Load securing in Germany: duties, methods and checks

What does load securing mean?

Load securing (Ladungssicherung) means stowing and securing a load so that it cannot slide, tip over, roll back and forth or fall off, even during emergency braking or a sudden evasive manoeuvre. This is required by Section 22 (1) of the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) – explicitly including load securing equipment and loading devices. The regulation does not say how to secure the load; it refers to the recognised rules of technology.

This affects not only haulage companies but just as much the tradesperson's van, the flatbed on a construction site or the trailer carrying a mini excavator. An unsecured load endangers other road users, the occupants and the employees unloading it.

Legal basis at a glance

Load securing in Germany combines road traffic law, commercial law and occupational safety:

• Section 22 (1) StVO

  What it requiresStow and secure load, securing equipment and loading devices safely for traffic; observe the recognised rules of technology

• Section 23 (1) StVO

  What it requiresThe driver ensures that vehicle, load and occupants comply with the rules and that the load does not impair road safety

• Section 31 (2) StVZO

  What it requiresThe vehicle keeper must neither order nor permit the journey if they know or ought to know that the load is not compliant

• Section 412 (1) HGB

  What it requiresThe consignor loads, stows and secures the goods safely for transport unless otherwise agreed or customary; the carrier ensures loading that is safe for the vehicle's operation

• Section 22 DGUV Regulation 70

  What it requiresVehicle bodies must allow the load to be secured; if the body alone is not enough, securing aids must be available; flatbeds and low-loaders need anchor points for lashing equipment

• Section 37 DGUV Regulation 70

  What it requiresObserve gross weight and axle loads, distribute the load so that handling is not unduly impaired, and stow and secure it so that nobody is endangered

The recognised rules of technology are above all the DIN EN 12195 series of standards – calculation of securing forces, web lashing, lashing chains, lashing wire ropes – and the VDI 2700 guideline series “Load securing on road vehicles”, which German courts also treat as a recognised rule of technology. The German statutory accident insurance institutions (Berufsgenossenschaften) publish examples for typical goods.

Who is responsible?

Load securing is not just the driver's job. Depending on their role, several people share responsibility – in the event of damage, each party's share is assessed case by case.

• Driver: checks before departure, after breaks in the journey and when needed – for example after emergency braking – that the load is secure, and does not set off if it is not (Section 23 (1) StVO)
• Vehicle keeper and employer: provides suitable vehicles with lashing points and enough securing aids, selects suitable drivers, instructs them and designates them to drive the vehicle (Section 35 DGUV Regulation 70); must not permit a journey with a non-compliant load (Section 31 (2) StVZO)
• Loader (Verlader): whoever organises loading on site – warehouse manager, site foreman, team leader or the driver themselves. The loader is responsible for loading that is safe for transport, as German courts have repeatedly confirmed
• Consignor and carrier: under a contract of carriage, the consignor generally loads safely for transport and the carrier ensures loading that is safe for operation (Section 412 HGB)

Forces and securing methods

When braking, accelerating and cornering, the load tends to keep moving. For lorries over 3.5 t, forces of up to 0.8 times the weight force forwards and up to 0.5 times backwards and sideways are assumed; for lighter vehicles the values are higher – up to 0.9 times forwards and 0.7 times sideways. A 1,000 kg pallet therefore pushes forwards with up to 800 daN during emergency braking. Friction holds only part of this: with a sliding friction coefficient of 0.3, it is around 300 daN – the securing has to take up the rest.

• Form-fit

  PrincipleThe load sits flush against the headboard, side walls or body or is held directly; forces go straight into the vehicle

  ExamplesPlacing against the headboard, filling gaps with empty pallets or dunnage bags, wedges, locking bars, diagonal or angled direct lashing, head loop

• Friction-based

  PrincipleThe pre-tension of the lashing equipment presses the load onto the loading area, increasing friction

  ExamplesTie-down lashing with straps of known standard tension force (STF), usually with anti-slip mats

• Combined

  PrincipleForm-fit in one direction, friction-based in the others

  ExamplesLoad placed against the headboard and tied down against sliding sideways

Form-fit methods take priority over tie-down lashing because they depend less on friction and pre-tension. Anti-slip mats increase friction considerably. The vehicle manufacturer's load distribution plan shows how much weight may be placed where on the loading area without exceeding axle loads.

