Heavy Goods Vehicle Rollover Awareness

Heavy Goods Vehicle rollover awareness
Awareness training for Drivers, Driver

supervisors and Journey Managers
1
Disclaimer
This document is made available for information only and on the condition that (i) it may not be relied upon by anyone, in conduct
of their own operations or otherwise (ii) neither the Shell company issuing this document nor any other person or company
concerned with furnishing information or data used herein (A) is liable for its accuracy or completeness, or for any
recommendations or advice given in or any omission from this document, or for any consequences whatsoever resulting directly or
indirectly from any use made of this document by any person, even if there was a failure to exercise reasonable care on the part of
Shell company or any other person or company as aforesaid; or (B) make any claim, representation or warranty, express or
implied, that acting in accordance with this document will produce any particular results with regard to the subject matter
contained herein, or satisfy the requirement of any applicable laws and regulation; and (iii) nothing in this document constitutes
technical advice. If such advice is required it should be sought from a qualified professional adviser .
Furthermore, these materials do not in any way constitute an offer to provide specific services.
Where some of the content of this material may be based on an incident of like nature in the industry, it is neither a transcript from
a real event, nor a step by step account of what may have occurred. Where the document contains recommendations, they are one
but not necessarily the only way of addressing learnings.
The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this presentation
the expression “Shell” is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to companies within the Shell group or to the
group in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell companies in general or those who
work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying specific companies.
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2
What is a rollover?
A vehicle rollover is an incident where the vehicle has:

flipped to its side or top, or
rolled 360 degrees on the horizontal axis
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Two questions to discuss as a team
Globally – how many HGV rollover incidents do you think Shell

has on a yearly basis?
Where do you think the majority of these incidents occured?
4
Examples of rollovers in the Industry
Are you aware of rollovers that have taken place in your business?
Thailand Oman
Russia Gabon
5
Contents
Why do rollovers happen?
Rollover awareness and prevention
Control measures
6
Why do you think rollovers happen?
A right turn, no other road users. What could have caused this rollover
incident?
Location where truck left the road
7
Why do you think rollovers happen?
Vehicle tyres
stability
Human factors
Environmental
conditions Road Load
8
Vehicle stability
Decreasing stability
9
Key components of vehicle stability - CoG
Centre of Gravity “CoG” –The point in the vehicle where all of the weight is
evenly distributed so that the object is balanced
More Stable Less stable
10
Key components of vehicle stability - CF
The Centrifugal Force (CF) increases with:

Higher speed
Sharper turn
Tyre traction resists this pull if you are
driving at a safe speed
The faster the speed the less time the
driver has to prevent rollover and the
more severe the consequences of the
incident are
Trucks with a lower Centre of Gravity and stiffer suspensions have higher
rollover thresholds and are more difficult to roll over in a curve
11
Typical rollover incident
Typical example of rollover incident

A tanker truck driver drove downhill on a blacktop road. He approached a turn and
suddenly realised he is driving to fast for the conditions. He hit the breaks, but the wheels
came onto the soft shoulder of the road. He pulled hard left to get away from the side, but
too late. The vehicle rolled over.
Many rollovers occur when drivers overcorrect their steering as a panic reaction to an
emergency or to a wheel going off the pavements edge.
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Load
What is the influence of load?
13
Load
What is the effect of load on the stability of the vehicle? Why?
Centre of Gravity
a) Flat bed truck carrying heavy steel beams

b) Truck carrying corn flakes (light weight)
c) Truck carrying steel pipes
14
Load
Improperly secured loads

can change the vehicle’s
Centre of Gravity and its
stability.
Overloaded / small pieces of load loaded to high
If payload is not centered

properly, the vehicle
stability will not be
equivalent when turning to
both right and left.
Only one chain used in front and one chain at

the rear causing load to potentially be unsafe
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Load
When a load is stacked, the

larger and heavier items
should be placed at the bottom
A load with a high CoG should

be carried on a vehicle with a
low platform height (e.g. drop
frame trailer or low bed trailer)
Vehicles towing trailers are more prone to rollover as a result of

the increased/ added motion of the trailer in curves and during
sudden steering maneuvers.
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Load (Liquids)
Bulk tankers carrying liquids are inherently less secure because products
can move when the truck brakes or goes round corners and bends, thereby
altering the Centre of Gravity; the “ slosh effect”
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Load (Liquids)
Sudden acceleration and harsh braking causes the liquid to surge forward
or backward in the tank compartment. This influences the stability of the
vehicle and can result in a rollover.
The surge can be reduced by use of baffles, but cannot be eliminated.
Avoid sudden acceleration and harsh braking.
Sudden acceleration
Harsh braking
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Partial loading
Best Option
OK only if every compartment

is > 85 % full
Not Recommended
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Partial loading
Avoid product returns

If unavoidable – always try and
retain product in the first
compartment over the drive axle.
Never place a return load in the
first compartment if it overhangs
the fifth wheel plate more than
50%
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Human factors
Inappropriate speed for the road and environmental conditions

