When you’re in the fleet industry you want the job done efficiently and as quickly as possible. You don’t want to make multiple trips to and from the work site and waste unnecessary time. It may seem like a good idea to throw everything in your fleet trucks to get everything there at once. However, it’s been shown that this is a very dangerous way of thinking. Overloading fleet trucks can not only harm the cargo of the truck, but it can lead to serious injury and even death. It’s more important than ever that fleet managers and drivers understand the importance of properly loading weights for their specific vehicle.
How Overloading Effects Fleet Trucks
- Fuel consumption increases with carrying extra cargo.
- Overloading a vehicle is illegal and insurance coverage is voided when involved in a crash.
- Overloading can cause damage to the fleet truck’s tires which can result in a blow out or accident.
- It causes damage to the roads, pavement, and bridges.
- It makes the vehicle less stable and more likely to topple over during a turn.
Ways to Prevent Overloading
- Know your fleet truck’s maximum axle weight and gross vehicle weight- This can be found on the truck’s identification plate.
- Make sure the weight distribution is even– Uneven loads can make the vehicle harder to handle and can lead to an accident. Make sure that your cargo is not all to one side of the truck, etc.
- Understand GVW– Gross vehicle weight is not only the weight of the vehicle, but it includes weight of load, driver, passengers, fuel and packing materials. You’ll want to factor these when figuring out the true weight of your fleet truck.
- Use Weighing Equipment: Equipment such as weighbridges, onboard truck sales or weigh in motion axle weighers can help give you an accurate weight no matter where you’re at.
Overloading fleet trucks is dangerous all around. Make sure you follow these tips to ensure your cargo and drivers get to the workplace safely.
Sources:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211970/overloading-the-basics.pdf
https://www.australianmining.com.au/news/easy-ways-avoid-overloading-truck/
https://www.automotive-fleet.com/blog/market-trends/story/2017/04/decrease-incidents-of-unscheduled-truck-maintenance-caused-by-overloading.aspx
