3. What to do if a load becomes unstable during a journey
How to safely decide whether you can continue your journey or take other action.
If you become aware that part of your load has shifted but is still on the vehicle, you must:
- slow down
- avoid heavy braking and steering
- look for a safe place to stop and resecure the load if it’s safe to do so
You must not continue the journey until the load is secure.
If the load comes off the vehicle or is dangerously unstable
Follow these steps if all or part of the load comes off the vehicle or is dangerously unstable, and is any of the following:
- obstructing traffic or likely to obstruct it
- in a dangerous position
- likely to put people in danger while being recovered
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Stop in a safe place as soon as possible.
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Call 999 and report it to the police.
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Wait until the emergency services or highway authorities arrive.
Do not try to retrieve any part of the load from the road if you’re on a dual carriageway, motorway, or any other road where you might be in danger.
If the load is unstable when you arrive at your destination
Your vehicle should be quarantined on site until a plan for safe unloading has been made if:
- you become aware that the load has shifted when you arrive
- the load shift becomes apparent while the vehicle is being unloaded
The receiving site should work with the operator to make sure that the vehicle can be unloaded safely. It is not acceptable to take a vehicle with a known unstable load (a “shot load”) back onto the public highway.
You must not continue the rest of the journey until any remaining load is secure or safely unloaded.
Open vehicles
It’s usually easy to see if the load has shifted on an open vehicle.
Do not:
- walk under a load that’s leaning to one side of an open vehicle
- release any lashings over the load until you’re sure that it’s stable or you’ve taken steps to stop it falling
Closed vehicles
On a closed vehicle, such as a curtainsider or box van, you should check the load from the rear doors. Check from the side if you think the load might be leaning against the rear doors.
Before you start to reload or rearrange a shifted load, you need to:
- think about any possible risks such as working at height and manual handling
- put suitable controls in place
Drivers must not be put at additional risk to correct a shifted load. Working at height in particular puts drivers at serious risk.
Extend any stabiliser legs that are fitted when you rearrange a shifted load.
An exclusion zone must be put in place around the vehicle.
Any lifting operation must be:
- properly planned by a competent person
- carried out by trained personnel using suitable lifting equipment
If the vehicle is on the road or hard shoulder
Contact the police or highway authority if the vehicle is in a live lane or on a hard shoulder. They can then help you.