Securing Cargo

[msgjd]

If your trailer has no headboard then your tractor needs a headache rack behind the cab. Have neither and prepared to be violated by hungry DOTs.

In NY this is not the case anymore. It definitely is not being enforced and the Feds no longer require it.. Between 2016 and 2019 I ran mostly interstate for part of every year with a company that had about 60 units. Only a quarter of the tractors had headache racks and they were in dump trailer service or hauling logs... Their flatbed trailers do not have bulkheads and the tracs they assigned to flatbed service don't have headache racks .. I'm not saying this practice is wise, but I don't see a headache rack stopping certain common loads from coming thru your backside .. I would never want to run a flatbed load of layered material without a very sturdy bulkhead, or at least the means to make some sort of adequate securement across the front of the load.. The presence of a bulkhead on a flatbed truck or trailer allows the driver to legally place straps further apart (there is a spacing reg)... But I know many who practice "there's no such thing as too many straps." And of course see people with their Home Depot loads or whatever who throw on a strap or two and apparently say "good to go!"

.. which reminds me of the fella I saw lay two freshly-filled 100-pound propane tanks in the back of his pickup, no straps, shutoff valve cover first .. The guy that had filled them suggested they be secured and turned around.. The driver blew him off.. Imagine what those torpedoes could do in an abrupt stop or head-on if those caps get torn off their threads.

 

[BEASTMASTER]

drive a few miles then retighten you're straps.

 

[Mullaney]

drive a few miles then retighten you're straps.

.
Agreed.

Always and Chains are worth inspecting as well!
Couple of miles could find a problem before it allows something to fall off on the highway.

Might be worthy of looking at the official instructions on how to load a truck and tie everything down.

I found it! Found the PDF of the Federal Motor Carrier Document

Since there are people who just can't LEAVE ANYTHING ALONE on the Web, the link below could eventually disappear.

Driver's Handbook on Cargo Securement - Chapter 2: General Cargo Securement Requirements

General Cargo Securement RequirementsThe Securement System p. 9Components of a Securement System Vehicle structure p. 10 Securing devices p. 11Containing, Immobilizing, and Securing Cargo p. 15 Three ways to transport cargo p. 16 Loading the cargo properly p.

www.fmcsa.dot.gov