Load Restraint Systems

For Secure Cargo Handling

Every day, tonnes of goods move across Australian and New Zealand roads, rail networks, and shipping containers. What stops them from shifting, settling, or arriving damaged? A solid load restraint approach. We at Ferrier Industrial have spent decades watching what works and what fails, and we’ve learned that effective load restraint isn’t about one product—it’s about matching the right mix of mats, straps, cradles, and dunnage to each operation’s unique constraints.

Cargo moves differently depending on what you’re transporting. A coil of steel behaves nothing like palletised cartons; a container on a ship experiences different forces than the same load on a truck. Load restraint systems account for these realities. They protect goods, reduce damage claims, keep crews safe, and simplify compliance audits. We support teams across postal networks, logistics hubs, manufacturing facilities, and heavy industry who’ve built their reputation on goods arriving intact. That’s not luck—it’s engineering.

This guide walks through the fundamentals of load restraint, the material and design options we’ve proven in the field, and the practical steps to specify and implement systems that fit your operation.

Why Load Restraint Matters

The stakes are straightforward. Damaged cargo costs money: replacement claims, repair labour, holdups in your supply chain, and the reputational hit when a customer receives goods in poor condition. Beyond cost, there’s the safety angle. Unsecured or poorly restrained loads can shift during transit, causing accidents, injuries, and regulatory scrutiny. From a compliance perspective, carriers and freight companies are increasingly expected to demonstrate that they’ve taken reasonable steps to secure loads—whether that’s for audit purposes or insurance underwriting.

We’ve worked with clients across steel mills, postal operations, construction firms, and mining sites, and the pattern is consistent: organisations that invest thoughtfully in load restraint systems report fewer claims, faster loading cycles, and fewer safety incidents. The upfront cost of getting restraint right typically saves money over time through reduced spoilage and faster throughput.

Load restraint also affects operational efficiency. When you know your system works reliably, you can standardise your loading procedures, train staff consistently, and move shipments faster. You’re not second-guessing yourself about whether the load will stay put.

Load Restraint Solutions: What We Supply

At Ferrier Industrial, we’ve built a diverse portfolio of load restraint options because no single product solves every challenge. Here’s what we bring to the table:

Restraint Mats and High-Friction Surfaces
We manufacture load restraint rubber mats designed to sit between the load bed and cargo, creating friction that prevents cargo from sliding. These mats are typically engineered to deliver a coefficient of friction well above 0.60—enough to hold goods in place on hard braking. We work with various dimensions and thicknesses depending on your lorry or container setup. The mats are reusable and straightforward to clean between loads.

Ratchet Straps and Cargo Straps
Our cargo straps are woven polyester with weather-resistant properties and high breaking strength. They’re available in standard lengths and custom assemblies to fit specific vehicle frames or container structures. Ratchet mechanisms are robust and DOT-compliant, and we can manufacture straps with reinforced stitching for higher-cycle use. These work well for sheet goods, palletised loads, and mixed freight.

Truck Cradles and Vertical Coil Restraint
For heavier applications—particularly steel coil and pipe—we supply vulcanised rubber cradles bonded to steel frames. These cradles sit within trucks or intermodal containers and hold cylindrical loads stable during transit. Our cradles are engineered to absorb vibration, reduce noise, and eliminate the need for loose dunnage that can shift or jam. The rubber backing is vulcanised, so it resists tearing and maintains its grip over thousands of load cycles.

Dunnage Blocks and Edge Protection
We offer hardwood and engineered LVL dunnage in a range of standard dimensions, plus custom bespoke blocks shaped for specific coil or sheet pack applications. These sit between the cargo and the vehicle floor or between stacked loads, distributing weight and preventing point-loads that could damage goods. Alongside dunnage, we supply edge and impact protection in extruded plastic or rubber for goods that risk scuffing or denting.

Airbags for Truck and Intermodal
For applications where cushioning is needed—or to fill void space that might allow cargo to move—we supply dunnage airbags in standard sizes for truck and rail intermodal containers. These are straightforward to deploy and remove, and they hold cargo in place during transit and braking.

