Safe Loading And Its Importance To Hgv Drivers

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Safe Loading And Its Importance To Hgv Drivers
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• Driver training in and around Leeds is an
  important training service for anyone in the
  North of England looking for a career in
  professional driving, as there is a lot to learn
  before you can officially and legally work in the
  industry. From daily maintenance checks to
  staying compliant with working hours regulations,
  our HGV training in Leeds (approved by DVSA)
  helps thousands of people just like you to
  realise their driving career ambitions.
• Here we take a look at one of the many important
  disciplines those taking HGV driver training in
  Leeds will need to master to stay safe whilst
  transporting goods on the road. That discipline
  concerns the safe loading of the variety of load
  types that exist, each of which requires
  different methods and equipment to carry out
  safely.

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Basic Guiding Principles

• Securing goods correctly on the back of an HGV
  vehicle is key to keeping the driver and all
  other road users safe. There are some guiding
  principles that anyone taking LGV/HGV driver
  training will need to follow many times during
  their career to keep everyone safe and their
  truck undamaged. The first principle is the
  securing system used needs to be able to
  withstand the entire load weight forwards (in
  case of heavy braking), half the weight to the
  rear and to the sides, case of unexpected lateral
  movement.

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• The second principle relates to the fact that you
  should always be looking to be using the
  structure of the trailer or vehicle to secure
  your goods, strapping it to the bulkhead or
  headboard if possible. Any gaps between these
  anchor points and the load need to be packed with
  pallets or similar materials to prevent any
  undesired movement. Last, but not least, the
  third principle involves using the correct
  restraints and lashes for the type of load youre
  carrying. Some trailers come with equipment built
  in to make securing loads easier, but typically
  youll be looking at using netting, webbing,
  lashes or chains, depending on what it is youre
  transporting.

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Lashing Techniques

• There are two main methods of lashing and theyre
  known as frictional lashing and direct lashing.
  Direct lashing is primarily used for the loading
  of heavy machinery and plant equipment, with
  lashes being used in opposing pairs. Frictional
  lashing is the more common variety of the two and
  it involves putting lashes over the load from one
  side of the trailer or vehicle to the other. The
  quantity of lashes will depend on factors like
  load weight, the rating of your lashings, load
  bed friction and how many tensioners you use.
• The angle of the lashing is really important and
  it should be as close to vertical as possible. If
  this is proving difficult and your load looks
  low, you can take measures like placing pallets
  underneath and on top of the load to increase the
  angle. As we said before, lashings arent always
  appropriate, especially if youre transporting
  aggregates or powder, which is when you would use
  chains and perhaps even a vehicle with stillages
  or boxes inside.

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DVSA Approved HGV Training centres across the UK

• Essentially, every care needs to be taken to
  choose the right securing method for the right
  load, as the consequences of not doing so can be
  severe. Incorrectly secured loads are also a
  danger to the driver, as many people are hurt
  each year unloading unstable loads from their
  vehicles.
• At Specialised HGV, we offer high-quality HGV
  Training in Birmingham, London, Manchester and
  most major UK cities via our network of approved
  training centres across the country. If youd
  like to find out more about whats involved, get
  in touch and well explain everything you need to
  know.