Close call

I'll bet that woke you up big time.....

 

No one has ever received a ticket or lost their load by using "too many" chains or straps....

 

Sure I can. I was flatbedding....bobtailing to a customer to pick up a load. I KNEW my tractor was 12' tall at the stacks and the amber light on the roof, so when I saw the 12'8" clearance sign, I didn't think twice about rolling under...

...until I heard that "thunk".

My heart raced as I wondered what I just tore up on this brand new truck (I got in it with only 400 miles on the odometer...and I hadn't had it very long)....until I remembered that my CB antennas still reached 13'6". Sure enough, when I stopped, there was no damage to the truck....but for those few moments....

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/truck/vehicle/cs-policy.htm

You should have had at least 3 straps or chains on that 20 foot long piece. It goes up from there, depending upon the weight of the cargo being secured...but that is the MINIMUM required.

 

Exactly my fear. More and more of this type of carelessness is coming down the pike.

 

Thank you bulldog, I should've thrown a strap over the middle, It didnt move any on me and was a nice solid load, but I'm not looking to get into a bind with the law.

 

Back when I was flatbedding (dang...that was 7 years ago already), the first 2 straps had to be within 2 feet of each other...and then another strap every 10 feet. I usually went every 8 feet with the rest of the straps because there is no such thing as "too much" when it comes to load securement. Don't know if that has changed or not, but 2 in the 1st 10 feet with a strap every 10 feet thereafter sounds pretty similar.

 

re OP, if he had four pipes layed down the middle of his trailer each 8-10' long, 2 straps on each is perfectly adequate. That would be a total of 8 straps.

Granted it would be easier to load the pipes side by side. One after the other is an odd way to load pipe!

 

I hate that, I always ask which one just in case it is me.

 

Hey, but it keeps everyone on their toes, doesn't it?