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Light Vehicle Guide to Loading and Load Restraint Light Vehicle Guide to Loading and Load Restraint

Light Vehicle Guide to
Loading and Load Restraint

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 Light Vehicle Guide to Loading and Load Restraint

General Safety Information

This guide has been produced to assist you to understand your obligations and relevant standards under the law. It is always your responsibility to ensure your vehicle, and the load restraint system used, is adequate for the load under the law. Compliance to the law is your responsibility.

The driver of a light vehicle has the legal responsibility to ensure that all loads are securely carried and comply with the legal requirements:

You Must:

Restraining your Load:

The most common way to restrain a load is by direct restraint using tie down straps and angles::

 Restraining your Load

Correct Lifting Technique Guide

Correct Lifting Technique

Manually loading light vehicles is at your risk and should be completed in a safe way to minimise any possibility of injury. Following the Correct Lifting Technique guide below and wearing appropriate footwear will minimise your risk of injury.

These tips are a guide only to reduce the risk of injury when you are lifting:

Type of Vehicles


 Restraining your Load

Drivers must know the GVM, tare weight and pay load.

Loading by Fork Lift

Baines Masonry will load this vehicle with a forklift if you comply with this guide.

The load must be less than the pay load stated by the customer or as marked on the vehicles compliance plate.

Multipurpose vehicles such as tippers are regarded as having medium friction- i.e. smooth steel on timber.

When restraining loads the strap capacity will be reduced based on the angle of the strap.

Assuming you are using 2500kg rated straps with a ratchet, you can use this table to ensure you use sufficient restraints

Height of Load Above Side Gate Angle of Strap Number of straps 300kgf Ratchet Number of straps 600kgf Ratchet Can Restrain
170-360mm 15° 1 1 150 kg
170-360mm 15° 2 1 310 kg
365-395mm 30° 1 1 300 kg
365-395mm 30° 2 1 600 kg
400-595mm 45° 1 1 420 kg
400-595mm 45° 2 1 840 kg
600mm + 60° 1 1 510 kg
600mm + 60° 2 1 1000 kg
600mm + 60° 3 2 1500 kg
 

Loading by hand

  • A truck body can contain a load, provided the load’s centre of gravity sits under the side of the tray and is packed tight, but you still have to cover and restrain your load to prevent from upwards movement.
  • If the centre of gravity is above the side of the truck tray, another load restraint system should be used.
  • A truck tray or trailer is most effective if your load is firmly packed to reduce movement within the tray.
  • Heavy items may need to be separately restrained with tie down or other direct restraint methods.

Cargo nets

  • Cargo nets are a load rated net that covers an open part of the vehicle and are to be used with load restraint equipment as secondary control measure as determined by the driver.
  • They provide an effective restraint, particularly for open vehicles.
  • Cargo nets can contain a load up to their rated capacity, as per the manufacturer’s specifications
  • Non-rated cargo nets are considered to be a tarpaulin
Tarpaulins
  • For most loads, tarpaulins – or tarps – are not effective restraint systems on their own.
  • Tarps can be used in conjunction with another restraint systems, ratchet straps etc.

Trailers and Non-Commercial Vehicles

The following guide is the maximum weight Baines Masonry will allow to be loaded in small vehicles under 4.5t GVM unless the driver can provide compliance to an increased capacity.

Trailers

Trailers that are fit for purpose may be loaded with load sizes listed below

Trailer Type Load Size
Single axle unbraked 400kg
Single axle braked 900kg
Tandem axle unbraked 1200kg
Custom Trailers To legal capacity
 trailer

Note: The driver needs to know that the towing vehicle has the capacity to tow the total mass, including the trailer and load mass as a complete combination.

Non-Commercial Utilities:

Examples: Holden Commodore & Crewman, Ford Falcon

Allowable Weight: 300kg

 Ute

All of these vehicles are to be hand loaded by the customer to ensure even load distribution and protection from damage to vehicle.

  • A ute body can contain a load, provided the load’s centre of gravity sits under the side of the tray and is packed tight, but you still have to restrain it from upwards movement.
  • If the centre of gravity is above the side of the tray or trailer, another suitable load restraint system should be used.
  • A tray or trailer is most effective if your load is firmly packed to reduce movement within the tray.
  • Heavy items may need to be separately restrained with tie down or other direct restraint methods and fastened to the correct lashing points.

Cargo nets

  • Cargo nets are a load rated net that covers an open part of the vehicle and are to be used with load restraint equipment as secondary control measure as determined by the driver.
  • They provide an effective restraint, particularly for open vehicles.
  • Cargo nets can contain a load up to their rated capacity, as per the manufacturer’s specifications
  • Non rated cargo nets are considered to be a tarpaulin

Tarpaulins

  • For most loads, tarpaulins – or tarps – are not effective restraint systems on their own.
  • Tarps can be used in conjunction with another restraint systems, ratchet straps etc.

Other Non-Commercial Vehicles:

Including but not limited to:

Allowable Weight: 200kg

All of these vehicles are to be hand loaded by the customer to ensure even load distribution and protection from damage to vehicle.

 Sedan

Sedans

Station Wagon

Station Wagons

Hatchback

Hatchbacks

  4WD Wagons

4WD Wagons


Commercial Utilities

Examples: Single Cab, Extra Cab & Dual Cab Utes (Ford Ranger, Mazda BT50, Isuzu D-Max, Holden Colorado, Mitsubishi Triton, VW Amarok & Toyota Hi Lux)

Allowable Weight Limit: 700kg (unless the driver can demonstrate the vehicle has a larger rated capacity, in which case we may load to a maximum of 80% of the legal payload).

  commercial ute
Height of Load Above Side Gate Angle of Strap Number of straps 300kgf Ratchet Number of straps 600kgf Ratchet Can Restrain
170-360mm 15° 1 1 150 kg
170-360mm 15° 2 1 310 kg
365-395mm 30° 1 1 300 kg
365-395mm 30° 2 1 600 kg
400-595mm 45° 1 1 420 kg
400-595mm 45° 2 1 840 kg
600mm + 60° 1 1 510 kg
600mm + 60° 2 1 1000 kg
600mm + 60° 3 2 1500 kg
 

These two vehicle types may be loaded by forklift by Baines Masonry or hand loaded by the customer.

These two vehicle types must be hand loaded by the customer.

  customer-ute

Loading these vehicles by hand is the customers’ responsibility.

  • A ute or trailer tray/body can contain a load, provided the load’s centre of gravity sits under the side of the tray/body and is packed tight, but you still have to restrain it from upwards movement.
  • If the centre of gravity is above the side of the ute tray or trailer another suitable load restraint system should be used.
  • A ute tray or trailer is most effective if your load is firmly packed to reduce movement within the tray.
  • Heavy items may need to be separately restrained with tie down or other direct restraint methods and fastened to the correct lashing points.

Cargo nets

  • Cargo nets are a load rated net that covers an open part of the vehicle and are to be used with load restraint equipment as secondary control measure as determined by the driver.
  • They provide an effective restraint, particularly for open vehicles.
  • Cargo nets can contain a load up to their rated capacity, as per the manufacturer’s specifications
  • Non rated cargo nets are considered to be a tarpaulin
Tarpaulins
  • For most loads, tarpaulins – or tarps – are not effective restraint systems on their own.
  • Tarps can be used in conjunction with another restraint systems, ratchet straps etc.
 
Address 900 Wilton Road Appin NSW 2560
 
Phone Number (02) 4631 1383

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