Coil and Sheet Pack Restraint Systems
This is an area where we’ve put significant engineering effort. We work with steel mills and heavy transport operators to design universal restraint systems for coil and sheet packs that work across mixed diameters and weights. These systems use engineered corners, retaining pins, and load-spreading frames that reduce the need for specialised load and unload procedures. The result is faster turnround, less manual handling, and fewer damage claims.

Here’s what our core load restraint service lines look like:

Standard restraint mats: 300×300×8 mm, various thicknesses, reusable, friction-engineered for truck and container floors; can be customised to fit container or vehicle dimensions.
Custom ratchet assemblies: polyester straps with reinforced stitching, weather-resistant finishes, custom lengths and anchor points to fit your vehicle frame or ISO container structure.
Coil and sheet protection: engineered cradles with vulcanised rubber bonding, universal corners for mixed-diameter coils, horizontal and vertical restraint systems, bespoke steel frames for sheet packs.
Dunnage and edge guards: hardwood, LVL, and foam blocks in standard and custom sizes; plastic and rubber edge protection; foam corner guards for palletised goods.
Airbag kits: truck and intermodal sizes; quick-deploy, reusable, space-filling; compatible with standard inflation equipment.

Types of Load Restraint: Materials and Design Choices

When we work with a client on load restraint, material selection and design approach shape the entire outcome. Here are the main considerations.

Understanding Restraint Mats and Friction Surfaces

Restraint mats work on a simple principle: friction between the mat surface and your cargo prevents sliding. The quality of that friction—the coefficient of friction—is what matters. A mat with a coefficient above 0.60 will hold most cargo in place under normal braking and cornering forces. We engineer our mats to exceed this threshold, using vulcanised rubber compounds that grip well and resist breakdown over time.

Why not just use the lorry floor? Bare steel or painted wood can be slippery, especially if it’s wet or contaminated with dust or oil. A purpose-designed mat creates a known, reliable grip surface. It’s also reusable: you can lift the mat off one load and place it on the next, which spreads the investment across many shipments.

The downside of mats is that they add weight and take up storage space when not in use. They also need cleaning between loads if goods are messy. But for high-cycle operations—logistics hubs, repeated routes with similar cargo—mats are often the most economical restraint choice.

Ratchet Straps and High-Strength Webbing

Cargo restraint straps are the workhorse of load restraint on many routes. A polyester strap with a ratchet buckle can secure palletised goods, sheet material, or mixed freight to a truck frame or intermodal container. The strength comes from the webbing, usually 50 mm wide in standard applications, woven to have a high breaking load. The ratchet mechanism tightens the strap over the load without requiring knots or additional hardware.

Ratchet straps have some advantages: they’re portable, require no installation, and can be adapted to different vehicle types. They’re also visible—staff can see whether the strap is tight—which makes QA easier. The main downside is that they depend on operator technique. A poorly tightened strap won’t restrain the load adequately, and over-tightening can damage goods or the strap itself. Training and discipline matter.

We’ve worked with transport companies that have standardised on ratchet straps for flexibility, and others that prefer mats for their hands-off simplicity. Often, the best approach combines both: mats for base friction and ratchet straps as a secondary restraint across the top of the load.

Engineered Cradles and Coil Protection

For heavy cylindrical loads—coils of steel, rolls of paper, wound cable—purpose-designed cradles are transformative. Instead of a load sitting loose in a truck, supported only by dunnage blocks, a vulcanised rubber cradle holds the coil in a contoured pocket. The coil can’t roll side to side or end to end. The rubber dampens vibration, which means less noise and less risk of the coil shifting during braking or cornering.

Our cradles for coil transport are engineered to a high standard. The rubber is bonded to steel frames, so it won’t separate or tear. The frame is hot-dip galvanised, so it resists rust even in salt-spray environments. Over thousands of load cycles, these cradles continue to grip and protect.

The trade-off is that coil cradles are load-specific. A cradle designed for a 500 mm coil won’t work well for a 700 mm coil. This is why universal systems—where a single frame accommodates a range of coil diameters—are valuable. They reduce the need to stock multiple cradle types.

LVL Dunnage and Hardwood Alternatives

Dunnage blocks do several jobs: they distribute the weight of cargo over the truck or container floor, they prevent point-loads that could dent goods, they create space underneath the load for air circulation (important for certain goods), and they hold the load at the right height for loading and unloading.

