Cargo Loading, Weight Limits and Load Security
Weight limits
Every vehicle has limits: gross vehicle weight, axle weights, and for combinations the train weight. Overloading affects braking, steering, tyres and stability, and breaches the law. Load must be distributed so no axle is overloaded, which means heavy items go low and spread, not piled at one end. Know that the plated limits are the authority, and that weighbridges may be used to check.
Securing the load
A load must not be able to move, fall or be blown off. Use suitable restraints such as straps, chains and lashings, in sufficient number and condition, attached to proper points. Check tension after starting and again after a short distance. Sheeting and tailgates help but do not replace restraints. The load must not obscure lights, reflectors, plates or the driver's view.
Loading practice
Keep the centre of gravity low, load evenly, and consider how the load shifts in braking or cornering. Loose bulk loads need containment. Doors and tarpaulins must be secured before moving.
Traps
Questions often show a load that looks secure but exceeds an axle limit, or a restraint that is legal in type but insufficient in number. Another trap is forgetting that the load may change during the journey, so checks are repeated.
Rule of thumb
If you would not stand under it, it is not secured.
Worked example
A pallet of dense machinery is placed at the rear of a trailer. Even if within gross weight, the rear axle may be overloaded and stability reduced. Correct: reposition the load over or ahead of the axles and secure it properly.