steel coil question
 

Question for all of you steel haulers. If you properly secure your coils what are the chances of a load shift or even worse losing your load?

Re: steel coil question
 

As long as your equipment is in good shape and you secure your load properly, I don't think there is much chance of the load shifting or of losing it.

If a coil is properly secured it should stay on the trailer even if the trailer was on it's side. Not that I am recommending anyone lay their truck on it's side. :wink: The reason coils don't stay on the trailer is because the driver didn't use enough securement. He took shortcuts.

Even with a properly secured coil a driver should drive like the coil is unsecured.

Had an old-timer tell me to haul a coil like it was a loose raw egg sitting on your trailer...and you were going to starve if you lost it.

I have hauled coils for years and usually add at least one more strap or chain than is necessary to properly secure the load. I am still not completely comfortable hauling them. Perhaps that is a good thing.

I'm not 100% comfortable hauling coils either...but I AM 100% confident in my securement before I go down the road.

I also use Gman's method...

Example:

34,500 lb coil = FIVE 10,000lb rated chains.

When loaded "shotgun" I also add a "trip" block in front at the base of the coil...

I saw a small car that was crushed (with a teenage girl driver) in Tennessee several years ago.

Gman, you may remember that. I'm thinking it was that stretch between Lawrenceburg and Pulaski.

If I ever "lost" a coil due to negligence and killed someone they may as well put me down as I would be pretty much useless after...

I am familiar with that area, DaveP. I have seen too many accidents and trucks hauling 45,000 pound coils with only 2 chains on them. That is a scary thought. I remember when I leased to CRST Malone there was a coil on the yard. One of their trucks turned over and the coil went into the woods. That night they got the truck up but waited until the next day to get the coil. When they got the coil up there was a woman and child underneath. They were taking a walk in the woods when they were killed. A coil doesn't just come loose if it is properly secured. There are way too many who are willing to take short cuts when securing these type of loads. One or two chains are not sufficient to hold a coil, even in a coil rack. If one chain snaps or breaks the other one isn't going to hold it. I have seen coils that have fallen off of the truck and rolled down the highway. I have also seen trucks that have had coils run over the cab. These don't happen unless the driver failed to take the time to secure his load. If you have a load secured with 5 chains, all of them are not going to break at the same time.

How much longer does it take to properly secure a coil as aposed to just a few chains? I can't imagine someone cutting corners on something that dangerous but apparently it happens. The thought of one of those coming loose is pretty scary.

Happens all the time. If you are ever in Chicago take a good look at the day cabs hauling coils. It is not uncommon at all to see them with only 2 or 3 chains. :roll: :roll: