ABOUT VATTS

The “VATTS?” (Variable All Terrain Tiedown Systems?) came about due to an increasing concern about the safety and efficiency of state-of-the-art methods of restraining in-transit cargo. This has led to increased government regulation and changing industry practice. It is recognized that continued reliance on past practices and currently available equipment has lead to the continuation of shifting loads, damaged goods and accidents resulting from freight/supplies falling onto a roadway from a transporting vehicle. The majority of current cargo restraint systems comprise of one or more belts that cover the load and are attached at each of their ends to anchoring attachments along the edge of or embedded in the surface of the bed of the transport device, whether rail, air or highway vehicle. Using more belts or straps to better secure the load is impractical because the number of anchor points on existing transports limits the number of belts and their effective spacing. In addition, as the height of the cargo increases, so does the instability and ineffectiveness of the restraining system. The current available straps do not allow for the proper retention of stacked cargo, that is, cargo that is piled onto cargo that is already secured with all of the means that are available. In instances of multiple load packages that are of divergent shapes, sizes and character that must be stacked one on top of the other occur frequently in military applications. For example, a rigid container may be secured to the bed of the vehicle and use up the available anchor points, however, using the “VATTS?” allows the user to have tie down points above the bed of the truck for soft cargo or the use of tie down points for loose heavy cargo.