First thing’s first:
- You should always try to carry extra locks or straps with you on long journeys, because if you need any spares or they aren’t provided by the operator you have the equipment at the ready for goods to be secured and moved for load delivery. This ensures your own safety for the rest of the journey on the road if any other locks or straps break.
1. Watch the trailer being loaded
It sounds kind of boring… because it is, but safety comes first. If you watch all the goods being loaded yourself, first hand, you not only know where everything is, you know how well it has been secured and can mentally visualize where the goods have been placed which could come in handy for unloading all of the goods later on.
2. Double-check goods are secured
Whatever the requirements are for your particular vehicle to see if the goods within are secured, be sure this is completed before departing. Whether it involves locks, straps or bars it is a vital part of safety to be sure the goods are strapped in. If the goods haven’t been double-checked to see if they are secure anything could happen with them once you hit the road!
If you’ve picked up an already loaded trailer, you should have a look inside to see if the goods have been secured appropriately to avoid any hazards for yourself or others.
3. Take it easy on the road
A wise man once said “Slow ride, take it easy” which is applicable here. The safer you drive, the less likely it is your loads will come loose or have broken straps when you finally arrive for the delivery. Abide by the speed limits, stick to the roads you know can take your vehicle and don’t rush the delivery any faster than the law would allow.
4. Open one door at a time
Once you’ve arrived at your drop-off point be sure the doors are opened one at a time, slowly. It’s a good idea to peak inside to see if any goods have fallen before you swing the door wide open, because then if any goods are leaning on the door you’ll know to prepare for the goods to fall out potentially saving yourself from an injury. The best next step would be to get behind the door and pull it open, clearing yourself from the area which the load will fall and avoiding any potential risks to your own safety.
If this load has fallen out while parked up you’ll have to call your operator regarding this to see if the issue can be resolved. The last thing you should be doing is trying to lift a heavy load back into the trailer, securing it yourself because if you get injured or something happens to the load you have no colleagues or any resources to support you.
5. Re-secure the load (if required)
If anything is going to fall out, now would be a good time to get someone else to help you out. If not, you’ll need to apply the locks or straps yourself, meaning the goods can be moved in a safe fashion. The difficulty of this step will vary depending on the load itself, what equipment you have and the facilities provided to you at the time.
Finally, most importantly your safety should come first and foremost. If you have any other concerns, they should be raised and resolved with your operator.