Transport (commonly used in the U. K.), or transportation

Garden refuse

Garden refuse can be light enough to blow off a ute or trailer during transport. Use a secured tarpaulin or netting to prevent light items blowing away and endangering other road users.

If the refuse is loaded higher than the sides of the ute or trailer, tie or strap it down to prevent it moving.

Furniture and white goods

Restrain tall items of furniture or white goods (such as fridges) to head boards to ensure they don’t fall over when you brake, turn or take evasive action.

If the furniture extends above the sides of the ute or trailer and isn’t tightly packed, tightly restrain it using rope or webbing straps. Rubber matting under the load can help prevent movement.

Tightly pack your furniture and fill the spaces between items with dunnage or packing materials to ensure the load doesn’t move and loosen the lashings.

Tools

Do not transport loose, smaller tools unrestrained in the back of utes or trailers. Instead, contain them within toolboxes that are restrained adequately.

Restrain larger tools, such as shovels, rakes and lawn mowers, using ropes, straps or a cargo net if they’re not adequately contained by the vehicle body.

Boats

For boats on trailers, a safety chain can be used in addition to the wire rope from the trailer’s winch to the bow of the boat, and the boat should have a strap over the stern attaching it to the trailer.

If the boat is fitted with an outboard motor and its mounting to the stern can’t withstand bumps and other shocks encountered in road transport, you may need to separately restrain the motor or remove it during transport.

You may tow an oversized boat using a light vehicle if it complies with the Guideline for the safe movement of oversize 'special use' light trailers and oversize boats on light vehicles .

Loose items carried inside a boat, such as fishing rods, eskies and safety equipment also need to be restrained to ensure they cannot blow out of the boat or move in a way that can affect the stability of the vehicle. Refer to the Load Restraint Guide 2018 for Light Vehicles (PDF, 521KB) for various load restraint methods.

You can’t tow a boat that’s more than 2.9m wide behind a light vehicle.

Small boats, kayaks and canoes transported on roof racks must be within the projecting load limits, and have warning flags or lights as required.