Lashing equipment: labelling, discard criteria and inspection

Under DIN EN 12195-2, lashing straps carry a label with the key values: LC (lashing capacity) is the maximum force in a straight pull and counts for direct lashing. STF (standard tension force) is the pre-tension the ratchet produces at normal hand force (SHF, 50 daN) – it counts for tie-down lashing. Only straps with an STF value are therefore suitable for tie-down lashing. Defective lashing equipment must be taken out of use, typically when there is:

• a missing or illegible label
• cuts, broken yarns or chafing in the webbing
• damaged load-bearing seams
• deformed, cracked or broken ratchets, hooks and connecting parts
• deformation from heat or damage from aggressive substances

• Visual check for obvious defects

  WhoUser, e.g. driver or loader

  Whenbefore each use

• Regular inspection of lashing equipment

  WhoPerson qualified to carry out inspections

  Whenas per risk assessment, proven practice at least once a year

• Inspection of the vehicle including lashing points and bulkhead

  WhoCompetent person

  Whenas needed, at least once a year (Section 57 DGUV Regulation 70)

Lashing equipment is work equipment: the employer sets the type, scope and intervals of its inspection in the risk assessment (Section 3 (6) of the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health, BetrSichV); the guidance in VDI 2700 Part 3.1 is regarded as proven practice. The result can be marked with an inspection label on the strap, for example. Lashing straps are not knotted, not used for lifting and only used on sharp edges with edge protection.

Instructing drivers and loaders

Anyone who loads or drives vehicles must know how to secure the load. The employer gives safety instruction before work starts and at least once a year thereafter (Section 12 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, ArbSchG; Section 4 DGUV Regulation 1). Only employees who are at least 18, fit, instructed in driving the vehicle, have proven their competence and have been designated by the employer may drive vehicles independently (Section 35 DGUV Regulation 70). Proven topics:

• forces when braking, swerving and cornering
• permissible gross weight, axle loads and load distribution plan
• form-fit and friction-based securing – with standard solutions for your typical goods
• reading the label, determining the number of lashings, using edge protection
• visual checks and taking damaged lashing equipment out of use
• checks before departure and after breaks in the journey
• what to do if the load cannot be loaded safely: do not set off, report it

Professional drivers of licence categories C1 to CE already learn load securing in their initial qualification (Annex 1 No. 1.4 BKrFQV) and refresh it in periodic training every five years (Section 5 of the Professional Drivers' Qualification Act, BKrFQG). This does not replace in-house instruction on your vehicles, bodies and goods. Operating instructions that specify how typical goods are secured are helpful.

Checks before departure and fines

1. 1

   Check vehicle and body

   Loading area clean and dry, headboard, side walls and lashing points undamaged, suitable aids on board.

2. 2

   Distribute the load

   Respect gross weight and axle loads, heavy items at the bottom and as central as possible, follow the load distribution plan.

3. 3

   Secure

   Load form-fit wherever possible, close gaps, add tie-down or direct lashing.

4. 4

   Check lashing equipment

   Check label, webbing, seams and ratchets; take damaged lashing equipment out of use.

5. 5

   Re-check on the way

   After breaks, partial unloading and emergency braking, check the securing and re-tension if needed.

Under the German catalogue of fines (annex to the BKatV), violations cost, among others:

• Load not stowed or secured safely for traffic – lorry, bus or their trailers (No. 102.1)

  Standard fine€60, with endangerment €75

• The same for other motor vehicles, e.g. cars (No. 102.2)

  Standard fine€35, with endangerment €60

• Driver: load not compliant, road safety significantly impaired as a result (No. 108)

  Standard fine€80

• Vehicle keeper: journey ordered or permitted although the load significantly impaired road safety (No. 189.3)

  Standard fine€270 for lorries and buses, otherwise €135

Checklist: load securing in your company

• Vehicles and bodies suit the typical goods, lashing points are available
• Enough labelled lashing equipment, edge protection and anti-slip mats on board
• Load distribution plans for the vehicles available
• Standard solutions or operating instructions for typical goods defined
• Tasks of driver and loader defined in the company
• Drivers designated to drive the vehicle
• Load securing instruction documented before work starts and annually
• Visual check of lashing equipment before each use introduced
• Regular inspection of lashing equipment and annual vehicle inspection scheduled
• Check before departure organised with a checklist

Free templates for this guide

As PDF and Excel, free – to use in your own company.

• Safety instruction

  Forklift driver authorisation template (PDF) – written authorisation under DGUV Regulation 68

  PDFFree download
• Testing duties

  Vehicle safety inspection report template (PDF & Excel) under DGUV Regulation 70

  PDF + ExcelFree download
• Testing duties

  Load securing checklist (PDF) – check before departure

  PDFFree download

Frequently asked questions