The logistics industry is vital as it underpins global trade and economic activity, facilitating the seamless and efficient movement of goods, services, and information. In Kenya, this importance is evident as road users frequently encounter large trailers transporting a variety of items, from vehicles and merchandise to raw materials like steel rolls.
Steel rolls are among the most frequently transported items on Kenyan highways due to their high demand in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure. These rolls, known as Hot-Rolled Coils (HRC), are exceptionally heavy and require careful handling during transport before being shaped into pipes, sheets, or even wires.
Weighing between 10 and 18 tonnes each, steel rolls are so heavy that many trucks are restricted to transporting only two at a time for safety and regulatory reasons. As a result, transporting these rolls involves meticulous attention to various details and procedures.
Firstly, the coils are generally only transported on vehicles with an appropriately sized coil trough. This is to allow the steel rolls to be securely cradled during transit, preventing them from shifting or rolling, which ensures safe handling and reduces the risk of accidents or damage.
To ensure that the rolls are securely and snugly positioned, they are either placed directly against the edge of the trough or supported with sufficiently strong, properly secured spacers between the coil and the trough’s edge.
To achieve a more secure hold, lashings must be threaded through the coil eye to provide lateral stability, and an additional tie-down lashing is used to prevent the coil from shifting or “jumping.”
Anti-slip rubber is used to minimize the number of tie-down lashings needed, especially for low-friction loads.
To avoid damaging packages or their packaging due to mechanical stresses, it is essential to follow precise procedures for stowing, bracing, lashing, and securing the cargo.
Appropriate slinging and cargo handling equipment must be chosen based on the cargo’s weight and slinging points. This includes tools such as chains, cranes, C-hooks, and coil rams.
Once the large rolls are lifted and placed onto the trailer, they are individually secured using chocks, cradles, or A-frames as part of a direct restraint or tie-down system.
Knowing the capacity of the vehicle to tow the rolls is extremely crucial, as exceeding this capacity can lead to mechanical failures, increased risk of accidents, and potential damage to both the vehicle and the cargo.
The towing capacity is the maximum weight a vehicle can safely tow. It is determined by the gross combined vehicle weight rating (GCVWR), which is the total weight of the loaded truck plus the trailer, minus the truck’s curb weight.
It is also important to consider the tongue weight of the trailer, as this weight is included in the truck’s payload. Tongue weight is the downward force exerted by the trailer’s front part on the hitch of the towing vehicle. This factor is crucial for towing because it impacts the stability and handling of both the trailer and the towing vehicle.
Tongue weight typically ranges from 10 to 15 percent of the trailer’s weight. To determine your vehicle’s towing capacity, calculate the trailer’s unladen weight, add the weight of the load, and then find 15 percent of this total. Subtract this 15 percent from your vehicle’s maximum payload to get the actual figure. This ensures that the trailer remains stable and not overwhelmed by the load.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) also regulates the transportation of steel rolls, limiting trucks to carrying only two at a time. This measure helps prevent road wear and tear and enforces road safety compliance to avoid serious accidents.
