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Road and workshop
Page 53
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by Handyman
Loads and forces (19)
• Although the regular trunker usually has the load made up with reasonable time to make a secure job of it, the tramping driver may perhaps start his trip from base with a safe single or mixed load, but not be so fortunate when returning. Today, a return load is vital to productivity, and one is arranged whenever possible even if this means several small collections, so long as the whole consignment brings the vehicle in the direction of home base at a profit, and by the shortest route. However, tramping and profitable routeing are a separate issue. My concern in this series is load safety, and where possible to highlight aspects of risk with loads at speed.
In this day of narrow unladen weight margins, no driver can carry all the tackle and dunnage needed to meet the wide range of loads on the move—he has to use his own initiative coupled to his knowledge of past practices that worked. However, we are in a new era of speed, and so facing an equally new range of hazards from the forces now generated. Therefore it is necessary to review all classes of materials and lay down a safe pattern for their carriage--and quickly, too.
We are learning that many methods of stacking and loading that were previously acceptable can no longer be considered safe. Take for example the many and varied loads of small ingots, steel, brass, manganese, etc. While the safest practice roust obviously be steel binning, a vast amount of this material is moved on • flat vehicles, in some instances a shallow flat load over the whole platform, or stacked in various ways if other goods are being carried.
One practice that worked in the slower days was to arrange a ring or square of large ingots or castings, and pile the small material inside, sheet down, and rope. That was that—nothing moved unless there was a ditching or collision. Today this is an unsafe practice indeed, as at high speed anything loose can move. I will quote one recent instance where brass or bronze ingots were piled within a square made of short steel beams, the short beams forming a barrier 12in. high, and the trailer platform hay ing a 2in. chock rail above floor level. On an old-type rigid eight-wheeler this load would have stayed in place under all road conditions at the 32 to 36 mph then available, but this• platform was being hauled by a motive unit capable of 60 mph loaded, a different matter altogether.
This load was spilled on a clearway at a road diversion where there was a swing right then left. As the road was clear the rather young driver barely eased the throttle; it is admitted that as the road was empty of other traffic he could take the straightest line with safety. However, this diversion was a temporary one and bumpy, causing the loose ingots to lift. At 55 mph the vehicle changed its path, leaving the loose • ingots with enough energy to carry on in a straight line for 27ft before touching down.
The only damage was a torn sheet, but the driver, who was honest enough to report all the facts, had experienced a demonstration of loads and forces at speed that should stay with him for the rest of his career.