Machine transports set heavyweights in motion. On the road, on the way to the destination, optimum load securing (LaSi) ensures the protection of the load and other road users. Although the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) are clear on this point: loads must be secured in such a way that nothing slips, even during emergency braking. What do loaders and professional drivers need to bear in mind when securing heavy and machinery transports?
NOTHING SLIPS HERE! SECURE MACHINES PROFESSIONALLY FOR TRANSPORT
Whether you are relocating or transporting new machinery, loading heavy machines and getting them safely from A to B requires trained personnel and often special transport vehicles. Every machine transport is different and a challenge that requires precise planning.
Professional load securing begins with the correct transport securing. Only machines that have been moved from the operating position to the transport position can be transported safely. If necessary, coverings and accessories are removed, data is secured externally, operating fluids such as hydraulic oil are drained and connections for electricity or water are disconnected. Only then is the load secured against the physical forces of movement that occur during transportation.
Full braking? Tight bends? Thanks to well thought-out load securing, nothing slips and nothing leaves the loading area. A wide variety of aids and equipment, from lashing straps to anti-slip mats, are also used for this purpose.
HEAVY TRANSPORTS? ONLY WITH GOOD PLANNING!
Transport planning requires many minds and coordination between the sender as the manufacturer or owner of the load, the carrier and the driver. Information on load weight, including transport racks and load securing aids and the load’s center of gravity in the appropriate vehicle (noted on the load) changes hands.
Furthermore, the carrier must be informed about the permissible total mass and axle load and the vehicle and load must have suitable lashing points for the lashing straps. In short, the load and vehicle characteristics must match. The guideline VDI 2700 Sheet 13 provides support for planning heavy loads.
WHAT SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE DO LOADERS NEED TO HAVE?
Trained logistics personnel not only take into account the load and vehicle-specific load distribution plan, but also factors such as the load-bearing capacity of bridges and roads and the space available en route.
Regular participation in load securing training courses ensures that this know-how is always up to date. Transport documentation with records, photos, consignment notes and the keeping of load and inspection logbooks can also be part of the tasks of personnel in the area of load securing.
LOAD SECURING RULES: WHICH DETAILS COUNT?
Every load must be fully secured, suitably packaged and equipped with the necessary documents for transportation. Additional requirements apply to the transportation of dangerous goods. All hazard labels must be clearly visible.
The loading area is free of dirt, vehicle superstructures and locks are functional. The transport vehicle meets all the requirements of StVZO §30. The driver is also involved in securing the load. He subjects the truck to a departure check before the start of the journey in accordance with § 23 StVO – among other things, to check whether the load has actually been loaded positively: Gaps in the load must not exceed three centimetres per running meter, must not be larger than 15 centimetres in total and must be closed with aids. Another point is whether the load is secured with anti-slip mats and suitable lashing straps that are strong enough for the purpose.
SELECT WORK EQUIPMENT: OBSERVE FRICTION FORCE AND FRICTION COEFFICIENT INDICATORS
The right choice of work equipment reacts to the forces that act during driving maneuvers: On a 30-ton transport crate with machine parts, 80 percent of the load weight acts towards the driver’s cab during full braking – this corresponds to 24 tons (around 24,000 daN). When cornering and moving off, half the weight of the load also pushes sideways or backwards.
Load securing counteracts these inertial forces. Anti-slip mats in accordance with VDI 2700 Sheet 15 increase the frictional force where the load and loading floor come into contact. High-performance mats – just like the loading surface – must be kept free of dirt, ice and oily residues. The required coefficient of friction (friction coefficient) is achieved with good frictional force.
There are different key figures and coefficients of friction for different loads: the shipper as consignor or manufacturer should pass these on to the logistics company. Official friction coefficients are not available for every material pairing; often only reference values are available.
- The value of metal on wood is 0.2, which corresponds to 20 percent load securing through friction.
- For wood on wood, this is 0.3 – for 30 percent load securing through friction.
- 60 percent is made possible by an anti-slip mat (0.6).
HOW IS WORK EQUIPMENT SUCH AS LASHING EQUIPMENT USED AND HANDLED?
Lashing equipment should only be used by those who really know how to use it. Such equipment is just as unsuitable for lifting loads as pipes or rods are for tensioning. Lashing equipment and lashing points must not be overloaded, but must be used in accordance with their permissible lashing force.
- Direct lashing: light pre-tensioning is sufficient
- Lashing down: don’t forget suitable edge protection
- Do not load lashing hooks on the tip, but in the base of the hook
- the lashing equipment has lost its performance: dispose of it
HOW ARE LASHING POINTS, LASHING FORCE AND VEHICLE MASS LINKED?
Suitable lashing points are positioned in pairs symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle: this enables direct lashing from one lashing point to the next. The points must be able to safely absorb the forces of the lashing equipment.
DIN EN 12640 regulates the equipment of commercial vehicles such as trucks with lashing points. The lashing capacity (LC) is the maximum permissible force to which a lashing point may be subjected.
