Sauk Rapids Minnesota
800-656-1396
http://www.midwestcompliance.com/
About a month ago I had the opportunity to visit with a Minnesota State Trooper, who shared the following story. At the end of his shift he came up on a flatbed trailer with it’s load tilting severely to the right. He pulled the driver over to get the load corrected. As it would happen, the driver was a few feet from the driveway of his destination, and pleaded with the Trooper to be allowed to make the right turn into the driveway. The Trooper was tired, and just wanted his shift to end, and in a moment of weakness he let the driver go. You guessed it, as the vehicle started it’s turn, the entire trailer tipped over, cargo scattered everywhere!
Don’t let this happen to you! Properly securing the cargo you are transporting can help you avoid many headaches, from a fine to the loss of cargo, or worse yet, causing an accident!
Securement requirements do not apply to certain commodities transported in bulk that lack structure or a fixed shape. Examples of exempt commodities include liquids, grain, sand, gravel, and aggregates when they are transported in a tank, hopper, box, or similar device that forms part of the structure of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV).
According to DOT regulations, a driver is not permitted to operate a CMV unless the cargo being transported is properly distributed, adequately secured, and the vehicle’s tailgate, tailboard, doors, tarp, spare tire, and other equipment used in its operation, and in the securement of the cargo are secured. The driver must also ensure that neither the cargo, nor any other object, obscures their view ahead or to the right and left side, and that the cargo does not interfere with the free movement of the driver’s arms, legs, or prevent ready access to accessories required for emergencies, or prevent the free and ready exit of any person from the vehicle from either the vehicle’s cab or the driver’s compartment.
A driver also has the responsibility of inspecting the cargo and the securement devices within the first 50 miles of the trip, or as soon as practicable. When you conduct the 50 Mile inspection, you are expected to add more securement devices when necessary, and ensure that the cargo cannot shift or fall from the vehicle. Following the 50-mile inspection, drivers must also perform a reexamination of the cargo and securement devices whenever the driver makes a change of duty status or after the vehicle has been driven for three hours or 150 miles, whichever comes first.
Keeping public safety in mind, drivers and motor carriers must ensure that their cargo remains on or within their vehicle under all conditions, which can be reasonably expected to occur. These conditions include inclement weather or possible detours onto secondary or unfamiliar roads.
The two key components required when securing any type of cargo for transport by a CMV, on a public road are:
- To prevent against the loss of the load. Vehicles must be loaded and secured in a manner compliant with the FMCSA regulations to prevent the cargo from leaking, spilling, blowing, or falling from the vehicle and;
- To prevent against the shifting of the load. Cargo must be contained, immobilized or secured in a manner compliant with the FMCSA regulations to prevent shifting upon or within the vehicle to such an extent that the vehicle’s stability or maneuverability is adversely affected.
The devices you use to secure cargo must meet minimum performance standards established by the FMCSA, which require securement devices and systems to be capable of withstanding the following three forces:
0.8 g deceleration in the forward direction;
0.5 g acceleration in the rearward direction;
0.5 g acceleration in the lateral direction.
These forces represent the forces that cargo is subject to when the commercial motor vehicle transporting it is braking in forward or reverse, accelerating and turning.
Securement devices for cargo that is not fully contained within the structure of a vehicle must meet stricter performance criteria. They must provide a downward force equivalent to at least 20 percent of the weight of the article of cargo.
When securing heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery like bobcats, bulldozers, or tractors the following rules apply:
Prepare the equipment by lowering accessory equipment, such as hydraulic shovels, etc.
- Restrain articulated vehicles in a manner that prevents articulation while in transit
- Equipment with crawler tracks or wheels must be restrained against movement in the lateral, forward, rearward, and vertical direction using a minimum of four tie downs if the equipment weighs 10,000 pounds or more.
- Each of the tie downs must be affixed as close as practicable to the front and rear of the vehicle, or mounting points on the vehicle that have been specifically designed for that purpose.
Next month we’ll talk about standards and performance for securement devices, vehicle structure standards, and how to determine number of tie downs needed. Until then, take it one load at a time!
Sandra Brakstad
http://www.midwestcompliance.com/
800-656-1396
