Load Securing Officer
Ensures loads are secured to the state of the art: securing-force calculations, lashing-equipment checks, loading instructions, and driver training per VDI 2700 and the carrier's duties under § 412 HGB.
VDI 2700 et seq. · § 22 StVO · § 412 HGB
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What is a Load Securing Officer?
The Load Securing Officer makes sure goods are secured to the state of the art so they cannot shift, fall or endanger road users during transport. Load securing is a shared responsibility across loader, carrier, vehicle keeper and driver, and the officer brings method, calculation and documentation to it inside a company that loads or carries goods. No statute names the post; it is the organisational answer to duties that exist anyway and have to be evidenced individually if disputed.
The state of the art is set out in the VDI 2700 series (Securing of loads on road vehicles) and its sub-sheets, covering securing methods, lashing equipment, friction, securing-force calculation and slip-resistant materials. § 22 Para. 1 sentence 2 StVO expressly points to the recognised technical rules, which is why courts and authorities use the series to judge whether load securing was adequate. Which values apply follows from the relevant sub-sheet, the EN 12195 lashing standards and the manufacturer's information, not from a rule of thumb on the loading dock.
The road-traffic duty comes from § 22 Para. 1 StVO, which requires loads, including load-securing devices and loading equipment, to be stowed and secured so that even on emergency braking or sudden evasive movement they cannot slip, fall over, roll about or drop off. § 23 Para. 1 StVO puts the driver under a duty to see that vehicle, load and occupants comply, and § 31 Para. 2 StVZO bars the keeper from ordering or permitting operation where the keeper knows or should know that the load does not comply. These duties apply side by side, so a roadside check can look at loader, driver and keeper at the same time.
In freight law, § 412 Para. 1 of the Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch, HGB) allocates loading and unloading duties: unless the circumstances or commercial custom indicate otherwise, the consignor must load, stow and secure the goods safely for carriage and unload them, while the carrier must see to loading that is safe for vehicle operation. The officer operationalises these duties through securing-force calculations, lashing-equipment checks, written loading instructions and driver training. In practice it comes down to a few recurring points: whether a written instruction exists for the typical goods and vehicle combinations, whether lashing equipment carries legible markings and adequate capacity, whether loaders and drivers know the instruction, and whether all of that is documented.
Core duties of the Load Securing Officer
- Calculate securing forces and select securing methods to the state of the art per VDI 2700.
- Check lashing equipment, straps, chains and anti-slip mats for condition and capacity.
- Issue written loading instructions for recurring goods and vehicle combinations.
- Train and instruct loaders and drivers on correct load securing and load distribution.
- Allocate loading and securing duties in line with Section 412 HGB and contract terms.
- Ensure vehicles meet Section 22 StVO before they leave the loading point.
- Verify load-distribution plans against axle loads and permissible weights.
- Document securing arrangements, checks and instructions for inspection.
- Investigate load-shift incidents and feed findings back into instructions.
- Keep up with VDI 2700 updates, EN 12195 lashing standards and authority practice.
When is appointment required?
There is no statute that names a mandatory Load Securing Officer. The duties are imposed directly on the actors in the transport chain: Section 22 StVO on whoever loads and secures, Section 23 StVO on the driver, Section 31 StVZO on the keeper, and Section 412 HGB on the consignor and carrier. Because these duties are demanding and legally exposed, companies that load or carry goods commonly appoint a Load Securing Officer to organise compliance and demonstrate that the state of the art was applied.
The practical trigger is operating loading points or a vehicle fleet where goods must be secured. Once a company routinely loads trucks, dispatches freight or runs its own transport, it needs reliable securing-force calculations, fit-for-purpose lashing equipment, loading instructions and trained staff. Appointing an officer concentrates this competence and creates a documented, defensible process, which matters because load-securing failures carry fines, liability and, after accidents, criminal exposure.
The appointment should be in writing, define scope and authority, confirm the officer's qualification in VDI 2700 and the relevant standards, and grant access to equipment, instructions and training budgets. As with other officer functions, the appointment organises and evidences compliance but does not remove the underlying legal duties from the loader, driver, keeper and carrier.
- Operating loading points where goods are loaded onto road vehicles
- Running an own-account or commercial transport fleet
- Acting as consignor with loading and securing duties under Section 412 HGB
- Recurring load-shift findings or roadside-check penalties
- Handling heavy, bulky or hazardous loads needing engineered securing
- Insurer or customer requirement for a documented securing process
Industries that need this role
- Freight forwarding and road haulage
- Manufacturing with own dispatch and loading docks
- Building materials, steel and heavy goods
- Beverage and food logistics
- Wholesale and distribution centres
- Machinery and plant transport
- Timber, paper and roll goods
- Waste and recycling logistics
- Retail with own delivery fleets
- Chemical and dangerous-goods transport
How CIVAC supports the Load Securing role
CIVAC gives the Load Securing Officer a structured way to keep state-of-the-art securing demonstrable. Loading instructions, securing-force calculations and load-distribution plans live in the documentation pillar as versioned records, retrievable per goods type and vehicle combination. Recurring obligations, lashing-equipment inspections, driver and loader training under VDI 2700, and periodic review of instructions, become scheduled tasks with owners and due dates, so nothing lapses before a roadside check or audit. Load-shift incidents can be logged and tracked from investigation to revised instruction. When an authority, insurer or customer asks how the company meets Section 22 StVO and Section 412 HGB, the officer can show the calculations, checks and training in one place.
Frequently asked questions
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