Belgium tightens up its load laws

Following similar moves in Germany, Belgium has issued new and stricter rules on securing loads. Shippers are now responsible, and, as a result, Belgium is training its police forces for more stringent checks on loaded trailers to see whether the load they are inspecting meets the new requirements.

The regulations are important because Belgium is a transit country for freight moving between the UK, France, Holland and Germany.

The new rules will also apply to all foreign-registered trucks.

Shippers have to provide their logistics partner or haulier with a document detailing the type of cargo, the weight and the kind of pallets used. Shippers are also obliged to provide safe packaging while the complete load has to remain stable even when tilted to an angle of 26 degrees.

Belgian law holds hauliers responsible in cases of accidents, while drivers are also obliged not to set off on a journey with a trailer that has been improperly secured.

Fines for offences in Belgium vary from €150 (£135) to €2,750 (£2,479) and driving bans can vary from five days to eight years, depending on the type of offence. The police are also allowed to force drivers to stop and reload or unload part of their cargo to meet the new requirements.

Commercial Motor will carry a full show report of Trailer '09 - held in Kortrijk, Belgium, last week - in its 10 December issue.

• The Dutch government has proposed road-charging legislation. Under the plans, road tax and vehicle purchase tax will be abolished and replaced by a charge per kilometre travelled within the Netherlands. The proceeds from the charge will not exceed the combined proceeds from the current taxes. The proceeds will go directly into a fund to build roads and railways.