Wrong reaction to initial course deviation
Driver fatigue
Driver distraction, loss of concentration
Use of alcohol, drugs
Driver’s experience, competence
Unexpected actions of 3rd party road users
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tyre traction and tyre pressure
Over-inflated tyres are prone to

blowup on hard impact or on contact
with sharp objects
Low tyre pressure creates heat and
friction that increases wear and tear of
the tyre
Worn tyres have less the traction on
the road. This may cause the vehicle
to slide sideways resulting in a
rollover
Check the tyres prior to the trip
(pressure, tread, damage, punctures, etc)
Do not overload the vehicle
22
Road and environment
Soft shoulder / hard shoulder

Blind spots
Surface of the road
Unpaved or gravel roads are more
prone to rollovers
Less tyre traction
Build up of gravel in the corners. Even
in a minor slide vehicles can clip the
accumulated soil and roll over.
Fog, snow, ice, dust cloud, etc
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Typical maneuvers - Downhill driving
Gear shifting while driving down

slope is not safe and must be avoided
Use exhaust/auxiliary braking to
control speed while descending
Exhaust / Engine brakes do not work
when in neutral gear
Do not use service brakes
continuously as this would cause
brakes to fade and become
ineffective
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Typical maneuvers - Taking corners
Plan your course

Check side mirrors
Activate signal to turn
Apply brakes
Engage right gears to reduce speed
Check side mirrors
Prepare for evasive action
Acceleration when ready
25
Typical maneuvers - S-curves
If the liquid is on one side during the

first curve, then shifts to the other
side during the next curve, the liquid
is positioned to shift back to the first
side with 4 times the side force it had
during the initial curve.
4x
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Typical maneuvers - U-turn
Roads are not flat, they have slopes and cambers for rain water runoff.
Front trailer axle turntable (pivot point) allows the trailer width to narrow
causing unstable effect.
width becoming narrow
Surge of product is now going sideways causing center of gravity to go

sideways while front wheelbase is narrow causing trailer to flip.
Almost all rollovers involving drawbar trailers occur below the posted safe
turn speed limits
27
Tips to prevent rollovers
28
Ensure the vehicle is properly loaded

Check your vehicle and tyres prior to the trip
Anti lock braking system (ABS)
ABS will make sure your wheels continue to rotate applying maximum braking power.
This will allow you to continue steering whilst you stay in control of the vehicle
Apply defensive driving techniques, anticipate the conditions ahead to

avoid panic maneuvers
Reduce speed before blind spots, curves and (sharp) turns
IVMS and regular feedback to drivers
Regular feedback can help drivers to improve their driving skills
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Comply with the Life-Saving Rules:
Do not operate a mobile phone while driving and drive at a safe speed
No alcohol or drugs
Follow the JMP, adhere to the driving hours and rest-break regulations
Wear your seat belt
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You are in a rollover, what can save your life?
Rollover prevention device either active or passive

Properly secure your load and put away loose items inside the cabin
Appropriate Emergency Response Plan
Know what to do in case of an emergency
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Recap
Why do rollovers happen?
How can you prevent rollovers?
What can be done to mitigate the consequences of a rollover?
32
Q&A
33
Quiz
34
Quiz (1)
1. Put the vehicles in the correct order of stability (from low CoG to high
CoG):
a) Truck, car, jeep

b) Car, jeep, truck
c) Jeep, car, truck
2. The following components affect the Centrifugal Force:

a) High speed and sharp turns
b) Poor road surface conditions
c) Poor condition of tyres
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Quiz (2)
3. The stability of the vehicle can be increased by:

1. Adding weight on top of the vehicle
2. Securing all loads and positioning heavy loads as low as possible
3. Keeping loads in the centre of the vehicle
Which is the correct answer.
a) 1, 2 and 3 are correct

b) 2 and 3 are correct
c) 1 and 3 are correct
36
Quiz (3)
4. Which of the following Life-Saving Rules can prevent you from having
a rollover incident?
a) -
b) -
c) -
d) -
37

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Heavy Goods Vehicle rollover awareness

Awareness training for Drivers, Driver

A vehicle rollover is an incident where the vehicle has:

Globally – how many HGV rollover incidents do you think Shell

Where do you think the majority of these incidents occured?

Why do rollovers happen?

Rollover awareness and prevention

Location where truck left the road

More Stable Less stable

The Centrifugal Force (CF) increases with:

Typical example of rollover incident

What is the influence of load?

What is the effect of load on the stability of the vehicle? Why?

a) Flat bed truck carrying heavy steel beams

Improperly secured loads

If payload is not centered

Only one chain used in front and one chain at

When a load is stacked, the

A load with a high CoG should

Vehicles towing trailers are more prone to rollover as a result of

OK only if every compartment

Avoid product returns

Inappropriate speed for the road and environmental conditions

Over-inflated tyres are prone to

Soft shoulder / hard shoulder

Gear shifting while driving down

Plan your course

If the liquid is on one side during the

width becoming narrow

Surge of product is now going sideways causing center of gravity to go

Ensure the vehicle is properly loaded

Apply defensive driving techniques, anticipate the conditions ahead to

Comply with the Life-Saving Rules:

Wear your seat belt

Rollover prevention device either active or passive

Why do rollovers happen?

How can you prevent rollovers?

What can be done to mitigate the consequences of a rollover?

a) Truck, car, jeep

2. The following components affect the Centrifugal Force:

3. The stability of the vehicle can be increased by:

Which is the correct answer.

a) 1, 2 and 3 are correct

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