We supply two main types of dunnage material: engineered LVL (laminated veneer lumber) and hardwood. LVL is a composite material made from thin layers of timber, laminated and compressed. It’s stronger than solid timber of the same dimensions, it resists moisture (we offer BWR—boiling-water-resistant—grades for demanding applications), and it grows faster than equivalent hardwood. For sustainability-conscious clients, LVL is attractive because it comes from managed, fast-growing plantations.

Hardwood dunnage—typically sourced from eucalyptus—is denser and sometimes preferred for very heavy loads or extreme durability. It costs more and has longer lead times for sustainable sourcing, but it’s proven over decades in heavy industry.

The choice between LVL and hardwood usually comes down to load weight, moisture exposure, and sustainability goals. For intermodal and export applications, heat-treated hardwood is often required by import regulations, so that drives the decision.

Implementing Load Restraint on Site

Design and Fit-Checking

We don’t just sell restraint products; we help you design a system that fits your specific vehicles, containers, and loading procedures. This starts with understanding your constraints: what’s your truck or container interior dimension? How much headroom do you have for straps or airbags? What’s the weight and shape of your typical load?

We’ll often create a simple sketch or CAD drawing showing how restraint components sit within your vehicle. This step catches incompatibilities early. A ratchet strap that’s too short won’t reach the anchor points; a mat that’s slightly too large won’t fit around a corner. Getting the dimensions right upfront saves frustration later.

For larger installations—say, standardising restraint across a fleet or redesigning how coils are transported—we’ll typically arrange a site visit. We walk the loading dock, review existing equipment, talk with the crew handling the cargo, and identify opportunities to simplify or improve. This discovery phase is essential.

Pilot and Validation

Once we’ve identified a solution, we usually recommend a pilot. This might mean supplying a small batch of mats or cradles, running a handful of loads through your normal procedure, and collecting feedback. Does the restraint work as expected? Can your team apply it consistently? Are there unforeseen issues with vehicle interfaces or loading sequences?

Pilots take time but prevent expensive mistakes. We’ve learned not to assume our solution will work perfectly the first time. A small adjustment—say, repositioning a mat slightly to fit around a hydraulic line—often emerges during the pilot phase.

Staged Rollout and Training

After a successful pilot, rollout is usually phased. You might start with one vehicle or route, confirm the system works over several weeks, then expand to the next vehicle or region. During rollout, we’ll typically spend time training your loading teams. The best restraint system in the world fails if your crew doesn’t understand how to use it.

Training covers basics: how to position a mat, how tight a ratchet strap should be, how to spot wear or damage that might require replacement. We also discuss troubleshooting—what to do if a load is an unusual size or weight, or if a restraint component seems worn.

Spares and Serviceability

Load restraint systems will eventually wear out. A ratchet strap might fray or lose its grip; a rubber mat might crack at the edges; a cradle’s rubber might harden or separate. Our approach is to think about this upfront: we design systems so worn components can be replaced without replacing the entire assembly. Strap webbing can be re-sewn; mats can be replaced; cradles have replaceable rubber inserts on some models.

We maintain a spares supply here at Ferrier Industrial, and we work with clients on reorder schedules. Rather than waiting until something fails, we recommend a simple maintenance cycle: inspect restraint components every few months, order spares before you run out, and plan replacements during lower-activity periods.

Key Procurement Considerations

Before you commit to a load restraint system, here are the factors that typically matter:

Spec fit and compliance: Does the restraint system meet your transport company’s standards or your customer’s requirements? If you’re exporting, do you need to comply with international container regulations?
Material durability: Will the system withstand your climate (salt spray, humidity, UV exposure) and your load cycles (high-frequency routes vs. occasional use)?
Friction and holding power: For mats and cradles, what coefficient of friction or holding force do you need? Is it sufficient for the loads you typically transport?
Ease of use and training: Can your team apply the restraint system consistently and correctly? Does it require special equipment or skills?
Supply continuity and spares: Can you source replacement components quickly if something wears out? Is the supplier reliable for just-in-time replenishment?
Sustainability and reusability: Are the materials recyclable or reusable? Does the system align with your environmental goals?
Integration with existing equipment: Do restraint components fit your vehicles or containers without modification? Can they work alongside other systems (palletisation, handling equipment) you’re already using?
Lifecycle cost: What’s the total cost over several years, including initial purchase, maintenance, spares, and labour?

