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This information has been produced by the Highways Agency (HA), Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). It is aimed at hauliers, customers, suppliers and drivers, as well as anyone else involved in securing loads on road vehicles. It explains the dangers of unsafe loading and provides practical advice on how you can ensure that vehicles are loaded safely.

You can download this information as a pdf leaflet below or read on for more information.

• Safe Transporting of Loads Leaflet (Web Friendly Version 110KB PDF)
• Safe Transporting of Loads Leaflet (Print Version 956 KB PDF)

England's motorways and Trunk Roads carry a third of all traffic and two thirds of all heavy freight traffic. Each year the Highways Agency Traffic Officers remove large quantities of debris from the carriageway which has fallen from vehicles. In some cases larger shed loads are recovered. The recovery and removal of debris and shed loads cause disruption and safety issues for drivers significantly affecting journey times.

Loads that are secured properly can prevent these incidents and the following guidance will help you to -

Protect yourself, protect the load

Loads transported on the road must be secured to the vehicle that carries them. Once the vehicle is in motion loads can move in every direction, including upwards!

Even heavy loads can slide or topple once the vehicle is moving. This increases the risk of rollover during transportation, the load falling out when the vehicle reaches its destination or someone being hurt trying to unload an unstable load.

Accelerating, braking and cornering may cause the load to shift, and friction should never be relied upon to hold the load in place.

Shifting loads can lead to two types of incident:

• Direct - vehicle rollover, load falling from the trailer when the curtain is opened, load being ejected through the front bulkhead.
• Indirect - someone is hurt when part of the load falls on them or someone has to get onto the trailer because a load cannot be unloaded by fork lift, and then slips and falls from the trailer bed.

Goods transported on curtain sided vehicles should be secured as if they were being transported on a flatbed and they must not move relative to the trailer during transport.

On the road, a shifting load may make the vehicle unstable and lead to rollover, while a shifted load may be difficult to unload and fall onto someone when the containment is removed.

Even if no-one is injured, a load that can move within the trailer can damage the product and the structure of the trailer. Therefore a load that is not restrained will not be secure.

Wherever possible, when you are loading a vehicle ensure that the load is against the bulkhead.

Make sure that the bulkhead is strong enough to prevent the load moving.

If it is not possible to place the load against the front bulkhead, you could use intermediate bulkheads, or blocking to fill the gap.

Avoid gaps between the load and the bulkhead, and between the load and the sides of the trailer in a rigid-sided vehicle.

A competent person must plan the loading of the vehicle. A risk assessment for the operation must consider:

• Weight, size, shape etc. of the product;
• How it can be stacked, stability etc.;
• Details of the route to be undertaken (hills, country roads, roundabouts, low bridges);
• Any problems with the destination site/s (sloping site, restricted access);
• The lifting equipment required to load and unload the vehicle;
• Any additional risks brought in by securing the load safely (working at heights, manual handling);
• The sequence for loading and unloading, and how each component remains secure (this is particularly relevant for part loads or multiple drop-offs, where load security will change).

On the road, drivers of vehicles are responsible for the load and it is important that you are aware of how the vehicle has been loaded and how the load is secured.

Key Points

• Secure loads to prevent them moving on the trailer bed during transit.
• Place loads against the trailer headboard. If this is not possible because of load distribution you must fill the gap to the headboard with blocking or use an intermediate bulkhead.
• The curtains and weather-protection structure of a curtain-sided trailer are not suitable for load restraint - secure the load to the trailer as if it is being transported on a flatbed.
• Rope hooks are not suitable attachment points for load restraint equipment.
• Load restraint equipment should be marked to show the load it is rated for, and should be regularly inspected for damage that might affect its strength.
• The key to load security is adequate risk assessment carried out by a competent person.

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