LTB 667/18 Royal Mail: Transportation of Palletised Loads on 95 York Container, (Tri-Capable) Double Deck Trailers
No. 667/2018
23 November 2018
Our Ref: V4/18
Royal Mail: Transportation of Palletised Loads on 95 York Container, (Tri-Capable) Double Deck Trailers
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
This year Royal Mail has faced an increased requirement from bulk customers to accept and process palletised loads, including cardboard sleeved, shrink/stretch wrapped palletised traffic. To meet that demand, Royal Mail indicated a desire to expand the use of the 95 York Double Deck (Dual Use) Trailer fleet to include palletised loads which will enable them to be more adaptable and utilise a greater part of the fleet during for example otherwise empty legs. This trailer was originally designed as ‘dual use’ to carry York Containers and Loose Load Parcels, being used by both Royal Mail Logistics and Parcelforce Worldwide. Following extensive work via an agreed ‘Joint Working Group’ involving all stakeholders; Royal Mail Logistics, Royal Mail Fleet, Parcelforce Worldwide and the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department and CWU ASRs Logistics Group, the use of these trailers has moved from Dual Use to Tri-Use to include trailers loaded with PFWW traffic on pallets and also on the lowered moving deck, 20 x GKN specification pallets (up to 1.8 metres high).
Whilst this is a commercially positive step that helps secure jobs for our members for the future, both Royal Mail and the CWU wanted to ensure that this step is not to the detriment of fundamental health and safety requirements. Hence the establishment of the above mentioned ‘Joint Working Group’ was formed to examine the safe way in which RMG could expand the double deck trailer capability to include transportation of pallets.
To facilitate that process, the ‘Joint Working Group’ was set up to develop a specific SSoW for the 95 York Double Deck trailer fleet. That work has now been completed and a finalised SSoW has been developed and agreed with all parties.
There are several key elements to the SSoW that members need to be aware of: –
- Pallets are limited to 1.8m in height and only GKN specification pallets (20 off) are allowed on the trailer, placed on the lowered moving deck (only).
- Only Manual Hand pallet trucks or Electric Hand Pallet Trucks (MP20 or equivalent) MHE can be used (A TSB has been issued on this point – copy attached).
- A maximum moving deck payload of 12,250kg can be carried.
- Only GKN specification pallets up to a maximum of 1.8 metres tall shall be used.
- These loads are fragile in nature being typically shrink-wrapped and as such load restraint must only be tightened to a rate before which deformation of the load occurs, exercise caution.
- Each block of 4 Pallets requires a single strap load restraint applying.
- Moving deck gates should be closed where it is possible to do so.
- Pallet loads must be adequately ‘built up’ with shrink-wrap providing stability to each pallet load.
- Pallets should be loaded centrally, maximising the gap between the pallet and the outer edge of the moving deck – facilitating the maximum gap in which load restraint can be accessed/operated.
The SSoW Version 8 for the 95 York Double Deck Box trailer, Pallet capable is attached.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
RM Logistics Third Party Site Assessment inc drivers pack MASTER 5
SSoW 95Y DDeck Box Trl – Pallet capable Apr 2018 v8 (2) (3)
TSB 16 18 Appendix 1 Revised MHE Decal placement