Are You Secure?

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The new North American Cargo Securement Standards are with us now officially in most jurisdictions. They are in full force in the U.S., having passed into law in January 2004. In typical Canadian fashion, the provinces are phasing in implementation one jurisdiction at a time, and are soon starting enforcement of the rules.

Inspectors have been watching the cargo running through the scales, and they’re stopping non-compliant trucks. Overall, the reports are good with the jurisdictions we spoke to indicating that drivers are mostly compliant, with only minor variances. In these cases, inspectors are writing a report to the carrier indicating the error, and say they’re working with the driver to improve understanding and compliance with the rules. Here’s what the inspectors have been seeing these last few months:

Minimum Number of Tiedowns:

Jeff Hudebine an Enforcement Coordinator with MTO’s Kingston district office says the issue that arises most often at scales is the number of tiedowns in use. The Standard requires that the securement system have an aggregate working load limit (AWLL) equal to or greater than 50 percent of the weight of the cargo. That means if the cargo weights 30,000 lb, there must be at least 15,000 lb worth of working load limit (WLL) to the securement devices.

Generally, that’s being complied with, Hudebine says. “But the new legislation often goes further,” he points out. “For example, cargo that’s not blocked from forward movement will need at least two straps within the first five feet, and then whatever else may be necessary to meet the 50 percent WLL requirement.”

Hudebine says most drivers are complying with the weight and length demands, but often miss the additional requirements for forward blocking. Or, where cargo is loaded in tiers totaling more than six ft above the deck, drivers are required to secure the lower tiers independently (up to six ft) in addition to the securing the upper tiers.
This is referred to as belly strapping.

The weight, height, and length of the article of cargo all come into play in determining the number of tiedowns required. One carrier we spoke to said its drivers had been warned about using only one strap on skids of brick.

The minimum requirements (without forward blocking) are:

One strap for anything five in length of less, weighing less than 500 kg; Two straps for anything five in length of less, weighing more than 500 kg; Two strap for anything up to 10 ft in length of less of any weight; As the latter, but one additional strap for any length in excess of 10 ft (an article 11 ft long would require three straps.)

Since skids of brick are often loaded stand-alone, each lift (often close to 1,000 kg) would require a minimum of two properly rated straps. According to our carrier, drivers often use only a single strap over a skid of brick.

(Reference NSC 10 Part 1, division 4 — Tiedowns, subsections 21, 22; and Part 2, division 2 — Dressed Lumber, subsections 45, 46, and 47.)

Equipment and Machinery:

Drivers hauling road building or construction equipment must use an appropriate number of properly rated tiedowns as required by the weight of the cargo, and Hudebine says generally drivers are managing that.

“They’re using enough tiedowns to cover the weight requirements, but what’s changed is a requirement that at least four of the tiedowns have a WLL of at least 2268 kg (5000 lb),” he says. “In the past, they may have used six tiedowns with an 1800 kg rating, and that would have met the weight requirement, but the new legislation is quite specific about the ratings of at least four devices.”

More tiedowns can be used as per the weight of the cargo, but at least for must be properly rated for 5000 lb WLL. (reference NSC 10 Part 2, division 7 – Vehicles as Cargo, subsection 89 [4a].)

Crushed Vehicles:

The weakness in compliance with this section lies in covering the cargo to prevent loose parts from falling off the truck. Hudebine says drivers are not using a suitable material — that term is not precisely defined — that won’t rip or tear, or is full of holes. Based on his observations, Hudebine says drivers using sideboards are fine, but the ones who use a covering such as a mesh tarp aren’t meeting the new requirements if the material is incapable of restraining falling parts. (reference NSC 10 Part 2, division – Vehicles as Cargo, subsection 93 [1&2].

Filling the Voids:

Articles of cargo placed side by side must be in full contact and secured by side-to-side tiedowns to prevent them from shifting towards each other, thus loosening the tiedown. Inspectors are looking for voids between articles of cargo, such as lifts of lumber.

This applies to dry vans as well, especially with certain loads, such as rolls of paper or small pallets. DOT inspectors do have to authority to open vans, even sealed ones, to inspect cargo. They will replace the seals and make a notation on the bill of lading. (reference NSC 10 Part 1, division 3 – Requirements for Cargo Securement Systems, subsection 17 [a,b].)

Intermodal Containers:

Inspectors in Kamloops, B.C. told Today’s Trucking they see a lot of empty containers fastened correctly to a trailer, but extending beyond 1.5M (5 ft) from the rear of the vehicle, particularly in the case of dropdeck or lowboy trailers. (reference NSC 10 Part 1, division 6 – Intermodal Containers, subsection 86 [3b].).

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Jim Park was a CDL driver and owner-operator from 1978 until 1998, when he began his second career as a trucking journalist. During that career transition, he hosted an overnight radio show on a Hamilton, Ontario radio station and later went on to anchor the trucking news in SiriusXM's Road Dog Trucking channel. Jim is a regular contributor to Today's Trucking and Trucknews.com, and produces Focus On and On the Spot test drive videos.


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