How to Inspect, Position on the trailer and secure a Load of Windows or anything box lumber framed

With all the experience and precautions we take, yet we got another lesson to learn, it has basic mistakes, but if you don't pay attention to this basic things you get into this very unpleasant and expensive, time and energy consuming situation.

Please take a look at this load to know what to pay attention to, and how to secure it correctly so you don't repeat the mistakes here.

1

Crates on the left in the picture contain the glass for all this frames, so they are the most heavy part of the load, for a correct placement they have to be:

a) either with the same kind of heavy material nearby (like more crates with glass with the same weight), and they all have to be secured horizontally like in the next picture:

b) or they have to be on "A" frames to help them not to collapse, like in the picture below

c) in the worst case scenario if there are 2 of them like in this example, they should be one on each side for the lighter aluminum frames.

2

The frames built for this light aluminum window frames could be enough to hold them by themselves, but the lumber its built from has not enough strength to hold also the pressure of the heavy crates with glass pulling or pushing just from one side and not from both. So correctly this had to be:
a) ideally to be placed on trailer by themselves or to be with other crates/frames of the same structure and weight
b) in the worst case the heavy crates with glass would be placed one on each side, so it would have smaller, more balanced pressure from both sides.

Please pay attention to straps in this pictures:

3, 4 and 5

Straps will be tighter and will pull more towards the side of the ratchet winch (4), and it will be less tight and will pull less to the strap hook (3). So Make sure that when you secure a load you have on one side a zebra of 1 ratchet winch (4) side followed by one strap hook (3), than another winch and after that another hook and so on like on (5).

If you don't pay attention to this things, like happened in our case, here is how it looks like:

Now even worst than this: towing company quoted us that they can restock the load for 1500$ or so, we were ready to get a bill for like 2500-3000$, but the most ridiculous part the next morning they told us our bill is 15k$... what?!?! So we started arguing with them they just told us 1500$... and they said that 15k$ was a discounted rate, and sent us a bill for 30k$

We fought them for 2 weeks, and in the end with lawyers, much negotiation, wasted time and money we were able to bring it down to a more acceptable 7500$...

Right way to deal with situation like this:

1. You cannot accept the load, you cannot leave the shipper with unsafe load, no matter the pressure they put on you, no matter the things they say, the arguments they make, you have to know: once the load is on the trailer - its under your responsibility. Once you have it on your trailer and drove off you can't blame anything on anybody, you have to deliver it safe at destination. They will do it, and there is a way to make them do it in a professional manner.
2. At pick up, driver should inspect the load, and if there is something he detects unsafe or potentially unsafe on the road he has to ask loader/forklift driver/shipper to reload in a safe way
3. If load can't be loaded in a safe way, and is unsafe to haul in any ways you have to ask shipper/loader/forklift driver to make it safe before being loaded and ready for transport
4. you have to report this to your dispatcher and safety/load securement department, at their turn safety will give you possible advises on what this load needs to be safe, and dispatcher will address this issue with broker/cusomer/shipper

Please, don't repeat this mistake and don't let his happen to you, please make sure you understand how the load is positioned, secure it right, if you are not sure please send pictures and ask while you are still at pu, before leaving pu.

Drive safe, be mindful and professional!