x3allamerican 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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