Question on Lumber load Securement

Technically it’s 2 units or 6ft high, whichever is greater. But common sense would say belly straps over the second units. Even one belly and two over the top would be better than only having three over the top.

 

Here is the actual regulation in the USA.


393.118 What are the rules for securing dressed lumber or similar building products?
(a) Applicability. The rules in this section apply to the transportation of bundles of dressed lumber, packaged lumber, building products such as plywood, gypsum board or other materials of similar shape. Lumber or building products which are not bundled or packaged must be treated as loose items and transported in accordance with §§393.100 through 393.114 of this subpart. For the purpose of this section, “bundle” refers to packages of lumber, building materials or similar products which are unitized for securement as a single article of cargo.

(b) Positioning of bundles. Bundles must be placed side by side in direct contact with each other, or a means must be provided to prevent bundles from shifting towards each other.

(c) Securement of bundles transported using no more than one tier. Bundles carried on one tier must be secured in accordance with the general provisions of §§393.100 through 393.114.

(d) Securement of bundles transported using more than one tier. Bundles carried in more than one tier must be either:

(1) Blocked against lateral movement by stakes on the sides of the vehicle and secured by tiedowns laid out over the top tier, as outlined in the general provisions of §§393.100 through 393.114; or

(2) Restrained from lateral movement by blocking or high friction devices between tiers and secured by tiedowns laid out over the top tier, as outlined in the general provisions of §§393.100 through 393.114; or

(3) Placed directly on top of other bundles or on spacers and secured in accordance with the following:

(i) The length of spacers between bundles must provide support to all pieces in the bottom row of the bundle.

(ii) The width of individual spacers must be equal to or greater than the height.

(iii) If spacers are comprised of layers of material, the layers must be unitized or fastened together in a manner which ensures that the spacer performs as a single piece of material.

(iv) The arrangement of the tiedowns for the bundles must be:

(A) Secured by tiedowns over the top tier of bundles, in accordance with the general provisions of §§393.100 through 393.114 with a minimum of two tiedowns for bundles longer than 1.52 meters (5 ft); and

(B) Secured by tiedowns as follows:

(1) If there are 3 tiers, the middle and top bundles must be secured by tiedowns in accordance with the general provisions of §§393.100 through 393.114; or

(2)(i) If there are more than 3 tiers, then one of the middle bundles and the top bundle must be secured by tiedown devices in accordance with the general provision of §§393.100 through 393.114, and the maximum height for the middle tier that must be secured may not exceed 6 feet above the deck of the trailer; or

(ii) Otherwise, the second tier from the bottom must be secured in accordance with the general provisions of §§393.100 through 393.114; or

(4) Secured by tiedowns over each tier of bundles, in accordance with §§393.100 through 393.114 using a minimum of two tiedowns over each of the top bundles longer than 1.52 meters (5 ft), in all circumstances; or

(e) When loaded in a sided vehicle or container of adequate strength, dressed lumber or similar building products may be secured in accordance with the general provisions of §§393.100 through 393.114.

[67 FR 61225, Sept. 27, 2002, as amended at 71 FR 35834, June 22, 2006; 78 FR 58484, Sept. 24, 2013]

Height doesn’t matter only bundle count when determining of gut straps are needed. Also note your gut straps are required to also meet the number per length requirements, ie one for every ten feet, ect.

 

And now for the next problem; individual states may have additional requirements, and we are of course expected to know all of them.

 

Y'all can't have enough straps on a load. Running b trains or maxi lumber trucks on the Or/Wa coast, belly straps.

 

it is a good habit to throw middle straps regardless if u need them or not. it gets the freight much tighter to the trailer .

 

how do u shift lumber. the only thing that ever shifted on me was a load of different sizes of steel tubing and structure steel . PITA to secure , got on breaks to stop at stoplight and it ripped thru the front of my tarp a good 12 inches. lumber has so much friction between each layer and on trailer u should be able to drive cross country with no securement and it still be on trailer

 

WOw, I have seen countless loads of lumber shifted over the years. I can't count how many I have seen where the center boards of a bundle was up in a headache rack, so they could not turn when someone got on the brakes too hard.
We used to, when we could get away with it, take a water hose and wet it down real good so the wood would swell and not move.
I for the most part quit hauling lumber years ago, unless it was some sort of specialty lumber though, it seemed to be light on the pay for the weights they wanted me to haul.

 

Dressed wood, i.e. smooth on the side(s) is not as rough as you might think.
The 4x4s slid from lack of proper securement. But I've had 2x4 bundles with the center sticks slid forward from a brake in Atlanta. Once they start you will have little luck keeping them from further movement.
I learned after that to place a 4x4 transverse across the deck under the forward end of the front stack to prevent it from happening. Gravity can do what friction can't.

 

If it wasn’t paper wrapped and I didn’t have to tarp I always double stickered the end units. Also, carry a bottle of 7up with you. If you get a unit where the middle boards are working their way out dump the 7up on the unit. It will dry and get sticky but won’t stain the wood.

 

A couple of loads back, I hauled a full load of 10 x10, 16 foot long dunnage.
I pick these up pre loaded and it had plenty of straps on it, but just gut wrapped in the center of each bundle.
About 125 miles in the top rear bundle shifted, just the back end off to the drivers side 8 inches or so, the dunnage had shifted with it, so it was not dangerous, but with another 375 miles of rough twisty road, I decided it was a good tome to teach my helper how to straighten a load.
I had him run a strap around the top bundle and pull back to that side, which we could not move it, even after loosening all the other straps, so we tightened everything up and drove 20 miles then tightened it again, another 20 had it pulled back in line perfectly, so he removed that one strap and put it back over the top, for the rest of the trip.