CSA 2010 Freight Securement Regs

[MYGIA]

New CSA 2010 regs require freight securement to be checked and logged within the first 50 miles of the shipper and then every 150 miles/3 hours thereafter.

Is anyone else finding this to be as annoying, obnoxious and an unnecessary waste of time as I find it to be? It is a little less bothersome on a short hop of 300 miles or less, but especially annoying on long halls.

I have always taken great care to properly secure the freight. I always use multiple resources, just in case one form of securement fails; which, thankfully, in six plus years it has not. Many times I have had a shipper comment to me about the amount of freight securement I put into place as being excessive. However, I continue to do so since I am the one ultimately responsible the freight on my truck.

With this being the case, I have been doing the required stops and accompanying documentation. However, with each stop, I find everything to be nice and secure, each and every time, just as it was when I left the shipper. I will continue to follow this requirement as mandate by CSA 2010. However, I simply find it to be excessive and a waste of time.

 

[nightcreacher]

just have a seal put on your doors,you wont have to check

 

[jjoerger]

All of the truck stops sell seals. You can get 10 for $4 at Petro.

 

[greg334]

OK mygia, sorry but I don't agree with the other two because any official can break the seal to inspect cargo regardless what it is. Putting a seal on the box means little because you as a driver are the person responsible for the securement of the freight, not the dock people, not the forklift driver and not the carrier - you.

The other thing is this is not a new rule, it certainly isn't a CSA 2010 rule because CSA 2010 doesn't have any rules - it is a reporting system.

If you have been doing a good job, which I don't doubt, do not worry about it.

NOW with that said here is the actual regulation;

392.9 Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices and systems.

(b) Drivers of trucks and truck tractors. Except as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, the driver of a truck or truck tractor must—


(b)(1) Assure himself/herself that the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section have been complied with before he/she drives that commercial motor vehicle;


(b)(2) Inspect the cargo and the devices used to secure the cargo within the first 50 miles after beginning a trip and cause any adjustments to be made to the cargo or load securement devices as necessary, including adding more securement devices, to ensure that cargo cannot shift on or within, or fall from the commercial motor vehicle; and


(b)(3) Reexamine the commercial motor vehicle’s cargo and its load securement devices during the course of transportation and make any necessary adjustment to the cargo or load securement devices, including adding more securement devices, to ensure that cargo cannot shift on or within, or fall from, the commercial motor vehicle. Reexamination and any necessary adjustments must be made whenever—


(b)(3)(i) The driver makes a change of his/her duty status; or


(b)(3)(ii) The commercial motor vehicle has been driven for 3 hours; or


(b)(3)(iii) The commercial motor vehicle has been driven for 150 miles, whichever occurs first.


(b)(4) The rules in this paragraph (b) do not apply to the driver of a sealed commercial motor vehicle who has been ordered not to open it to inspect its cargo or to the driver of a commercial motor vehicle that has been loaded in a manner that makes inspection of its cargo impracticable.

(The issue with the last bold statement is they can call the carrier and/or customer if they are in doubt but a lot of states ignore this regulation)

 

[MYGIA]

OK mygia, sorry but I don't agree with the other two because any official can break the seal to inspect cargo regardless what it is. Putting a seal on the box means little because you as a driver are the person responsible for the securement of the freight, not the dock people, not the forklift driver and not the carrier - you.

The other thing is this is not a new rule, it certainly isn't a CSA 2010 rule because CSA 2010 doesn't have any rules - it is a reporting system.

If you have been doing a good job, which I don't doubt, do not worry about it.

NOW with that said here is the actual regulation;

392.9 Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices and systems.

(b) Drivers of trucks and truck tractors. Except as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, the driver of a truck or truck tractor must—


(b)(1) Assure himself/herself that the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section have been complied with before he/she drives that commercial motor vehicle;


(b)(2) Inspect the cargo and the devices used to secure the cargo within the first 50 miles after beginning a trip and cause any adjustments to be made to the cargo or load securement devices as necessary, including adding more securement devices, to ensure that cargo cannot shift on or within, or fall from the commercial motor vehicle; and


(b)(3) Reexamine the commercial motor vehicle’s cargo and its load securement devices during the course of transportation and make any necessary adjustment to the cargo or load securement devices, including adding more securement devices, to ensure that cargo cannot shift on or within, or fall from, the commercial motor vehicle. Reexamination and any necessary adjustments must be made whenever—


(b)(3)(i) The driver makes a change of his/her duty status; or


(b)(3)(ii) The commercial motor vehicle has been driven for 3 hours; or


(b)(3)(iii) The commercial motor vehicle has been driven for 150 miles, whichever occurs first.


