The Cargo-Lashing Expert

Cargo securing for the economically minded

Standardized cargo securing

This is the fourth posting in a series of cargo securing advice and useful hints. These are meant for people who think economically. They do not like to waste time, muscle power, risk their health or pay fines.

Earlier in the first post, I wrote that international standards are the basis for local legislation. The standard about cargo securing (EN 12195) and the standard about construction supporting the cargo in trailers (EN12642) are the most important here. When legislation is updated, there are some mandatory directives to follow. These are for example, the directive handling transport of dangerous goods and the directive about roadside inspections. As the directive refers to values in the standards, the legislation has to follow the same guidelines.

The cargo securing standard defines acceleration levels used when calculating the forces that will affect the cargo item. Forward 0,8G, sideways and backward 0,5G, and, if there is a risk for cargo items tipping, sideways 0,6G.

The standard about trailer construction defines the strength requirements for the trailer walls in two levels, code L and code XL. None of these allow you to drive unsecured cargo just like that. The support of the trailer construction can be used for blocking and supporting the cargo if certain criteria are fulfilled. I will come to these in my next post.

Drive safely,

Cargo Lashing Expert.