Preface

The report „Securing cargo in road transport – Who knows the truth?“, which was published here in May 2010 was met with lively interest, but at the same time triggered considerable demand for clarification. The facts published here are intended to provide answers to the most important questions and perhaps provide assistance in achieving a common interpretation of DIN EN 12195-1. Ideally, such an interpretation would be in harmony with the recently reworked VDI Guideline 2700, Part 2 and the CTU Code due to be published by the IMO.

The EN 12195-1:2010 standard has now been recognised by ADR 2013 as the accepted basis for securing hazardous goods and is used throughout the Federal Republic of Germany for this purpose. On the other hand, the majority of the regional police authorities in Germany inspect the securing of non-hazardous cargoes on the basis of DIN EN 12195-1:2004, which is evidently stricter. This state of affairs alone is paradoxical in the eyes of all practitioners and needs to be clarified and, where necessary, rectified.