How We Work with Clients

When an organisation approaches us about load restraint, we follow a structured process that’s worked well across our client base.

Discovery and Site Review
We start by understanding your operation. What routes do you run? What are your typical loads? What’s your current restraint method, and are there problems with it? We might visit your loading dock, review your vehicles, talk with operators. This isn’t a formal audit; it’s a conversation. We’re looking for the real constraints and opportunities that a spec sheet won’t show.

Design and Prototyping
Based on what we learn, we sketch out a few options. We might show you sample mats, explain how a custom cradle would fit, or run through different strap configurations. We’ll often create a simple CAD drawing or bring samples to your site so you can visualise the solution. If it’s a custom component, we’ll build a prototype or mock-up for fit-checking.

Pilot and Validation
We supply a small batch of the solution and ask you to run it through your normal process. We stay in touch during this phase, gathering feedback. What works? What doesn’t? Are there tweaks needed? This phase typically lasts a few weeks.

Rollout and Training
Once the pilot succeeds, we move to full supply and implementation. We’ll typically spend time on-site training your team, helping with staged deployment, and making sure the system beds in properly. This is where we confirm that the engineering translates to real-world operation.

Support and Optimisation
After rollout, we maintain a spare-parts supply and stay available for questions. If something wears or breaks, we can resupply quickly. We also recommend periodic reviews—every 12 months or so—to check whether the system is still working as expected and whether your operation has changed in ways that might benefit from adjustment.

This process takes time, but it’s how we’ve built long-term relationships with clients who are confident in their load restraint systems.

Practical Steps to Specify Load Restraint

Here’s how to approach specifying and implementing load restraint for your operation:

Map your loads and routes: Document what you typically carry (weight, dimensions, material), how far it travels, and what conditions it experiences (temperature, humidity, rough roads). This information shapes which restraint types will work best and how durable they need to be.
Review your current restraint method: Do you use mats, straps, dunnage, or a combination? Are there damage claims or safety issues with the current approach? Are there bottlenecks in your loading process? Identifying pain points helps us recommend improvements.
Work through material and design options: Based on your loads and constraints, we’ll typically suggest two or three approaches. One might prioritise durability and hands-off operation (mats and cradles); another might favour flexibility and portability (ratchet straps and light dunnage). Consider the trade-offs: cost upfront, training required, ease of maintenance, supply continuity.
Arrange a site visit or pilot: If the solution is new to your operation or involves custom components, a pilot is worthwhile. This is where assumptions become reality, and small issues get caught before full implementation.
Plan for training and handover: Once you’ve selected a system, schedule time for your team to learn it properly. This might be a half-day session on best practices, or it might be ongoing coaching during the first few weeks of use.

Conclusion: Building Confidence in Your Load Restraint

Load restraint might seem like a small detail in the larger logistics chain, but it touches every movement of cargo. It affects safety, cost, compliance, and customer perception. When it’s engineered well and implemented with care, it becomes invisible—goods arrive intact, claims are rare, and your team works with quiet confidence.

At Ferrier Industrial, we’ve supported teams across Australia and New Zealand to build restraint systems that work reliably. We’ve learned that one-size-fits-all rarely applies; what matters is understanding your specific operation, designing a system that fits, and then supporting you with spares and guidance as you run it.

If you’re working through a load restraint challenge—whether it’s reducing damage claims, speeding up loading, meeting new compliance requirements, or refining a system that’s mostly working but could be better—we’d be glad to talk through options with you.

Start with the basics: share your route profiles, typical loads, and current restraint approach. We’ll ask clarifying questions, sketch out a few directions, and propose a next step. Often, that’s as simple as sharing drawings, arranging a brief site conversation, or sending sample components for you to evaluate.

Get in touch with our team at Ferrier Industrial. Let’s find the restraint approach that keeps your cargo safe, your operation efficient, and your compliance audit straightforward.