use your initiative.
However…the main concern with the powers that be nowadays is doing you…end of !..
Proper load security concerns in REAL terms, are just a secondary issue, you can say what you like on this but it’s true.
I’ve heard now that you can even get done for putting internals on loads of palletised drinks, they prefer them ratcheted 
, so pallets across the top to protect the load from damage…which is ■■■■ ridiculous.
All this is to make proper responsible drivers suffer for the ■■■■ whits who drive their trucks like cars, where their loads end up strewn all over the road when they roll the trucks that they can not drive. 
Way I see it is mate just forget about all this 123XYZ ■■■■■■■■, and just strap every ■■■■ thing in an attempt to cover your arse.
I regularly carry drinks but have never gone down the empty pallets across the top route yet, but at least I have made an effort to internally strap up properly, , and if pulled I would try and put up a good argument in an attempt (however pointless).to argue common sense to prevail with them 
…
What it needs is a bloody good legal brief to sort the ■■■■ s out in a test case, and stop all this blatant profiteering cash cow ■■■■■■■■ from us. 
If/when I get nicked for it, I’ll put it on here. 
You can’t…
Get done (as in points and a fine) for overspeeds.
You can get a telling off from some corporate toady which you can put your fingers in your ears and go la la la la all the way through.
ChrisEnglish90:
Well I generally take drinks of some description wether it’s alcohol or water to our finest Tesco’s… so they are usually fully loaded and about 1 ton pallets. As said the trailer is the EN12642XL spec with just internals
So what is your firm’s (official) policy on strapping these types of loads?
As I said, I do the same as you, we both know they will never move if driven properly…in fact once over it was just the done thing to cross strap (internals) over the back two pallets if the pallets were properly and tightly shrink wrapped,… but as I said true to form ‘‘they’’ saw an opportunity to cash in.
There is a thread on here somewhere about strapping which confirms what I said, about them not being happy with internals being used on pallets of drinks.
ChrisEnglish90:
Can you explain in leyman terms the ‘distance from the edge and back’?We 99% of the time take 26 pallets or 24 and there generally all the same height. Sometimes it’s 25 which makes cross strapping [zb].
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FORWARD: The load must be in contact with the headboard.
SIDES: The load must be within 80mm of the curtains.
REAR: 26 standard pallets will be fine, but personally, I would cross strap to keep VOSA happy. 24 would require 50% of the load restrained, same with the 25 because one pallet wouldn’t meet the space at the side criteria.
BUT:
Thats just the VOSA/DVSA rules on keeping the load inside the trailer. If you get to your delivery point and its all still inside the trailer but spread all over the bed, its gonna get rejected so you still have to assess your load and strap each pallet accordingly.
Remember 100/50/50.
The headboard of almost any trailer should be rated to a decent chunk of the capacity of the trailer, so if the headboard is rated to 10t, and your load is 23t, you only need to apply 13t of lashing force to the load. Likewise, the sides and back doors of an EN12642XL trailer are rated to 40% of the trailers payload so to use the same example, if the load is a full fit as defined above, no further strapping is required but it is recommended.
If the load isn’t a full fit, and that could be because you have less than a full load, or because the load doesn’t come to the edge of the pallets so there is more space between the load and the curtains, strapping is necessary but only upto 50% of the weight of the load. Internal straps are rated to 750 DaN or 750kg, so if you have 26 1t pallets, an internal strap is sufficient to secure more than 50% of the weight, under the rules. If its a tonne of well wrapped boxes of paper, you will probably be alright. If its a tonne of bottles of coke though, the load is going to move with the vehicle’s motion and a single internal strap isn’t really up to the task, ratchet straps are better for these types of load.
Non-EN12642XL
Is just a fat flatbed. Strap the f*&% out of it.
CookieMonster:
With regard to the overspeed, your vehicle will register an overspeed, and you can be prosecuted for speeding if you are travelling above the limited speed of the vehicle.
Utter ■■■■■■■■. You can if you’re doing it under power on a truck registered after 1/1/1988 as you have a non-compliant speed limiter but you’re not prosecuted for speeding, you’re prosecuted for the speed limiter not being compliant. You can’t if you’re harnessing free energy, aka gravity, aka going down a hill. Speed limit is 60MPH full stop, its written in law. If you’re done for exceeding the set speed limiter speed on the flat you’re not prosecuted under speeding rules.
nsmith1180:
ChrisEnglish90:
Can you explain in leyman terms the ‘distance from the edge and back’?We 99% of the time take 26 pallets or 24 and there generally all the same height. Sometimes it’s 25 which makes cross strapping [zb].
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FORWARD: The load must be in contact with the headboard.
SIDES: The load must be within 80mm of the curtains.
