FTA at work on safe load securing guide
Date: 10 July 2007
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) and consultants TRL are conducting a research project into the safe securing of loads in vans, which will help freight forwarders and couriers.
At the moment there is disagreement between enforcement agencies as to how loads should be safely secured. Some believe that a load should not move in relation to the vehicle in any incident (irrespective of the severity involved), while the DfT guidance suggests that loads should be able to withstand forces of up to 1G.
This leaves operators "in a legal limbo", the FTA says.
The research will look at this, as well as the overall risk of accidents occurring, and will develop a best practice guide for freight operators, courier companies and enforcement agencies.
The FTA's Paul Wood said: "Our goal is to make vehicles safer and stay one step ahead of the legislation. It is apparent that across the transport industry there is now little or no guidance as to the reasonable expectation of how loads and their associated stowage should perform in accidents.
"Whilst the incidence of injuries caused by loads in accidents is statistically very low, the consequence of trying to resolve this particularly difficult problem without guidance is giving grave concern to people charged with providing solutions."
TRL's Dr Mike Neale added: "It is apparent, based on the information currently available, that there is a lack of reliable guidance on how to safely load light commercial vehicles, such as vans, for the crash situation.
"The best practice guide that we are developing with FTA will help to address this shortcoming, providing a valuable reference for fleet operators, racking suppliers and vehicle manufacturers."
User Comments
No Comments