(b)(4) The rules in this paragraph (b) do not apply to the driver of a sealed commercial motor vehicle who has been ordered not to open it to inspect its cargo or to the driver of a commercial motor vehicle that has been loaded in a manner that makes inspection of its cargo impracticable.

(The issue with the last bold statement is they can call the carrier and/or customer if they are in doubt but a lot of states ignore this regulation)

Greg –
Thanks for the clarification on the source of the regs. It would appear I have been amiss in not doing this all along. However, with its increased attention and focus under CSA 2010, it has become SOP.

I agree, placing seals on the load when not specifically required by the shipper is not what I would consider “best practices”. The whole point of my initial post was that I am finding the practice to be excessive, and therefore obnoxious, bothersome and a waste of time. But I guess those adjectives could be used to describe several other requirements associated with our profession; but that doesn’t mean they can be ignored, nor would it be wise to do so.

Perhaps as with other things in life, my new found compliance with freight securement regs will in time become routine, and in so doing become less bothersome.

 

[nightcreacher]

after you load your vehicle,I'm sure you secure the load.when I said put a seal on the doors,I was talking about one from the customer your picking up at,not one you bought yourself.no this doesn't stop an official from breaking the seal and checking the load,but does make it so you dson't have to stop every 3 hours and recheck your load

 

[geo]

you can ask customer to put a seal on it and has to be marked on bill
if it is a military load most dot won't mess with that load
as on some will give you phone number call if they want to break a seal

 

[x06col]

Per the reg, if you are driving a box truck the cargo is not going to "fall" off it unless you have a terrible incident.

 

[greg334]

The biggest issue would not be actually checking the load but having the load check marked off on your log and if you are a team, when you change drivers to document the check.

A lot of officers will not care but it is that one Pr*ck who has to pick on little C units who will inspect everything that is on the truck and nit pick on stupid stuff.

If you are in a good habit of securing loads all the time like I am, then you won't have an issue of making a stop, checking it and marking it, then leave.

Every load gets at least one strap and has a shoring bar as a forward brace. I also use a shoring bar for a back brace on most loads. The problem is a lot of these yahoo drivers who never secure anything, they are the real target. I like the one guy I run into every once in a while while picking up drums of hazmat material, he doesn't even have a load bar on his trailer. The fork lift driver loads him and goes off to load another truck. He was never caught until the shipping manager loaded him one day and he waited for him to secure the load before he allowed the guy to get the paper work. I can say with confidence, he is no longer a driver at the company.

 

[bobwg]

Per the reg, if you are driving a box truck the cargo is not going to "fall" off it unless you have a terrible incident.

Yes it may not fall off but if not properly blocked,braced,secured, cargo straps, load locks etc the load could shift and cause damage to the load or worse cause the truck to roll over

 

[Turtle]

Yeah, per the reg, falling off is not the only consideration:

"to ensure that cargo cannot shift on or within, or fall from the commercial motor vehicle;"

 

[nightcreacher]

well like I said,if doors are sealed with customer seal,yes and marked on BOL,the 3 hr rule is waved.Sur the DOT can break the seal,but even if he does,the load should be intact as long as it was secured in the first place.
On a GOV>. load,that seal canm be broken too,by a US marshal,And when he's done he re seals the load with his seal and marks the bills,I know this for a fact as it happened to me with a load of class 1 explosives

 

[LittleJoe10]

I am not sticking up for the CSA but in a nut shell . They are trying to keep the roads safe. For example . you run a load , and don't check it with in 50 miles , then 100 miles down the road your are getting a level one , and that dot officer decides to open your doors and your cargo blasts the doors open , WHO is at fault ,by not following guidelines . YOU . The CSA and FMCSA are not trying to bust any ones jewels ,but they are trying to make life on the road more safe ,for you and everyone else .

So to take a 7minute check and check your load and cool the tires ,is that so much of them to ask .
I'm not a know it all , but I get updates on the CSA and FMCSA since I ran my own business , I have also talked to FMCSA about the CSA and they say the same thing I am jotting down . Everyone is freaking out about the CSA but they are weeding out the bad apples and the want the roads safe for you and everyone in your surrounding