A load on your mind
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Members of our operator panel share their opinions on what makes a load secure By Pat Hagan
IT MAY SEEM OBVIOUS to any driver that an unsafe load constitutes a danger to themselves, warehouse staff and other road users. After all, research by the Health and Safety Executive shows it can significantly increase the risk of an accident and that UK businesses lose millions of pounds a year in damaged goods.
But what's much less obvious is what exactly constitutes a secure load. The issue has become something of a hot potato ever since Vosa launched a crackdown on unsafe cargoes in April 2012.
It came up with a load restraint 'enforcement matrix' to help officers identify vehicles where loads are not adequately restrained. Although Vosa doesn't set out specific instructions for every possible type of load, the broad principle seems to be that they should be secured to the bed of the vehicle, from rave-to-rave. But some operators have complained that the guidance is vague and fear they may unwittingly fall foul of Vosa and suffer penalties that could reflect badly on their professional standing. Between April and September this year, there were 1,269 load restraint defects reported by Vosa and 1,190 resulted in prohibition. CM asked a panel of operators with a particular interest in the area to give their views on how Vosa's new initiative has affected them. •
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Barry Proctor MD, Barry Proctor Services, Stoke-on-Trent "There's a lack of clarity on the issue, and trying to get advice from Vosa is like getting blood
out of a stone," says Proctor, whose firm specialises in moving bricks. "We always load to the headboard and all our trailers are fitted with aluminium sides. But Vosa is saying all goods should be strapped to the deck, and that's not really possible.
"So what am I expected to do? The answer I got when I put it to them was 'see the guidelines'."
Proctor says he knows of one operator who strapped blocks in accordance with Vosa requirements. "It took an hour to strap them and another hour to unstrap them," he says. "Another was ordered to strap cardboard boxes of tomatoes to the floor."
He adds: "By the time he'd finished, they would have been tomato puree." Mark Le Montais Technical services director, Yusen Logistics, Northampton Yusen recently invested in more than 100 new trailers, which the firm hopes will help it comply with Vosa requirements on secure loads. The new fleet of TUV XL trailers are designed to assist with load restraint, but there are still no guarantees this will help drivers survive a
roadside inspection. "We haven't had any problems so far," says Le Montais. "But Iknow people who have. There is a lot of confusion. We bought a couple of books on the subject — one for operators and one for drivers — and found there was a real conflict of information." Daniel Wood Operations manager, Fagan and Whalley, Burnley "The mistake Vosa is making," says Wood, "is that it's trying to make the issue black
and white when it isn't.
"For example, we carry a lot of toilet tissue. How do you strap loads down to the bed without damaging the goods?
"At the moment, we are securing loads from the roof, but if you read the Vosa guidelines they say everything should be fixed to the bed of the trailer. Our drivers take this issue very seriously, but we could do with some clarification from Vosa." Colin McKay MD, Fast Forward International, Sittingbourne In a bid to get ahead of the game on the secure load crackdown, Fast Forward
bought in three new trailers with overhead load restraint systems and had another trailer retro-fitted with the same kit. "They got a mixed reaction from the
drivers," says McKay. "Some thought they were terrific, others thought the added restraints just got in the way."
But earlier this month, the company was issued with its first PG9 in 20 years by a Vosa officer who did not approve of the load restraint, admittedly on one of its older trailers without the new overhead system. "Vosa is not accepting internal straps any more from the top of the roof bar or rail because they say the body is not
constructed as a load restraint structure. So what they're really looking for is rave-to-rave using ratchet straps. But, with different cargoes, that can cause problems. I know of one guy who was carrying empty wooden pallets on board and was prosecuted." lain Mitchell MD, John Mitchell Transport, Grangemouth Load security is a serious issue for Mitchell and his drivers, even though the bulk
of the company's work involves containers.
"We include it in a driver's induction and also plan to have it as a module in the driver CPC," says Mitchell. "But it's not a science — it's based on opinion."
Like others, Mitchell has examples bordering on the absurd. One involves a haulier who often carries pallets of crisps and who has been challenged by Vosa on the way he restrains the loads. "There's virtually no weight and you could
turn that lorry upside down and the load would not come out," he says.
"The worry is that it could affect an operator's OCRS. Having said that, I am totally behind the policy. We just need to work together on it." Jim Macauley MD, Cadzow Heavy Haulage, Glasgow Macauley's speciality is shifting machinery, so securing loads is bread and
butter to his drivers.
"We chain everything down to the trailer," he says. But Macauley fails to see how Vosa inspectors are in a position to lecture drivers
on the roadside on the best way to secure their consignments.
"Someone telling drivers how to do it right would have to be in the business themselves, or at least have done the job at some point.
"It should be someone with first-hand experience. In all the years I've been doing this job, we've never lost a load," he says.
Panel verdict
• The Vosa clampdown is seen mostly as a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
• Guidelines are too vague and don't spell out specific scenarios.
• Operators fear rules are being interpreted differently by enforcement officers.
• There are also concerns that OCRS ratings could suffer through no fault of operators.
• Hauliers back the need to banish bad practice but want Vosa to be clearer on how the rules are applied.