Loading a dumper onto a transporter at the end of the shift
At the end of the shift you are asked to load your 3-tonne dumper onto a flatbed transporter. The transporter's ramps are 3.6 m long and the deck is about 1.2 m high, so the slope is roughly 1 in 3. The ground beside the transporter is uneven tarmac with a slight camber, and a pool of water sits at the foot of the ramps. The ramps are not pinned or chained to the deck and one has a bent side rail. The skip still holds about half a tonne of wet spoil. The transporter driver, who is in a hurry, says everyone drives up and it is easy. There is no one else available to act as a spotter, and the light is starting to go.
1. What must be in place before you attempt to load, and what is your decision here?
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Before loading you need: the transporter on firm, level ground with its brakes on and wheels chocked; ramps rated for the machine and load, secured to the deck so they cannot slip off, aligned with the dumper's track and with side rails intact; the skip empty so the centre of gravity is low and the weight is within the ramp and deck ratings; a level approach so the machine does not cross the ramps at an angle; and a competent spotter, visible to you, with agreed signals, who is not standing downhill or behind the machine.
Here none of that is met: the ramps are unsecured, the slope is steep, the skip is loaded, the ground is uneven and wet, and there is no spotter. The correct decision is not to load. The machine stays on the ground until the ramps are secured, the skip is emptied, a spotter is found and the light is adequate – or it is loaded by other means.
2. Assuming the problems are fixed, describe the loading sequence.
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Empty the skip and lower it. Position the transporter as described and check the ramps are pinned or chained and squarely aligned, then walk the route and check for anything on the ramps.
Select the low ratio (four-wheel drive engaged if fitted), line up squarely and well back, signal the spotter and keep them in view. Drive up slowly and steadily without stopping, steering or changing gear on the ramps – a stop on the slope risks losing momentum or rolling back. Continue until the machine is fully on the deck and past the ramp ends, then stop, apply the parking brake, lower the skip, select neutral, stop the engine and remove the key.
Finally chock the wheels and secure the machine with rated straps to the transporter's lashing points, not over sharp edges or the skip arms.
3. Why is loading a dumper onto a transporter a high-risk activity, and who controls it?
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It combines a steep gradient, a raised centre of gravity, a narrow track, a machine that can roll and people on foot close to it. On a 1-in-3 ramp the machine is close to the limit of traction: if a ramp slips, or the machine stalls or is steered, it can slide off the side and crush anyone below. Carrying a load in the skip raises the centre of gravity further, which is why emptying it is a control and not a courtesy.
The activity should be planned and controlled by the person in charge of the transport operation, with a safe system of work and a competent driver and spotter; the dumper operator still has a duty to stop if conditions are not right. Hurry and failing light are the classic precursors, so the answer is to plan the loading for daylight with enough people, not to improvise at the end of the shift.