Q We are moving loads comprising a number of heavy concrete
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blocks. We do not, normally, rope these loads as the blocks are loaded flat on to the bed of the vehicle body and only one tier of blocks is carried. We were warned by the police that the load should be secured, but we feel that these blocks will not move. What is your opinion? A The question of load re straint is dealt with in the Department of the Environment's code of practice regarding safety of loads on vehicles (HMSO price 30p).
Here it is recommended that, to conform with the statutory requirements of Section 90 of the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1973, all loads should be restrained to prevent movement under the forces which arise from the vehicle passing over road undulations, when it changes direction, or when it is being braked or accelerated.
A load carried on a road vehicle without securing devices will not be secure because the frictional restraint between the load and the vehicle platform will be less than the dynamic forces which tend to move the load.