Federal Motor Carrier Regulations: Who has time to read that??

You should, unless you would like to pay large fines…  Knowing there is a regulation and understanding the regulation are two entirely different things. Like most things Government, there is a tremendous amount of legwork involved in finding out how the regulations could/will affect you. I have spent 25+ years in transportation and have learned that navigating through government regulation websites is not for the faint of heart. My goal is to help you cut through the muck and get you where you need to be.

Let’s take a look at two rules specifically.

393.100 – Protection against shifting/falling cargo

To break it down simply: If you’re hauling it, you had better have it immobilized. No rolling, shifting or moving is allowed. This is only if you are transporting on public roads. If you have your own private roads these rules will not apply, congratulations!

There is room in this rule for interpretation, however, the best way to avoid the possibility of a citation, is to make sure everything in the trailer is restrained. In other words — cross the T’s and dot the I’s.

393.106 – What are the general requirements for securing articles of cargo?

“The commodity-specific rules take precedence over the general requirements of this section when additional requirements are given for a commodity listed in those sections.”  Sound good to you? Yeah, me either.

This specific regulation speaks of cargo placement, tie-downs, etc. In a nutshell, cargo must be firmly immobilized or secured. It better be immobilized or secured with strong, high-quality materials and products. This section speaks to the load limits of tie-downs, the placement of the anchor points and other very specific language on how, what, where things have to be.

To summarize, If you’re hauling cargo, and it is not properly secured, you are at risk of getting inspected and fined. PROPERLY SECURED, is the key phrase.

In later blogs, I will speak to the safety of drivers and warehouse workers and also hit on some other reasons to make sure cargo always moves secured and controlled. Be safe and secure out there!!

This post was originally published on Aug. 12, 2013, and has since been updated.