Cargo Securement General Rules

Cargo securement rules under § 393 ensure cargo cannot shift, fall, or escape during transport. Violations are common roadside inspection findings.

Working Load Limit (WLL)

• Each tiedown has a manufacturer-stated WLL
• Total tiedown WLL must equal at least 50% of cargo weight
• Some commodities require more (e.g., 80% for steel coils)

Number of tiedowns required

• 1 tiedown for 5 ft or less of cargo length
• 2 tiedowns for 5-10 ft of length
• Additional tiedown for each additional 10 ft

Tiedown spacing

• Cargo extending beyond vehicle must be tied at the cargo edge
• Tiedowns must not chafe against the cargo
• Tiedowns must be tightened sufficiently to prevent movement

Common commodity rules

• Logs/lumber: specific to wood + species
• Steel coils: dedicated rules with chains + dunnage
• Heavy machinery: stronger tiedowns + chocks
• Pipes: rigid + secured against rolling
• Bricks/concrete: specific to block dimension
• Light vehicles: specific to passenger vehicles being hauled
• Specialized vehicles: agricultural, military, etc.

Common violations

• Insufficient tiedowns (lower than required count)
• Tiedowns not tightened
• Tiedown attachment points inadequate
• Tiedowns chafed against cargo
• Cargo extending beyond rated vehicle capacity

Compass cargo securement

• Pre-trip cargo securement checklist
• Compliance scoring per load
• WLL calculator
• Commodity-specific rules

CFR citations

• 49 CFR §§ 393.100-393.136

How Compass surfaces this

Searchable in Compass Ask. Runs against carrier fleet data when invoked from the relevant tracker. Read-only; no actions without explicit user approval.

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