Lashing points with an LC of 10,000 decanewtons (daN) are not uncommon, which corresponds to around ten tons. Even 20,000 daN and more are feasible – for example by retrofitting. The minimum lashing capacity (LC) of lashing straps in daN (decanewtons) is directly related to the total vehicle mass:
- up to 750 kg – 400 daN
- over 750 kg up to 3,500 kg – 600 daN
- over 3,500 kg up to 7,500 kg – 800 daN
- over 7,500 kg up to 12,000 kg – 1,000 daN
- over 12,000 kg – 2,000 daN
The lashing angle can vary between 0° and 90°. When lashing down, an optimum pre-tensioning force is achieved at a lashing angle between 83° and 90°. Angles below 30° are not advisable. This is because the flatter the angle, the weaker the force acting on the load.
WHICH LASHING STRAP IS THE RIGHT ONE?
The appropriate strap or chain for lashing down has the correct pre-tensioning force STF (Standard Tension Force) and is fed into the strap via the SHF (Standard Hand Force), the hand force in daN, using a ratchet. The lashing force and load capacity LC (Lashing Capacity) is noted on the blue label together with other prescribed data in accordance with EN 12195:
- Name / address of manufacturer or supplier
- Production period (year)
- Webbing material
- Traceability code
- Webbing elongation with LC
- Number of DIN EN 12915-2
- Fabric material, such as blue for polyester (PES), green for polyamide, etc.
In addition to the lashing capacity LC, the elongation behavior of lashing equipment such as lashing straps also plays a role. In other words, the change in length that occurs under load up to the permissible lashing capacity LC and causes the load to start moving on the loading surface. According to DIN EN 12195 Part 2, a lashing strap made of chemical fibers may stretch by a maximum of 7 percent – this corresponds to a change in length of 210 mm.
HOW SHOULD LASHING CHAINS BE HANDLED?
Lashing chains in accordance with the DIN EN 12195 Part 3 standard are ideal for heavy loads, such as for direct lashing on low-loaders. Round steel chains have different performance values – lashing forces LC of up to 25,000 daN are achieved in direct lashing.
The lashing chain must be tightened by hand and is hooked into the shortening element. This requires force, especially with longer, heavier chains. Spindle tensioners, for example, then take over the tensioning of these lashing chains.
WHAT LOAD SECURING OPTIONS ARE THERE?
The three main types of load securing are:
- Form-fit load securing
- Force-fit load securing
- Combined load securing
Load securing through positive locking …
… means that the goods to be transported utilize the space in the load compartment as fully as possible: Where there is no room to maneuver, nothing can take on a life of its own. There are no gaps in the load; any gaps in the load are secured using blocking devices such as wedges, insertion rings and locking beams. The blocking force (BC) of the vehicle body or blocking device is decisive here.
For force-fit load securing by lashing down …
… the load is practically pressed onto the loading surface by means of lashing pre-tensioning force – for maximum frictional force against slipping.
Example: A one meter high, three meter long wooden crate with the center of gravity at the top and a goods weight of 500 kg is to be secured. Two special lashing straps are anchored to the floor of the loading area using eyelets. The end of the first lashing strap has a ratchet lever. Now a second lashing strap (without a latch) is connected to the anchoring eyelet on the other side of the wooden crate. If both tensioning straps run together over the crate, the tensioning strap without the grid lock is pulled through the lock of the other strap – until it can go no further. Now the lever on the ratchet fastener acts like an extension arm to ensure that both tensioning straps are pulled tight. This creates a high pressure that presses the wooden crate against the floor of the loading area as much as possible.
Caution: This pressing can damage sensitive goods, which is why only dimensionally stable goods should be secured using tie-down lashing. If necessary, a combination of force-fit load securing (tie-down lashing) and form-fit load securing (direct lashing) can be used.
Direct lashing is …
… Part of form-fit load securing: Here, lashing equipment only develops its force when a load starts to move during the journey. Pre-tensioning force plays no role here: the lashing equipment is only slightly tensioned on the sides of the load.
- For diagonal lashing, at least eight lashings (two on each side) are tensioned in a straight line between the load attachment points and the lashing points on the vehicle.
- Diagonal lashing uses four lashing points (one lashing point per corner); heavy equipment such as construction machinery is connected to the lashing points with crossed straps or chains.
- With sling lashing, on the other hand, the lashing equipment is hooked into the lashing points on the truck, placed as a sling around the load and held there, for example over a pallet. Where the lashing equipment is used in strapping (when bundling packages with sealing tape), the LC value can be doubled.
HOW IS LOAD SECURING CALCULATED?
A calculation is necessary in order to individually select the necessary aids and to adequately secure the respective cargo. If a load is to be secured by frictional connection, it is primarily important to increase the static friction between the load and the vehicle floor. To do this, you should know the number of straps required.
