Question of Chains vs. Straps

Even if you choked this one with a belly band it would be hard to stop, just the way it is with flatbed. I would have used all straps on this one and would have had at least 3 belly bands. When I used to haul 60 ft rebar all the time I used mostly straps but had belly bands that were chain and strap that used to suck it down tight. What I mean by this is a chain that goes all the way around the load squeezing it and on on end I would take a d ring strap (bout 6 ft long) and have the chain connect to the d ring and put rest of strap through binder, tighten it down good and then put a snap binder on the chain to make it choke the load real tight, still use this today.

 

This has been said before but an aluminum headache rack didn't stop that load and it makes me wonder why people actually think it would. In order to have a headache rack strong enough to stop a load of pipe it would be 25 or 30 thousand pounds essentially defeating the ability to haul the load. So headache rack or not doesn't matter. As far as the load in the wreck goes 100000 lbs of securement wouldn't have mattered with the way the wreck happened.

 

How about 10 chains 1/2 in

5 up front choked and 5 in back choked?

 

I like this Idea, Was this a 4" strap or a 2" strap. The reason I ask is I have only seen 2" straps offered with a d-ring.
I think its a great Idea for circle wraps

 

as hard as he hit when it went over the bank, as evident of the damage, nothing would have stopped that load from doing what it did.

may the driver rest in peace.

 

i didnt say it would stop the load...i said i didnt see one....

 

You could have chained or straped that load all you wanted to and it still would have come forward. A headach rack or head board is useless thats why the law was changed. In certin situations the load will move no matter what. I have seen a log truck roll over with only 2 straps on the load and not 1 log fall of and seen a flat bed load of logs roll with 4 straps on each tier and lost every log. On steel load i use mostly chains unless it rebar or round stock. I think the straps work best on rebar and round stock. The customer can ##### all the want if it gets cratched buy accident there not the one hauling it doen the road i am.

 

The fact is that you can only secure a load to a certain extent...After that it's a matter of skill to accomplish the rest! (This applies to vans, flats or whatever you pull)
Driver decisions and choices have far more to do with this than straps, chains or anything else.

Look around you every single day! Drivers are following too close, speeding in heavy traffic and just geneally makin' stupid choices about keeping the necessary space or openings around them "in cae something happens".

Leave room in front of you!

If someone cuts you off....Back off and build your space back up.

Always be aware of your surroundings as you move through traffic.

Most of the time stuff like this happens because the driver had to make a quick evasive manuver that could have been prevented if the driver had observed these few simple suggestions.

If you find yourself having to "hit the brakes hard" all the time to avoid situations in traffic, YOU are doing something wrong!
I had to "hit the brakes" a little harder than usual the yesterday in Oklahoma because a deer ran out in front of me.
That's the first time I've had to "hard brake" in 2 or three years....Because I ALWAYS leave as much room as possible in front of my truck and I'm ALWAYS aware of what's happening around me.

 

I disagree and I don't think they changed the law because it was useless. I always had a headache rack on my trucks it may not stop all loads from coming threw but it may slow it down depending on the situation so you might have a chance to jump out. The wreck with the pipe load happen in Texas and the guy didn't live I had other pictures of it and it wasn't pretty. It happen several years ago and I don't remember what happen. I did see a head on collision with a car one time up around Chicago and the large coil broke loose and rolled forward and was resting against the rack and the rack was resting against the sleeper.

I always laughed at the guys running around with no headache racks most driving the cool trucks and having all their chains thrown in a pile in a trailer tarp box. Most of the pipe yards I have loaded out of won't load a truck with no rack.

 

4" grab style straps in the middle and 3/8" chanis criss-crossed in front and back pulling in each direction would have helped. I still tink a few might have gotten shifted forward, but they would not have made it thru the sleeper.