OTTAWA – Just in case you were thinking of it, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) clarified in a FAQ update that bungee cords are not acceptable as primary restraints under the new cargo securement rules taking effect January 1, 2011.

"Bungee cords and tarp straps are not suitable for use as tiedowns, and are equally unsuited to having an assigned Working Load Limit (WLL). There is no intention to prohibit the use of these devices as supplementary restraint for light weight cargo and equipment," CCMTA added in its guidance.

Originally, the CCMTA referred to bungee cord usage as a tiedown marked with the WLL. However, the agency states in an update that bungee cords are prohibited as securement devices.

On Jan. 1, the educational enforcement period, which for the last six months has consisted of warnings to carriers, will come to a close and carriers who don’t have the minimum number of tie-downs rated and marked by a manufacturer with a working load limit will risk being placed out-of-service.

As with many National Safety Code issues, though, carriers are concerned about likely inconsistencies in enforcement policy between jurisdictions.