The importance of a safely secured load

According to Dutch traffic laws, you are obliged to secure a load or parts thereof. In any case, the load must be secured in such a way that loads cannot fall off the vehicle under normal circumstances. Normal circumstances also include poor road surface, sudden evasive manoeuvres or hard braking.

In what ways can you secure a load?

If you are going to transport goods in a trailer, for example, it is very important to use good equipment to secure your cargo. There are many companies, such as Lifting equipment expert, which have a wide range for securing a load. Here, you can think of cargo tensioners, lashing chains and lashing straps, for example.

Damage caused by an unsafely secured load to third parties

Should you not have secured the load, damage may occur. The first risk you face is damage caused by the load. Here, you can think about another road user's vehicle. If part of your cargo comes loose and hits another car, it can obviously be damaged. Another carrier's cargo may also be damaged. Of course, you will then also be liable for that, since you caused the damage.

Furthermore, of course, a road user can be injured by an unsafely secured load. This is the most annoying form of injury and an important reason to make sure your loads are always safely secured.

Damaged cargo

Should a part be damaged while transporting a load because it falls off the vehicle, for example, this can also be very annoying. However, the carrier is not always liable for the damage. If the client did not secure the cargo properly and sent the carrier on its way with this, the client itself is liable. This applies to damage to the cargo, but also to damage caused to third parties.

What do we mean by safe cargo securing?

A load is safely secured if the load will not slide during transport. Because of this, adequate cargo securing is essential for safe transport. This not only means that the door of your truck is properly closed, for example, but also that the cargo stays in place. So make sure you secure your cargo properly with lashing straps, for example. This is often forgotten, but can still cause a lot of damage if not secured properly.

Apart from securing cargo on the road, it is also important to properly secure cargo on water, rail and in the air. Wherever you are going to transport the cargo, make sure you use the right equipment and secure it in a safe way to avoid problems as much as possible.

How do you secure the cargo as safely as possible?

Are you going to purchase lashing straps? To ensure optimum safety, there are a number of safety rules for using these belts. First, it is important to remember that you cannot hoist with these chains. They are only suitable for securing a load.

Tyres should also never be stretched over sharp edges of the load. To prevent this, you can use corner guards or guides. This way, you ensure the safety of the load. Finally, it is also important to only use approved products, or have your new products approved by a certified party. So always make sure you use the right products that have been approved and that they are attached successfully to prevent damage to the load and to third parties!