Whether you’re loading a heavy vehicle, transporting goods or unloading a delivery at your job site, it’s essential to be across the safe loading and restraint of heavy vehicles. From reducing the likelihood of serious injury and property damage to keeping our roads free from congestion, correctly restraining heavy vehicle loads is essential for the safe transportation of equipment.
So, to help you move your load from A to B safely and efficiently, we’ve pulled together an overview of the importance of safe loading and restraint and the rules and regulations governing Australian roads. We’ve also included a few handy tips on how to load your vehicle safely for good measure.
Why is safe loading and restraint important?
From reducing the risk of accidents to meeting your legal obligations and even improving fuel consumption, there are a number of different reasons why correct load restraint is important.
Safety
First and foremost, load restraint is essential for road safety. Correct loading and restraint of heavy vehicles help to ensure that the vehicle is stable so it’s less likely to cause vehicle damage, tip or lose control during transit. Securing the load also helps to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries to the driver, passengers and other road users. Plus, when you correctly restrain your load, you also help to reduce unnecessary road obstructions or congestion due to accidents too.
Legal compliance
In Australia, you must comply with the loading requirements set out in the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). This legislation applies to anyone involved in the Chain of Responsibility (CoR), from the driver and those involved with loading the vehicle to the driver’s employer and the entity receiving the goods. Failure to comply with the HVNL may result in legal penalties, fines and liability for accidents for all parties involved in the breach, which is why it pays to check that everyone’s meeting their obligations when it comes to safe loading and restraint.
Protection of cargo
Safe loading and restraint help to protect the cargo from damage during transit. This helps to ensure that the goods arrive at their destination in good condition, reducing the risk of financial losses and liability claims and assisting with safety of individuals unloading when the goods reach their destination.
Business Reputation
If you’re involved in an accident due to unsafe loading and restraint, it has the potential to damage your professional reputation, not to mention the financial impact it could cause to your business. From adverse publicity to insurance excess and legal penalties, incidents stemming from incorrect loading and restraint can be incredibly damaging to your business.
Fuel efficiency
One aspect of loading a vehicle that many people overlook is the impact it can have on the vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Overloading and incorrect loading can actually increase fuel consumption and reduce the vehicle’s efficiency, resulting in higher operating costs. Proper loading and restraint help to optimise the vehicle’s weight distribution, helping to reduce fuel consumption and costs.
Environmental impact
With increased fuel consumption comes more greenhouse gas emissions, a bigger carbon footprint and greater contributions to environmental pollution. Proper loading and restraint help vehicles to run efficiently, which in turn reduces emissions and minimises the environmental impact of heavy vehicles and transport.
Load restraint requirements
To keep everyone safe on the road, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) introduced the HVNL, which is applicable in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. Equivalent provisions apply in Western Australia (Road Traffic (Vehicles) Regulations 2014) and the Northern Territory (Traffic Regulations).
When it comes to loading requirements, the NHVR stipulates that a heavy vehicle load must:
- Be secured so it is unlikely to fall or be dislodged,
- Be restrained using an appropriate restraint method, and
- Be placed, secured or restrained in a way that meets the loading performance standards listed in Schedule 7 of the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation
The Performance Standards set out the minimum amount of force a restraint system must be able to withstand in each direction. If a load has been restrained in line with the Performance Standards, it will not become dislodged or impact the stability of the driving vehicle under regular driving conditions.
It’s essential that all load restraint systems are engineered in accordance with these Performance Standards and tested for reliability. While you’re welcome to use alternative methods for restraining your load, you have to be able to prove they meet these Performance Standards.
Tips for safely securing your load
The National Transport Commission (NTC) sets out ten steps to follow when restraining your load. These steps revolve around planning your load, loading and unloading your vehicle and driving according to your load and the conditions.
Here’s a quick overview of the ten steps:
- Understand your load by reviewing the load characteristics and conducting a risk assessment,
- Choose a suitable vehicle for your load type and size,
- Use a restraint system that is suitable for your load, like the tie-down or direct restraint method,
- Position your load to maintain vehicle stability, steering and braking,
- Check your vehicle structures and restraint equipment are in good working condition and strong enough to restrain your load,
- Make sure your load is stabilised and take additional steps to increase the stability of tall loads,
- Make sure you understand and use safe work practices when loading and unloading a vehicle,
- Make sure you use enough restraint to keep you and others safe,
- Allow for changes in vehicle stability, steering and braking when driving a loaded vehicle, and
- Check the load and its restraint regularly during your journey.
You can read more about each of these steps in the NTC’s Load Restraint Guide 2018, which also includes more information on the safe loading and restraint of heavy vehicles.
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