Cargo Securement

 Improperly secured cargo creates two serious dangers to the traveling public. First, if a load is unsecured, it could fall off or spill onto a roadway causing an accident or perhaps crushing a neighboring vehicle. Second, improperly secured cargo can shift causing trucks to lose control and crash.
If cargo has come loose an inspection should determine if the loads were properly secured under federal law. There are requirements as to the number and strength of tie downs that must be used to secured cargo by weight or length. Even if a load was secured that does not equate to the load being properly secured under applicable federal regulations. Each tie down has a working load limit and calculations must be made to determine whether the working load limits of the tie downs match the load being transported. A minimum of one tie down must be used for every 10 feet of open cargo and a minimum of two tie downs per object. Any rips or tears on a tie down renders it defective and illegal to use. A truck driver is responsible for the safe securement of cargo.

 

SHIFTING LOADS ARE A HIDDEN DANGER

Loads must be positioned and secured in enclosed trailers.

When a truck driver picks up a trailer that trailer will either be open for inspection, or it will be sealed. If the trailer is open the truck driver is required to inspect verify that the cargo is properly positioned and secured in the trailer. Some loads are sealed meaning that a lock or a numbered tie has been placed on the trailer to make sure that it is not opened during transit. A sealed trailer cannot be inspected by the driver. This fact becomes important to assign fault for accidents that occur because of an improperly secured load.

Trailers are tall and relatively light compared to the cargo. The stability of the trailer is directly connected to the placement, distribution and securing of the cargo. Heavy, high, or offset loads can cause rollover accidents during emergency maneuvers or when driving at high speeds. Ideally, cargo will be evenly spaced on a trailer and as low to the ground as possible. Load bars are used to ensure that cargo does not shift inside enclosed trailers. Loads that shift can cause an uneven weight distribution and impair the driver’s ability to control the vehicle. Route planning can also reduce the risk of accidents by avoiding routes on roads that are steep, windy, and involve high speeds.

Heavy loads can increase off-tracking. Off-tracking occurs when a trailer does not follow the track taken by the tractor as it turns. For example, if a tractor trailer makes a left turn from the right of two left turn lanes, the trailer will enter the far left, left turn lane even if the tractor remains fully in its travel lane. Most trailers have a rear axle that can be slid forward to distribute the weight more evenly over the wheels. As that axle is slid back to the rear of the trailer, the off-tracking increases. Off-tracking endangers vehicles that are driving next to tractor-trailers as they turn. If you were hit by a truck while it was turning it is important to take photographs of the accident to document the location of the vehicles.