Hauling steel coils on a dry van

Exactly what I was looking for. I have seen this many times before. Rookies, take note. This is what will happen.

 

Thats not what happened the time i hauled some. When i first started out I got dispatched on a load of baby coils like the other poster mentioned. Load was heavy as hell and hard to get it scaled right but the things never moved an inch and my trailer certainly didnt do that. I have seen pictures ofthat as a result of those big huge paper rolls though. But no, that is probably not what is going to happen unless they put a regular giant single coil in there which is highly unlikely. i would say most likely he will get a load of those baby coils and if its a decent shipper they will be tied down to pallets and the guys loading the trailer will get out the blocks and nails and secure them in. People carry these things regularly.

 

This is going to sound dumb, but is a flatbed a lot stronger than a dry van? Is the dry van weaker because of the wood flooring? Is the flatbed stronger because of the flexion that it is capable of? Never did flatbed so I do not have a clue. And I will admit it.

 

We do metal coils once in awhile in 53' dry vans. Just like any other heavy freight. On pallets, blocked & braced properly. Loaded similar to the plates we pickup for Ball Metal or Crown Cork & Seal.

 

Most vans (dry and reefer) are what are called "frameless". They work on the same principle as unit-body cars where the walls and roof provide part of the load carrying structure along with the floor. The floor members are much smaller than would be required if they were sized to carry the full load on their own. They are fine for distributed loads (different trailers have different specs, but many are in the 1,000-1,200 lbs per linear foot range), but are no good for concentrated loads. Flatbeds, because they have a frame, are better suited for concentrated loads.

 

Take a look at the structure under the floor of this trailer.


There basically is no structure under the floor. The walls and the roof are what keep the trailer from bending in the middle.

Now look at the structure under the floor of this trailer.


Big beefy steel beams under there are what keeps it from bending. And those big beefy steel beams are what allows you to put 40k lbs of steel coil in the middle of it without it folding in half.

When I was pulling steel, I had van loads once in a while. First of all, since its a van, you can't load it with a crane or super heavy forklift. So you're most likely talking about coils that are cut small enough to fit on pallets. As for loading, I usually loaded it the same way I would load coils on a flatbed i.e. keeping the weight more or less over the wheels. So that typically meant half the coils would get grouped together up in the nose over and the other half would go in the back over the tandems with nothing in the middle. I'd strap both sets front and back as best I could and then I'd drive it like they weren't tied down at all. Never had one move on me.

 

Hauling anything in a van that is not stacked tight or secured with 2X4's nailed to the floor to stop shifting is insane. I can't imagine hauling coils without the means to properly secure them. I also can't imagine the cost and inconvenience when DOT opens the trailer.

Now I'm a van driver and my opinion is based on safety. I got a lesson in this once. About ten heavy pallets spaced down the middle of the trailer.

About 12 miles from delivery and 3 miles from my turn off the US highway, a four-wheeler jammed on the brakes for a right turn with no signal. I hit my brakes, checked the left lane I knew was empty and pulled hard left. The entire load was in the right front of the trailer. I went up the road a couple of more miles and as I made my left turn off the highway my left rear trailer wheels nearly came completely off the ground.

I drove the last 8 - 9 miles at about 35 MPH and it was hard to keep the left rear trailer wheels on the ground. I was unable to back into the dock, because no matter how I approached it the trailer kept trying to turn over. After having their laughs at my expense the warehouse guys brought a forklift, chain and hook and we pulled enough of the pallets back to get into the dock. Lucky for me there was one small dent in the trailer and my pride took the biggest hit.

You don't have to show me what those 2X4's, nails and hammer are for anymore.

 

This is where you and I differ. IMO nailing boards to the floor is not my idea of securement. The plywood and aluminum skin of that van isn't going to stop a moving coil. Sure they're banded to a pallet but who hasn't had a band break? I see no reason a guy pulling a van can't chain them just like a flatbed hauling the same load. If the trailer your pulling doesn't have chain ties/D-rings then IMO you shouldn't be allowed to haul skidded coils. The side walls of a van isn't going to stop a 5k coil any more than the side boards on a flat with a sidekit.

 

I agree completly. My load was not coils. My point was that if what happened to me, did so with heavy pallets, what are the dangers of coils? If it had been coils it would not have been a pretty sight. Thanks for clarifing this.

IMHO, just because you can do something does not make it a good idea. You may get away with something iffy for years but when someone gets killed, life as you know it is over.

And the boards nailed down aren't a fix all but I'll use them on a loosely loaded load anytime. As professionals, load securement is our responsibility. If you can't safely secure a load, you should not load it.

 

I don't think D rings on the sides of a box are going to do a thing! Might as well hook to them with bungees.

Mikeeee