Loading.

TM 38-400/NAVSUP PUB 572/AFMAN 23-210 MCO 4450.14/DLAM 4145.12

shipped fit a closed truck, van, or trailer without side

3-77.

Truck/Trailer

Loading-Preparation

for

slack or end slack, particularly when the front end is

Loading.

rounded or curved. In most instances, slack may be

taken up with bulkheads or dunnage.

Need for good equipment. Generally, a carrier

has several types of vehicles, one of which may be

c. Difficulty of tie down. The construction of

suitable or more adaptable to the commodity to be

present day closed trucks, vans, and trailers does not

shipped. It is the joint responsibility of the shipper and

facilitate tight loading, blocking, or bracing.

Most

the carrier to make every effort to assure safety in

commercial-closed trucks, vans, and trailer bodies are

transit as well as safe arrival at destination.

made of aluminum, plywood, or other thin metal shells

designed to protect the materials from weather in transit.

3-78. Loading.

Ordinarily, provision is not made for the essential

requirements of blocking, bracing, or tiedown. The safe

bracing of high center of gravity items in closed trucks,

a. Importance of proper loading. The delivery of

vans, and trailers presents a problem calling for good

truck and trailer shipments in good condition depends, to

judgment, ingenuity, and sound workmanship to assure

a large extent, on the manner in which the vehicle was

safe arrival of these items at destinations.

loaded and on the care that was taken in preparing the

d. Variation in vehicles.

Physical dimensions,

vehicle for loading. Personnel responsible for loading,

capacities, weight limitations, and load distribution of

blocking, and bracing freight should have available for

trucks and trailers vary greatly.

These variations

use and be familiar with the rules for the proper loading

preclude the covering of all types of loads. Accordingly,

and servicing of shipments. Shipments of explosives

the methods or procedures described must be

and ammunition will be loaded in accordance with

considered typical and will be adapted to individual

approved procedural publications/drawings issued by

loads of various commodities, as required.

the military services.

b. Tight loading. The most important single factor

3-79. Balanced Load.

contributing to the prevention of damage in truck and

Equal distribution of load is just as important in

trailer loading is that of tight loading, which cannot be

truckloading as in carloading. The importance of weight

overemphasized.

Rarely does the material to be

distribution is shown in figures 3-31 and 3-32.

3-64