LPX Trade

14/08/2026

Who really invented the ratchet strap? 🤔

You'll read everywhere that it was a French engineer, Gustave Audiffren. Problem: nobody can show a patent or a document. That's a legend, not a fact.

What's actually proven: the ratchet mechanism was patented on 16 June 1863 — US Patent No. 38,914, by J.J. Richardson of Vermont. And he built it for a socket wrench, not for cargo. 🔧

The strap came later, with post-war synthetic webbing and, finally, the EN 12195-2 standard.

Did you know the ratchet was 160 years old — and started as a wrench? 👇
Full story: lpxtrade.lv/en/who-invented-the-ratchet-strap/

04/08/2026

Chains or straps? For heavy, rigid, sharp-edged loads it's not even close. 🔗

A lashing chain (EN 12195-3) holds 4,000–16,000+ daN. A strap (EN 12195-2) gives 250–5,000. One chain does the work of several straps — and barely stretches (a strap can give up to 7%).

13 mm chain LC:
🔹 Grade 80 → 10,000 daN (≈10 t)
🔹 Grade 100 → 13,400 daN (~25% more, same diameter)

⚠️ Important: a lashing chain (marked LC) is not a lifting chain (marked WLL). Never lift with it.

Chains or straps on your loads? 👇
Full comparison: lpxtrade.lv/en/lashing-chains-vs-straps/

24/07/2026

Your cargo is worth €36,000. The carrier legally owes you €12,600. 😳

The CMR Convention caps carrier liability at 8.33 SDR per kilogram — about €10–11 per kg. Note that: per KILOGRAM, not per euro of value.

So a kilo of laptops worth €200? You get €10–11.

On a 4,000 kg load worth €120,000 with 30% damage:
🔹 Real loss: €36,000
🔹 CMR pays: €12,600
🔹 Your gap: €23,400
🔹 With downtime + repacking: €24,800

A year of proper securing gear for one trailer costs around €710. That's 35× cheaper than one bad day.

Did you know CMR pays by weight and not by value? 👇
Full breakdown: lpxtrade.lv/en/blog/cost-of-damaged-cargo

19/07/2026

5 mistakes that quietly weaken your load securing 🔧

Eye bolts and turnbuckles look simple — which is exactly why they get misused:

🔹 Pull at 45°? A shoulder eye bolt keeps only ~30% of its WLL.
🔹 Shoulder not seated flush? The shank bends and fails.
🔹 Turnbuckle not locked? Vibration unwinds it mid-transit.
🔹 Cheater bar on the handle? You deform the frame past its WLL.
🔹 No inspection? A bent eye or stretched thread goes unnoticed.

The rule: the securing chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Which of these have you seen out on the road? 👇
Full breakdown: lpxtrade.lv/en/blog/eye-bolts-turnbuckles-mistakes

12/07/2026

Under 40 tonnes gross — but is your rig actually legal? 🤔

Gross weight is only half the story. At a roadside check it's axle load that counts, and in Latvia the fine applies to EACH overloaded axle separately — three axles over = three fines.

EU limits (Directive 96/53/EC):
🔹 Single non-driving axle: 10 t
🔹 Driving axle: 11.5 t
🔹 Gross combination: 40 t (44 t combined transport)

Overload also cooks your tyres: +10–15 °C inside, faster ageing, higher blowout risk — and uneven loading means replacing tyres one by one.

How do you check your axle distribution — weighbridge, onboard scales, or experience? 👇
Full breakdown: lpxtrade.lv/en/blog/axle-load-saves-tyres

10/07/2026

How many straps does it take to secure 4,000 kg? 🤔

Most people glance at the big LC 2500 on the label and assume that number holds the load. With tie-down lashing, it doesn't — what holds is STF, the tension that creates friction against the deck.

By EN 12195-1 (4,000 kg load, 400 daN straps, forward):
🔹 Wooden deck (μ = 0.3) → 11 straps
🔹 Anti-slip mats (μ = 0.6) → 3 straps

One mat, a couple of euros, turns 11 straps into 3. Friction does the work.

