A photo of a truck carrying two rolls of steel went viral, with many Kenyans wondering why a huge truck would only carry two rolls.
Netizens took to social media to discuss whether the rolls' weight necessitated minimum weight loading or their use required a unique mode of transportation.
“The weight of the coils is heavy...one coil weighs at least 10 tonnes,” a Twitter user, Kennedy Anyumba, opined.
Another revealed that the Hot-Rolled Coil (HRC) rolls weighed between 0.9 and 18 tonnes.
“So that would mean that the biggest and strongest truck(triple axle 12-wheeled-dual) can only carry two HRC of 14 tonnes each if it has to go through Weighbridge verification," the user indicated.
Kenyans.co.ke sought to understand more about these trucks and the rolls they carry.
The Transport Information Service indicates that the coils are generally only transported on vehicles with an appropriately sized coil trough.
Care must be taken to ensure that coils are placed directly against the edge of the trough or that sufficiently strong, properly secured spacers are placed between the coil and the edge of the trough.
Lashings must also be passed through the coil eye to ensure lateral stability, while an additional tie-down lashing prevents the coil from “jumping.”
Information from the Transport Information Service further reveals that the anti-slip rubber reduces the required number of tied-down lashings, particularly for low-friction loads.
To avoid damage to packages or their packaging by mechanical stresses, it is essential that stowing, bracing, lashing, and securing on the means of transport are performed carefully and in accordance with instructions.
Suitable slinging and cargo handling equipment and lifting gear must be selected and used based on the cargo’s weight and slinging points.
Restrain large rolls or reels individually; use chocks, cradles, or A-frames as part of a direct restraint or tie-down restraint system.
It is equally important to know the capacity of the vehicle/truck towing the rolls.
The towing capacity is the maximum weight the vehicle can tow. A truck’s towing capacity is the gross combined vehicle weight rating (GCVWR) — the maximum gross weight of the loaded truck, plus the weight of the trailer —minus the truck’s curb weight.
It’s important to know the tongue weight of the trailer because you have to account for the weight of this part of the trailer in the truck’s payload.
The tongue weight is normally 10 to 15 per cent of the trailer's weight.
This means you must calculate the trailer's unladen weight, add the weight of the load, and then calculate 15% of this figure.
You then remove this 15 per cent from your maximum payload.
Among their uses, hot-rolled steel is used, e.g. for manufacturing pipes, steel doors, and tanks, or is further processed into cold-rolled steel.
Much cold-rolled steel is processed in the automotive industry, but some are used to manufacture household goods such as fridges.
Galvanized sheet is used, e.g. in the automotive industry or the production of roofing materials (e.g. flashing, guttering).
