Cargo Not Secured Can be a Costly Mistake
Dean Olejniczak NPTC - CTP
National Private Truck Counsel - Certified Transportation Professional
This Week's Topic
Cargo Not Secured Can be a Costly Mistake
One of the many things the FMCSA is explicitly serious about is the responsibility motor carriers must take in protecting the public against cargo falling from their vehicles. This situation is serious enough to impose heavy fines against the carrier, assess the carrier with the highest possible score in the CSA program, and potentially place the vehicle out of service until the load can be secured properly.
The biggest mistake a company can make is to assume that these rules only apply to big transportation companies such as tankers, logging, and flatbed operations. The fact is that Section 393.100(b) of Subpart I describes clearly that each commercial motor vehicle (see Section 390.5T for the definition of a commercial motor vehicle) must be loaded to prevent any cargo being transported from leaking, spilling, blowing, or falling from the motor vehicle.
- In general, the minimum requirements for securing cargo while in transit apply to all types of cargo, except commodities in bulk that lack shape such as liquids, gasses, grains, etc. Section 393.106 begins the general requirements for securing articles of cargo:
- A commercial motor vehicle is not to be driven unless the load is properly distributed, adequately secured, and does not obscure the driver's view.
- Cargo must be firmly secured using vehicle structures, dunnage, dunnage bags, shoring bars, tie downs, or a combination of these.
- Cargo that is likely to roll must be restrained by chocks, wedges, a cradle, or their equivalent.
The regulation goes on to give more detail to tiedowns and the aggregate working load limit, number of tiedowns needed, and working load limits of different types of tiedowns.
- In addition to the general requirements, there are commodity-specific rules for:
- Logs — §393.116
- Dressed lumber/building products — §393.118
- Metal coils — §393.120
- Paper rolls — §393.122
- Concrete pipe — §393.124
- Intermodal containers — §393.126
- Automobiles/light trucks/vans — §393.128
- Heavy vehicles/equipment/machinery — §393.130
- Flattened/crushed vehicles — §393.132
- Roll-on/roll-off/hook lift containers — §393.134
- Large boulders — §393.136
The requirements of §393.100 are not the only cargo securement regulations motor carriers must comply with. When transporting cargo, motor carriers must also comply with all the cargo securement requirements of Section 392.9, "Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices, and systems."
Tie-down Load Securement with FleetMentor’s Training Center
Need more information on load securement and what training is available to your company? Look into the Training Center on FleetMentor where you will find not only online training courses covering Cargo Securement for Dry Vans and Cargo Securement for Flatbeds, but also Driver and Supervisor Classroom Training on Cargo Securement. This classroom training provides the instructor and the students with a training outline on the cargo securement topic to help them with important factors on load securement and prepare for what they may encounter on the road. Further knowledge is available through a PowerPoint presentation, handouts, and quizzes, including Training Certificates once the class is complete.
Let FleetMentor prepare your company for proper load securement.