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Driver's Handbook on Cargo Securement - Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Cargo Securement

Fundamentals of Cargo Securement

Guiding Principle of Cargo Securement:

What?

Cargo being transported on the highway must remain secured on or within the transporting vehicle.

When?

The cargo must remain secured on or in the transporting vehicle:
• Under all conditions that could reasonably be expected to occur in normal driving.
• When a driver is responding in all emergency situations, EXCEPT when there is a crash.

Why?



• Loss of life
• Loss of load
• Damage to the cargo
• Damage to the vehicle
• Issuance of citations/fines to driver/carrier
• The vehicle being placed Out-of-Service.
• A crash

Note:

It is assumed that heavy loads carried under special permits would be subject to securement standards contained in the special permit, which may differ from the North American Cargo Securement Standard. Check with your Federal, Provincial, or State government for any permit requirements.

North American Cargo Securement Standard

What does the Standard cover? (Section 1.1)

Vehicles

• Commercial vehicles (including a combination of vehicles) that are operated on a highway and have a gross vehicle rating over 4,500 kg (10,000 lb.)

Cargo

• Any cargo and dangerous goods/hazardous materials, including:
  • All general freight.
  • All equipment carried for vehicle operation.
  • Intermodal containers and their contents.
• Some specific commodities have additional or different securement requirements (see later sections of this Handbook).
• Additional requirements under separate regulations may also apply for transportation of certain types of dangerous goods or hazardous materials.

Note:



It is assumed that heavy loads carried under special permits would be subject to securement standards contained in the special permit, which may differ from the North American Cargo Securement Standard. Check with your Federal, Provincial, or State government for any permit requirements.

Related Cargo Securement Terms That Every Driver Should Know:

• Anchor point:

  Part of the structure, fitting, or attachment on a vehicle or cargo to which a tiedown is attached.

• Deck:

  The load carrying area of a truck, trailer, or intermodal container.

• Wedge:

  A tapered piece of material, thick at one end and thin at the other, used to help keep cargo from moving.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

• Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
• Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
• Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Intermodal:

Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.

In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.

Out-of-Service:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.