Are you serious, an unsecured load ! Banning Scales

Ok, a flatbed us understandable. If I had something loose on my trailer, I'd expect you to pull me over & ticket me for it. But Les pulls a covered wagon... A flatbed with 4' wood sides & a tarp over the top. If his dunnage was loose of his deck, it would be just the same if it was tossed into a van..... Correct?

 

The "loose load" in Les's trailer reminds of the first time I got busted by CAL-OSHA for not wearing a hardhat when I was sweeping the street some 32 years ago....

I asked why a hardhat was required while sweeping the street....Mr. Inspector replied that a car's tire might pick up some gravel which could hit me in the head......The hardhat would give me some protection "if" such an event did occur.....

"Safety First" Eh?

 

Here it comes, states are needing revenue and we're the pocket they are looking to pick. As drivers we need to step up,wedding dresses
wedding gownsadapt to the crap that's coming. for myself,i will do everything i can to keep my truck and logs and trailer in compliance. What else can ya do?

 

Ok you are right but so am I. I was thinking you needed the weight in working load not half. It still works out the same. Say you have 36000 you need 18000 worth of securment. Each chain is worth the full rating(d 3) so that is 6600. I would use 3 tie downs for 19800 worth of securement. My point was I could use 4 chains and have it more secure but be unsecure according to the DOT.

 

That puts you in a quagmire, doesn't it? My experience was just with one shipper, who also owned the trucks and employed the drivers. Not the typical scenario.

How did you handle the load securement problem? Hopes and dreams? Complete confidence in the shipper?

 

I'm not great with physics and I'm horrible with math, but this is my theory, on your theory.

If the trucker was going 75mph and slams straight into a rock wall and his truck was built out of one solid block of steel so there was no energy absorbtion from the truck caving in on itself.
I think, that would allow the load locks to travel as if they were going into the front of the trailer at 75mph.
I can see how a load lock traveling at 75 mph could penetrate thru the nose of a dry van if it's traveling like an arrow and not at an angle or sideways.


In reality,

No truck is made from a solid block of steel so in the event that a truck does slam into something that brings the truck to a complete stop, the truck will cave in dramaticaly and absorb a lot of energy. Which most likely the driver will be dead anyway.
Most truck wrecks, the truck doesn't just come to a complete halt on a dime.
I doubt the load locks would travel thru the air like an arrow in flight.
The load lock has to travel 45+ feet thru the air before it even makes impact.
Also, in this story the guy is hauling a reefer and even at 75mph, I doubt a load lock would make it thru the inside paneling, insulation, skin, and a reefer motor.


Even in the worst of wrecks, I highly doubt the load locks will be going anywhere close to 75mph and therefore they will not go all the way thru the nose of the trailer and make into the cab of the truck. I also wouldn't assume or call that driver lazy for laying the load locks down on an empty trailer.

 

I don't use bungees..
I have several 21" rubber TARP STRAPS..
I use them for SECURING my TARP to my TRAILER..
I keep my tarps in my TARP BOX when they are rolled up..


OK.. I'm sure you fellows weren't saying "no bungees" when securing a tarp that is spread over a load..

All jokes aside though, I'm surprised dot hasn't made up an official rule saying you have to chain - strap your tarp down with the load..
I usually do it that way anyhow when I can to keep the flopping minimal, but I don't believe it's required YET..

That's one of the best post I've read on here in a while..
That apple-eating illinois jackazz had already swiped enough washington apples off trucks he knew just how much the boxes weighed..

 

Nope......puts me in no "quagmire" at all.
I wouldn't expect someone who is ONLY 23 years old to know 'everything'......
Perhaps you should do some reading up on the Doctrine of Force Majeure and how it applies in the trucking world.

 

Exactly, that's why I asked you how you handled the situation. Now I know how you do.