Background - Truck Loading Code

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The Principal of Loadsafe Australia, Richard Larsen BEMech played a key role in the creation and evolution of the current Load Restraint Guide over the last 30 years as a leading “Content Provider” or “Subject Matter Expert” (SMExpert) on load restraint to Government and Industry.

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Richard Larsen’s involvement as a SMExpert in load restraint on road vehicles began in the late 80’s following an incident when a drum of cyanide dislodged from a truck in the Brisbane water supply catchment near Esk in south-east Queensland. At that time, Richard was a senior engineering executive at the Queensland Department of Transport (DoT - Qld) and launched an investigation into all aspects of the incident, including load restraint.

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It soon became clear that the then current State Regulations and Truck Loading Code (TLC) were not suitable for pro-active enforcement of safe loading in Queensland, because a load had to dislodge from the vehicle before any prosecution could occur.

The TLC required that loads be restrained to prevent movement when the load is subjected to:

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• 1.0g forwards

• 0.5g sideways

• 0.5g rearwards

 

The Code and Standards were in harmony with United Kingdom and New Zealand Codes and Standards at the time.

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DoT - Qld subsequently made a submission to the Federal Office of Road Safety (FoRS) to have the Code re-written in a format that would enable preventative action to be taken by Enforcement personnel.

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The FoRS finally agreed to jointly fund a project with DoT - Qld to re-write the TLC.

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This became an important first step in changing from a reactive to a proactive approach to the safety of loads in Australia and the development of the principle of the chain of responsibility.

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