How many straps would you use? Tell us in the comments 👇
Full formula and worked example: lpxtrade.lv/en/blog/how-to-calculate-lc-cargo-securing

03/07/2026

Five ways to secure a load — and picking the wrong one is why straps fail, not the number of them. 🚛

Our new visual guide covers all 5 cargo securing methods (tie-down, diagonal, loop, blocking, spring), the right strap angles, and the mistakes that get flagged at roadside checks — all to EN 12195 standard.

Bonus: a one-page cheat sheet you can print and keep in the cab.

👉 Read it here: https://lpxtrade.lv/cargo-securing-methods/

Cargo securing methods explained with diagrams: all 5 lashing techniques, key angles and the mistakes drivers make.

25/06/2026

The strap didn't break — it stretched." That sentence costs companies thousands every year.

If you buy lashing straps by breaking force alone, you're looking at the wrong number. What actually keeps your load safe is low elongation — and that's where polyester beats polypropylene.

🔵 Blue label = polyester → use it for lashing (EN 12195-2)
🟤 Brown label = polypropylene → packaging & bundling
🟢 Green label = polyamide

No readable label? You legally can't use the strap for lashing. Lost it? Drop the webbing in water — polypropylene floats, polyester sinks.

We put both materials side by side and explained exactly what happens under load.

Full article on the blog:
👉https://lpxtrade.lv/en/polypropylene-vs-polyester-straps/

17/06/2026

Over 40% of cargo lashing violations in the EU could have been fixed in 10 minutes before departure.

Ten minutes. That's all it takes.

The problem isn't that drivers don't care. It's that there's no systematic process. A strap looks fine — so it must be fine. The LC seems right — so it must be right.

Then BAG stops you on the autobahn. Inspector pulls out an angle gauge. Your 2,500 kg strap at 30° holds only 1,250 kg. Half the capacity.

Fine: €2,800. Delay: 3 hours. Entry in the carrier record.

We published a 7-point pre-departure checklist based on EN 12195 and VDI 2700 — exactly what inspectors check:

✅ LC calculated with angle correction
✅ Every strap visually inspected
✅ EN 12195-2 documentation in the cab
✅ Lashing method matches cargo type
✅ Anti-slip mats in place
✅ Ratchets free from corrosion
✅ Re-check stop planned at 50 km

Print it. Laminate it. Post it in every cab.
Cost: €0.50. Cost of a fine: up to €5,000.

👉 Full checklist with explanations: https://lpxtrade.lv/en/driver-lashing-checklist/

Do your drivers use a pre-departure checklist? What's on it? Share in the comments.

09/06/2026

An experienced driver. 15 years on the road. Riga–Berlin route.

Stopped for a routine BAG inspection on the German border.
Inspector asks three questions about the lashing arrangement.
The driver struggles with the second one.

He wasn't careless. He wasn't lazy.
He just didn't know the rules had changed.

EN 12195 was last updated in 2010–2011. Since then, the requirements for LC calculation, lashing methods, and documentation have tightened significantly. Most drivers who trained before that are still working to outdated rules — without knowing it.

We put together 5 questions that EU inspectors actually ask at roadside checks.

✅ Question 1: Minimum LC for a 4,200 kg load?
✅ Question 2: Effective LC at a 30° lashing angle?
✅ Question 3: Can you use a strap if the LC marking has worn off?
✅ Question 4: Correct method for steel pipes on a flatbed?
✅ Question 5: What does "EN 12195-2" on the label actually mean?

92% of drivers get at least one wrong.

Each question includes the correct answer, a full explanation, and the exact standard reference — so you can use it as a training tool for your team.

👉 Take the quiz: https://lpxtrade.lv/en/do-you-know-the-cargo-lashing-rules/

Share this with your drivers and logistics team. Which question do you think most people get wrong? Let us know in the comments.