Amendments to Cargo Securement Standards Published

(SOURCE- Northern Logger, August 2006) On June 22, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published amendments to its Cargo Securement Standards in the Federal Register. The key changes in Section 393.116 regarding the securement of logs and pulpwood to trailers are:

• Establishing the aggregate working load limit for tie downs used to secure a stack of logs on a trailer fitted with bunks, bolsters, or stakes as at least one-sixth the weight of the stack of logs. The original rule had stipulated the limit at one half the weight of the stack.
• That longwood (over 16 feet) must be cradled between two bunks and be secured by at least two tiedowns OR by at least two wrappers that encircle the entire load.
• That shortwood (16 feet or less) loaded lengthwise must be secured by at least two tiedowns OR (this part is new) if all the logs in a stack are blocked by a front-end structure (or another stack of logs) and a rear-end structure (or another stack of logs), only one tie-down is needed, about mid-way between the stakes.

Most log trailers with two (or more) stacks of logs have a front-end “headache rack,” but lack a similar rear-end structure as specified in 393.116. This means that the front stack of logs (and middle stack of logs, if applicable) loaded lengthwise (16’ long or less) could be secured by one tiedown per stack and the rear stack of logs would need two tiedowns. Any stack containing logs over 16 feet long would still need two tiedowns.