UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / October 15, 2026 / Logistics UK has published a major update to its best-practice guidance on load security for the brewing and drinks industry, produced jointly with the DVSA and the Health and Safety Executive.

The guidance sets out practical advice for breweries, drinks manufacturers, logistics operators, loaders and drivers on securing loads safely from the moment goods are packed to final delivery. Pallet Truck Shop says the update is a timely reminder that load security doesn't begin at the vehicle: it begins with how goods are handled on site long before they're ever loaded.

The DVSA issues around 2,000 prohibitions a year for insecure loads, and the new guidance highlights how the drinks and brewing sector faces particular challenges: products of different shapes, weights and heights, multidrop routes that create shifting weight distribution as deliveries are made, and kerbside deliveries with limited handling facilities.

Every one of those challenges starts somewhere specific, with the pallet trucks, stackers and table trucks moving kegs, cases and cylinders around a yard or warehouse before a vehicle is ever loaded.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director at Pallet Truck Shop said, "This guidance rightly points out that responsibility for load security can't just be pushed down to the driver. What it also makes clear, even if it's not the main focus, is that a lot of what makes a load unstable gets decided well before the vehicle leaves the yard.

"If stock has been moved around site on equipment that's not properly rated, or handled in a way that's already knocked things out of shape, that instability doesn't disappear once it's loaded onto a vehicle: it just becomes someone else's problem further down the chain.

"For breweries and drinks manufacturers specifically, where you're dealing with kegs, cases and sometimes gas cylinders all in the same operation, having the right handling equipment on site is part of the same chain of responsibility this guidance describes.

"Good vehicle loading starts with good handling practice on the ground. If a business is reviewing its approach to load security off the back of this guidance, it's worth including the equipment used before goods even reach the vehicle."

To find out more about Pallet Truck Shop, visit: www.pallettruckshop.co.uk.