1. Understanding Heavy Haul
A number of individuals, commonly those outside of the business, think that accomplishing a
transport contract is just about sending a vehicle of the right size to collect and transport the loads. Yet, as
any veteran driver will tell you, it’s about a lot more than that. If ever you have been driving a smaller private
automobile and you have someone in the back seat who is, to put it as carefully as possible, a little on heavy
side, then you know just how much that can change the way your vehicle feels when taking corners and so on.
You might think once you are speaking about something like a 15-metre tractor unit and articulated trailer,
such considerations wouldn’t apply - but they do.
Actually, you may have had the somewhat disconcerting experience of at times seeing such huge
vehicles turning at a roundabout with some of the wheels on one side of the vehicle coming close to lifting off
the ground. This is all about weight distribution and it is only one aspect of making certain that a vehicle is
properly and safely loaded as soon as carrying out a heavy haul contract. If you have a nice orderly hauling
contract that involves transporting a full load of regular sized and equally weight-distributed cartons, then it’s
pretty difficult to get it wrong. All you need to do is just stack them as they come into the vehicle and, as soon
as it is full, away you go. Providing the total weight doesn’t go beyond the maximum laden wait stipulations
for the vehicle concerned, you don’t have much to worry about.
If only life were at all times like that. Unluckily, loads may comprise quite a few part loads that may
be totally different shapes and weights to each other. Even sometimes in the situation of a full load, maybe the
client is shipping a broad variety of equipments, some of which may be of sizeable volume though quite light
whilst other bits might be relatively small volume but are extremely heavy. These cases can be pretty a
challenge to the loading bay employees and the driver concerned. Certainly, in the end the driver has the duty
for ensuring that the vehicle is safe on the road and that should provide them the final yes or no authority.
However, there might also be conditions relating to the maximum load that can be carried on each axle.
So, the driver needs to be careful about where individual heavy haul items are positioned in a
vehicle, to avoid all of the weight being on one axle or alternatively, totally on one side of the vehicle. Oh yes,
if all the above isn’t enough, it’s worth remembering that the driver also has to ensure that all the loads are
secure (at times including strapping and chaining) to avoid them moving around in transit. Therefore, there’s
a lot to think about as soon as loading a vehicle. It’s a big responsibility and for the drivers concerned with
getting it right, can be vital both for safety and the continuity of that heavy haul contract.
About the Publisher:
I am Alice Harper, a writer and business enthusiast. I created this article to bring up more information about
Heavy Hauling. Because I noticed that not most of us have the knowledge when it comes to shipping or logistics.
Read also my blog about Heavy Hauling.