Can somebody clarify the rules on strapping for me please. As everywhere I go I ask what do drivers usually do with this load? I always assume I need to strap but every response is usually most don’t bother or ‘only do the back 2’. Also how do load bearing curtains come into play and how do I know if I have them?..seems I’m putting questions here daily haha! thanks for all the help!
HI
The short answer is you are responsible for your load, my advise STRAP IT EVERY TIME. (Of course common sense must be applied). I used to do recovery and believe me drivers are always very sorry when there load is all over the road, or Truck and tralier is on it’s side.
check out this post viewtopic.php?f=2&t=85248&start=120
You will figure it out as you gain experance.
Regards and Drive safe
Jim
The only time any load won’t move is when it’s part of the vehicle.
Anyone that says it won’t move has been lucky
If it can move, strap it…the correct word is inertia (I certainly don’t want something coming through the head board and taking my swede off)
The safest option is strap anything and everything. If it will damage the goods, then ask advice. I don’t strap “anything and everything”, but if it looks iffy to me (with 30 years experience) then it will get strapped.
The Sarge:
The safest option is strap anything and everything. If it will damage the goods, then ask advice. I don’t strap “anything and everything”, but if it looks iffy to me (with 30 years experience) then it will get strapped.
+1 I’d rather spend 10 mins strapping then 12 hours explain to Mr plod why my load is all over the road
Basiclly, look at the pallets. If they are held together with Tesco Value clingfilm then you’ll need to secure it. Securing a load doesn’t always mean strapping it down. If you’ve got 28 pallets of tissue paper then thats not going to come through the curtains unless you really do ■■■■ at driving but at that point you’ll most likely be on your side anyway. But if you’ve got 28t of steel on then you dam well need to chain it/strap it down.
When I was doing a MIXED pallet multi-drop, I put an internal on every pallet no matter what it was because my pay is not for VOSA!
I also looked for whether the contents of the pallet were secured to the pallet, whether it filled the pallet, and if it was a tall or top heavy pallet, was it going to launch itself over the top of the pallet in front of it? If any of these were true, I’d take precautions…
You never know when you will be required to make an emergency stop, and it can takes hours to restack the load! 
Evil8Beezle:
When I was doing a MIXED pallet multi-drop, I put an internal on every pallet no matter what it was because my pay is not for VOSA!
I also looked for whether the contents of the pallet were secured to the pallet, whether it filled the pallet, and if it was a tall or top heavy pallet, was it going to launch itself over the top of the pallet in front of it? If any of these were true, I’d take precautions…
You never know when you will be required to make an emergency stop, and it can takes hours to restack the load!
Unfortunately evil, I learnt a valuable lesson this morning after asking this question I got a full load of pallets with varieties of paper I strapped down basically not enough and last night on the M25 the truck in front of me had to suddenly slam his brakes on due to something in front thus I did too and a load of paper at back shifted forwards coming out there packets and all sorts. So the guy i delivered to wasn’t to happy this morning!
So in answer to my own question…yes strap strap strap every time regardless if it takes me 30 minutes. Will save me just apologising for 20 minutes …balls.
I tend to strap everything and leave nothing to chance…
The issue that arises is when you strap stuff down and you end up damaging the goods, ppl at the delivery point getting ■■■■■■ about this,but rules is rules.
There’s a lot of ppl that say don’t bother… either its to heavy or to light to move but its your licence and your the one getting fined if you get pulled or by some act you spill a load on the carriageway…
ChunkyChunk:
I tend to strap everything and leave nothing to chance…The issue that arises is when you strap stuff down and you end up damaging the goods, ppl at the delivery point getting ■■■■■■ about this,but rules is rules.
There’s a lot of ppl that say don’t bother… either its to heavy or to light to move but its your licence and your the one getting fined if you get pulled or by some act you spill a load on the carriageway…
Agreed, to break it down some more;
We get paid by the hour while we strap, and we can realistically only lose money if we don’t…
Now I’m not this lovely lady , but I can do the maths! 
Hi,in 28 yrs of ropes & sheets,& Long distance,ive never lost a load…
16 pallets of shrink wrap fertilizer 24 tons, i just cross the back with rope…
with steel & timber & plywood,straps Yes i agree…Wen i first started i used to ask the driver in front of me wats the best way,he said watch me,then u learn as u go on.
I used to load 24 tons of seed Tattys from scotland to Cornwall,all i did was rope back end,then with a cross,mine never moved,
did alot of chipboard out of cabberboard,Stirling,back to Devon,on a 40ft flat,8 straps,& drive sensable,mine never moved…Norman Croad,Torquay.
If you loaded up a flat bed without curtain’s, what would you do? As someone on here once said, “strap it as if you’re going to drive it like it’s stolen, but drive like it isn’t strapped”. (Or something like that anyway. 
If you pick up a loaded trailer which has been security sealed do you break the tags to check the load has been secured properly?
MickyB666:
If you pick up a loaded trailer which has been security sealed do you break the tags to check the load has been secured properly?
I’d ask if it had been strapped and in what way, and I’d ask the weight of each pallet. I’d then make a judgement and decide a course of action from there. Only deal with loads with seals on very rare occasions, but if I wasn’t happy I’d be on the phone to my boss and I’d refuse to take it out of the yard until a solution that was satisfactory to me was reached. If the law is black and white (and it is) and I’m in the right then I will budge for no one. End of the day I’m the one who carries the can and I’m not risking my fortnight in sun to pay a fine.
Drove past the dvsa checkpoint in ■■■■■■■ the other week and saw a driver who had opened his back doors and I saw no strapping. I bet in hindsight he wished he’d done things differently that day…
Captain Caveman 76:
If you loaded up a flat bed without curtain’s, what would you do? As someone on here once said, “strap it as if you’re going to drive it like it’s stolen, but drive like it isn’t strapped”. (Or something like that anyway.
Gotta be right.
Strapping badly stacked or wrapped pallets will only be limited use, unless you use corner boards of course. If pallets are badly wrapped endorse the CMR. The sender will often then discover that 10 pence worth of extra wrap will be a good investment in his thousand £ pallet reaching his customer safely.
(edit;typo)
It takes less than 10 minutes to strap down my 18 pallets if they need it,
Last time I thought “be ok that one” and it went over it took me 45 mins pick it all up!