VDI Guideline 2700 contains instructions on how to calculate load securing, for example to calculate the pre-tensioning force for tie-down lashing in accordance with VDI 2700 Sheet 2 or EN 12195-1. Various variables are used for this purpose:
- Load weight
- Lashing angle of the lashing equipment used
- Sliding friction coefficient
- Acceleration factor
- Transmission coefficient
HOW ARE INERTIA FORCE AND PRELOAD FORCE RELATED? SHORT PHYSICS COURSE
The inertia force is important for calculating the forces that occur. It denotes the value of the acceleration and is part of the formula for calculating the securing forces required to secure the load and the number of securing devices.
The force of inertia keeps a body at rest due to its mass and weight – even when external forces, such as braking, act on it. Inertial forces counteract acceleration, so to speak.
At high speeds, states of motion pose a threat to safe transportation. Accordingly, forces of mass, but also centrifugal forces and weight forces as physical quantities are part of the calculation of indispensable securing forces. The rules of VDI 2700 include these as acceleration coefficients.
Example: Normally, 80 percent of the total weight must be secured towards the cab and 50 percent towards the side walls and the rear. When driving downhill or braking hard, 0.8 times the weight of the load presses towards the cab. When cornering and moving off, around half the weight of the load presses towards the walls and to the rear. With a load weight of 10,000 kg, 8,000 kg of force therefore acts in the direction of the driver’s cab, i.e. 8,000 daN. The force in the direction of the side walls and to the rear is 5,000 kg, i.e. 5,000 daN.
The required pre-tensioning force should therefore be 8,000 daN, which can be achieved with 20 lashing straps of 400 daN STF each.
Determining all the specific details of load securing and individual load securing types in accordance with DIN EN 12195-1 and VDI 2700 – right down to the coefficient of friction of a specific anti-slip mat – can be time-consuming. Industry-specific and professional LaSi software and conversion tables help here and make the calculation easy.
WHERE IS THE TOPIC OF LOAD SECURING REGULATED BY LAW?
Securing loads is a legal requirement. How and with what this is done in each individual case is decided by each user – in compliance with numerous individual regulations. Such as Section 22 of the German Road Traffic Act, according to which a load must be secured in such a way that it neither slips nor falls off the truck, even during emergency braking and evasive maneuvers.
Further details on the technical quality of load securing equipment can be found in DIN EN 12195 and in VDI 2700 ff, the guidelines of the Association of German Engineers. The commercial transportation of goods itself is regulated in the German Commercial Code (HGB): The consignor, i.e. the client in commercial freight transport, is responsible for loading the goods safely for transportation – including proper packaging and marking of all freight items. The BGI 649 regulations also contain statements on load securing.
WHY CAREFUL LOAD SECURING – AND BY WHOM?
Anyone who fails to secure loads properly is liable to prosecution: Meticulous load securing should be an obligation for everyone involved, from the warehouse worker to the driver, and should take into account all aspects of safety, traffic law and occupational health and safety when securing machinery. The freight forwarder provides the properly equipped freight vehicle and the qualified driver and loader. The loader must check that
- the machine to be transported is safe for transportation;
- load goods are properly labeled and
- Packages are packed in suitable loading units.
Both the shipper and the driver are responsible for securing the load in accordance with road traffic regulations. The shipper is responsible for stowing the load in a roadworthy manner. The driver must check the load securing once again before departure. He does not have to monitor the loading process itself because his obligation to check only begins after loading.
WHO IS LIABLE FOR INADEQUATE LOAD SECURING?
In principle, the client is responsible for securing the load. However, this task is often delegated – for example to the shipper, the seller of a machine or an external service provider. However, the sender of the goods is initially liable for damage caused by poor load securing – even if the driver is helping out on the instructions of the sender. If an accident occurs due to load securing violations, liability can be assumed:
- Registration owners and vehicle owners
- authorized shipper
- Driver authorized to secure the load
This means that shippers cannot simply transfer their responsibility to unauthorized drivers. The freight forwarder also has a great deal of responsibility because the truck to be loaded must be suitable for the specific transport in terms of loading capacity, technical equipment, load securing and the available securing material. The freight forwarder is responsible for the safe loading into a vehicle that is suitable for the dimensions and weight of the load.
According to the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO), the owner is obliged to equip his vehicle with securing devices such as lashing straps and anti-slip materials. As the owner of the transport vehicle, the freight forwarder is responsible for monitoring the vehicle. Although he can delegate load securing to authorized personnel such as the driver, in case of doubt he must prove that he has used competent personnel. If the loader then becomes muddy, the licensee can reject responsibility.
WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES FOR INADEQUATE LOAD SECURING?
If the load is not properly secured, the driver may be prohibited from continuing the journey until the load is correctly secured. In addition, the shipper may be charged with a traffic offense including a fine and points in Flensburg.
Road accidents resulting in property damage or personal injury due to inadequate loading can be avoided by conscientious load securing. If someone is injured or killed, fines or imprisonment can be expected. If goods end up on the road due to a lack of securing, the transport company is responsible according to the German Commercial Code (HGB). If people are injured as a result, the freight forwarder responsible can be held liable without limit under the German Civil Code (BGB). In this context, compliance with driving and rest times is also part of good load securing.
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