Method for maintaining a door in a closed position on an over-the-road vehicle

A method of preventing a first door on an over-the-road vehicle from moving from a closed position into an open position, the vehicle comprising a frame bounding a cargo space, the first door selectively movable between the closed and open positions to thereby respectively block and allow access to the cargo space, the first door comprising a first latch assembly that cooperates with a second latch assembly on one of:

• a) the vehicle frame;
• and b) a second door to releasably maintain the first door in its closed position, one of the first and second latch assemblies maintained on one of:
• a) one of the doors;
• or b) the vehicle frame by at least one fastener extended into a first opening and turned within the opening to be selectively tightened and loosened, the method comprising the steps of:
• loosening and removing the at least one fastener in the first opening;
• providing a first locking assembly;
• with the at least one fastener removed, operatively placing the first locking assembly on the one of:
• a) one of the doors;
• or b) the vehicle frame;
• tightening a fastener into the first opening to thereby:
• i) maintain the one of the first and second latch assemblies on the one of:
• a) one of the doors;
• or b) the vehicle frame;
• and ii) secure the operatively placed first locking assembly to the one of:
• a) one of the doors;
• or b) the vehicle frame;
• and placing the first door in the closed position wherein a locking device can be connected to the first locking assembly and to another part on the vehicle to thereby maintain the first door in the closed position, wherein the one of the first and second latch assemblies is on one of the first and second doors, the one of the first and second doors has an inside, an outside, and a peripheral edge and the at least one fastener extends through the peripheral edge, wherein the step of tightening a fastener comprises tightening a fastener into the first opening to urge the first locking assembly against the peripheral edge with the peripheral edge residing between the first latch assembly and first locking assembly.

A method of preventing a first door on an over-the-road vehicle from moving from a closed position into an open position, the vehicle comprising a frame bounding a cargo space, a first door selectively movable between the closed and open positions to thereby respectively block and allow access to the cargo space, the first door having an inside and outside and a peripheral edge between the inside and outside, the first door comprising a first latch assembly that cooperates with a second latch assembly on one of:

• a) the vehicle frame;
• and b) a second door to releasably maintain the first door in its closed position, the method comprising the steps of:
• providing a first locking assembly;
• operatively placing the first locking assembly on the first door at the peripheral edge so that a part of the first locking assembly projects from the peripheral edge in an outside-to-inside or inside-to-outside direction past one of the inside and outside of the first door;
• securing the operatively placed first locking assembly to the first door with at least one fastener and so that no fastener is required to be located at the outside surface of the first door;
• and using the part of the first locking assembly to maintain the first door in the closed position, wherein the first door has a gasket at the peripheral edge and the step of operatively placing the first locking assembly comprises operatively placing a part of the first locking assembly between the gasket and the peripheral edge wherein the part of the first locking assembly between the gasket and the peripheral edge has a fixed shape.