REAR: 26 standard pallets will be fine, but personally, I would cross strap to keep VOSA happy. 24 would require 50% of the load restrained, same with the 25 because one pallet wouldn’t meet the space at the side criteria.
BUT:
Thats just the VOSA/DVSA rules on keeping the load inside the trailer. If you get to your delivery point and its all still inside the trailer but spread all over the bed, its gonna get rejected so you still have to assess your load and strap each pallet accordingly.
Remember 100/50/50.
The headboard of almost any trailer should be rated to a decent chunk of the capacity of the trailer, so if the headboard is rated to 10t, and your load is 23t, you only need to apply 13t of lashing force to the load. Likewise, the sides and back doors of an EN12642XL trailer are rated to 40% of the trailers payload so to use the same example, if the load is a full fit as defined above, no further strapping is required but it is recommended.
If the load isn’t a full fit, and that could be because you have less than a full load, or because the load doesn’t come to the edge of the pallets so there is more space between the load and the curtains, strapping is necessary but only upto 50% of the weight of the load. Internal straps are rated to 750 DaN or 750kg, so if you have 26 1t pallets, an internal strap is sufficient to secure more than 50% of the weight, under the rules. If its a tonne of well wrapped boxes of paper, you will probably be alright. If its a tonne of bottles of coke though, the load is going to move with the vehicle’s motion and a single internal strap isn’t really up to the task, ratchet straps are better for these types of load.
Non-EN12642XL
Is just a fat flatbed. Strap the f*&% out of it.
And this is why asking, or rather following, advice on TN is somewhat pointless.
As far as I’m aware, internals are rated to 400kgs, and accepted by VOSA as such. But that only applies to internals in good condition, not frayed, knotted, with bent buckles where the pallets or forlift/pallet trucks have crushed them.
Also, internals only “stop” sideways movement. They don’t pull the pallet to the deck.
And ratchets on a “ton of bottles of coke”? Utterly pointless, as any force from the strap will simply split the pallet.
ChrisEnglish90:
So what would you’re answer be to my question?
Quite frankly, I do not have one. No definitive and legally binding one anyway. As long as VOSA keep posting proud pictures of wagons loaded with insulation board as “unsecured load” and reported, anything other than ratchet straps is likely to be considered inadequate, if the VOSA man has had a bad day.
Everybody can see how a solid load like timber, or steel, is secured in its entirety by ratchet straps, but “loose” loads, like bottles or boxes on pallets, are still only partially secured by a ratchet strap.
The obvious problem is that the item being ratchet strapped, needs to be strong enough to withstand the pressure of those straps. Cardboard boxes are not. Plastic bottles are not. Bagged goods (sugar, flower, compost etc) are not.
And bottles and such, stacked and shrink wrapped, will only have the strap cut down in between the bottles, destabilizing the load.
In short, until tautliners are routinely fitted with roof suspended sheets, you cant really secure half of the loads carried. On the one hand VOSA enforces badly described rules, and on the other hand we are expected to do the job with wrong or inadequate equipment (and held responsible for it…).
It is a pain, and the main reason why I’m looking for tanker work or boxes again. I’m getting out of general in tautliners.
ChrisEnglish90:
So what would you’re answer be to my question?
Your first obligation is to the law. If you have a positive fit on an xl rated trailer, no further action is needed, (see quote from DVSA website above).
Anything further is either common sense (wooden planks/sheets etc) or just peace of mind (crossing internals over the last pair of pallets).
If you dont have a positive fit, you have to make one. Either by putting a stack of pallets to fill any gaps or by securing the last pallets.
What has your boss said about it?
Why not just strap it? Belt n braces and all that.
Or is it better to just do half a job?
Being a driver is about more than sitting behind a wheel, closing curtains and so on. There are other aspects. This sounds like a “how many corners can I cut” kinda thread…
ChrisEnglish90:
Nite Owl:
ChrisEnglish90:
So what would you’re answer be to my question?Your first obligation is to the law. If you have a positive fit on an xl rated trailer, no further action is needed, (see quote from DVSA website above).
Anything further is either common sense (wooden planks/sheets etc) or just peace of mind (crossing internals over the last pair of pallets).
If you dont have a positive fit, you have to make one. Either by putting a stack of pallets to fill any gaps or by securing the last pallets.
What has your boss said about it?
Boss doesn’t say anything, it’s down to me sort of response whatever I feel is right. However the cpc guy said every pallet needed to be strapped and I mentioned the XL trailers and he was still adamant… I’ll just keep ensuring the trailer is filled headboard to doors and I should be okay?!
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Easy reply to that is: ask your boss. A pull by dvsa will leave your company in as much ■■■■ as you. It’s in their interest to supply you with information (written if possible) and equipment. Lots of people in here complain about micro managing bosses, but in this case it’ll benefit you.