DOT Load Securement: Essential Chain and Tie-Down Regulations

First published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in 2002, Department of Transportation (DOT) load securement regulations cover all the factors you need to consider if you are transporting heavy loads. Included are specific requirements for transporting heavy vehicles, equipment, and machinery, which must be secured by special methods due to their size, shape or weight.

Current DOT load securement regulations cover:

• Securement systems: Vehicle parts that provide restraint against movement, including headboards, bulkheads, posts, steaks and anchor points.
• Securing devices: Designed to hold cargo in place on a trailer, including friction mats, chains, ropes, webbing, clamps, latches, binders, shackles 
  and hooks.
• Tie downs: The combination of securing devices that work together to attach and restrain the cargo to the trailer bed.
• Working load limit (WLL): The maximum safe force that can be applied to any component, as determined by the manufacturer.

Cargo Securement Rules

Responsibility for ensuring correct load securement lies with the carrier and the driver. The main factors that need to be considered include the dimensions of the vehicle and the load, the weight of the vehicle and the load, and the capacity of the trailer.

The number and type of tie downs you need will depend on the length, weight and types of cargo being carried. 

Here’s a breakdown of DOT strap requirements:

• Articles 5 feet long or shorter, weighing 1,100 pounds or less, require only one tie down.
• Articles 5 feet long or shorter weighing over 1,100 pounds require two tie downs.
• Articles longer than 5 feet but shorter than 10 feet require two tie downs, regardless of weight.
• For articles longer than 10 feet, an additional tie down is required for every 10-foot increment or part thereof.
• Articles weighing 10,000 pounds or more require tie downs at all four corners.
• Wheeled or tracked vehicles over 10,000 pounds require four direct (anchor) tie downs and tightening devices.
• The WLL from all tie downs should be at least 50% of the weight of the cargo.
• Indirect tie downs should be rigged at a minimum angle of 30 degrees to the deck.
• Edge protection is mandatory if a tie down is at risk of abrasion where it touches an article of cargo.
• Booms must be lowered and properly secured – preferably with an additional tie-down device.
• Articles that are likely to roll require chocks, wedges or a cradle.
• Articles placed side by side and secured with a transverse tie down must be either in direct contact or prevented from shifting towards each other during transit.

All drivers and loading bay personnel must have training in tie-down selection, use and inspection.

Types of tie downs include a direct (anchor) that attaches directly from the trailer to the load, an indirect (no anchor) that threads over or through and connects back to the trailer, and a transverse tie down that stretches over or through the load from one side of the trailer to the other.

Proper load securement guarantees the safe immobilization and transport of heavy cargo, including cranes and other machines, as well as products used on jobsites. Failure to comply with cargo securement regulations can result in damage to vehicles and cargo, in addition to putting drivers and other motorists in danger.