Under 49 CFR 393, cargo must be contained, immobilized or secured so it can't shift enough to affect vehicle stability. Securement must withstand 0.8 g forward and 0.5 g rearward and lateral without exceeding breaking strength, and tiedowns need an aggregate working load limit of at least half the cargo's weight.
Most palletized freight moves in enclosed vans, and most shippers assume the trailer walls do the securement work for them. Sometimes they do. The federal cargo securement rules in 49 CFR Part 393, Subpart I, apply to trucks, truck tractors, semitrailers, full trailers and pole trailers, and they require cargo to be "contained, immobilized or secured" so it cannot shift "to such an extent that the vehicle's stability or maneuverability is adversely affected."[1] A van loaded tight, wall to wall and nose to tail, can satisfy that on its own. A van with a gap at the doors or a partial load usually can't. Here is what the regulation says, section by section, applied to a trailer full of pallets.
In this guide
- What 49 CFR 393 requires, in one paragraph
- The performance criteria: 0.8 g and 0.5 g
- How palletized van freight meets the rule
- Working load limits and the 50% rule
- How many tiedowns you need
- Equipment condition and driver inspections
- Example scenario
- When a load arrives unsecured or shifted
- Frequently asked questions
What 49 CFR 393 Requires, in One Paragraph
Section 393.100 sets two general duties. First, cargo has to be loaded and secured "to prevent the cargo from leaking, spilling, blowing or falling from the motor vehicle." Second, it has to be kept from shifting on or within the vehicle to the point where stability or maneuverability suffers.[1] The rest of the subpart defines "secured" in measurable terms.
Section 393.106 adds the general rule for all articles of cargo other than bulk commodities carried in a tank or hopper: cargo "must be firmly immobilized or secured on or within a vehicle by structures of adequate strength, dunnage or dunnage bags, shoring bars, tiedowns or a combination of these."[2]
Working load limit (WLL): "The maximum load that may be applied to a component of a cargo securement system during normal service, usually assigned by the manufacturer of the component." Dunnage bag: an inflatable bag that fills empty space between articles, or between cargo and the wall. Shoring bar: a device placed transversely between the walls and the cargo to prevent tipping or shifting.[3]
The Performance Criteria: 0.8 g and 0.5 g
Section 393.102 is where the numbers live. It sets two tests that securement devices and systems must pass, each applied separately in each direction.[4]
| Direction | Must not exceed breaking strength at | Must not exceed working load limit at |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | 0.8 g deceleration | 0.435 g deceleration |
| Rearward | 0.5 g acceleration | 0.5 g acceleration |
| Lateral | 0.5 g acceleration | 0.25 g acceleration |
In plain terms: a hard stop throws the load forward with a force equal to 80% of its weight, and the system has to hold without anything breaking. The same section adds a vertical requirement. If an article is not fully contained within the vehicle's structure, securement must provide a downward force equal to at least 20% of its weight. If it is fully contained, it can be secured under the general rule in 393.106(b).[4]
Nobody runs a g-force calculation at the dock. Section 393.102(c) says cargo is considered to meet these performance requirements if it is:
- Immobilized so it cannot shift or tip enough to affect the vehicle's stability or maneuverability; or
- Transported in a sided vehicle whose walls are strong enough, with each article "in contact with, or sufficiently close to a wall or other articles" so it cannot shift or tip to that extent; or
- Secured in accordance with the applicable requirements of §§ 393.104 through 393.136.[4]
How Palletized Van Freight Meets the Rule
Option 2 above is the one most dry-van freight relies on. A trailer loaded with pallets tight to the nose, tight to each other and close to the side walls is a sided vehicle in which each article is in contact with a wall or other articles. The trouble starts where that contact breaks down:
- A void at the rear. The last row has nothing behind it but the doors.
- A void in the middle. Partial and multi-stop loads often leave open floor between groups of pallets.
- Side gaps. Narrow or single-file pallets have room to move laterally.
- Top-heavy stacks. A stack can tip even when its base is boxed in.
Wherever freight isn't "in contact with, or sufficiently close to" something solid, you supply the restraint. Dunnage bags, shoring bars (load bars), blocking and bracing, and tiedowns are all named in 393.106(b).[2] When pallets sit side by side and are held by straps running across the trailer, 393.106(c)(2) requires that they either be in direct contact with each other or be prevented from shifting towards each other in transit.[2]
Working Load Limits and the 50% Rule
When tiedowns are part of the system, 393.106(d) sets the key number: "The aggregate working load limit of tiedowns used to secure an article or group of articles against movement must be at least one-half times the weight of the article or group of articles."[2] How much each tiedown counts toward that total depends on how it's attached:
- Half its WLL if it runs from an anchor point on the vehicle to an anchor point on the cargo.
- Half its WLL if it runs from a vehicle anchor, through, over or around the cargo, and back to an anchor on the same side of the vehicle.
- Its full WLL if it runs from a vehicle anchor, through, over or around the cargo, and to an anchor on the other side of the vehicle.[2]
Section 393.108 explains where a WLL comes from. A tiedown's WLL is the lowest WLL of any of its components (including the tensioner) or of the anchor points it attaches to, whichever is less. You can use the manufacturer's marking. If the material isn't marked, you use the default tables in the regulation.[5] For synthetic webbing, the most common strap in a van, the default table reads:
| Webbing width | Default WLL (unmarked) |
|---|---|
| 1 3/4 in (45 mm) | 1,750 lb (790 kg) |
| 2 in (50 mm) | 2,000 lb (910 kg) |
| 3 in (75 mm) | 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) |
| 4 in (100 mm) | 4,000 lb (1,810 kg) |
So a 2-inch strap hooked into a fitting or anchor rated lower than the strap is limited to the lower rating. And a manufacturer's marked rating overrides the table: marked materials "shall be considered to have a working load limit equal to the value for which they are marked."[5]
How Many Tiedowns You Need
Section 393.110 adds a minimum count on top of the 50% rule. The count depends on the length of the article or group and on whether it's blocked against forward movement.[6]
| Situation | Minimum tiedowns |
|---|---|
| Not blocked forward; 5 ft or less long and 1,100 lb or less | 1 |
| Not blocked forward; 5 ft or less long and more than 1,100 lb | 2 |
| Not blocked forward; longer than 5 ft up to 10 ft, any weight | 2 |
| Not blocked forward; longer than 10 ft | 2, plus 1 for every 10 ft (or fraction) beyond the first 10 ft |
| Blocked, braced or immobilized forward by a headerboard, bulkhead, other adequately secured articles, or blocking | 1 for every 10 ft of length, or fraction thereof |
The forward-blocked row matters for van freight. Pallets pushed against the nose or other secured freight need only one tiedown per 10 feet. Both rules apply at once: you need at least the minimum count and an aggregate WLL of at least half the weight.[6][2]
Equipment Condition and Driver Inspections
Section 393.104 covers the equipment itself. Tiedowns and components must have "no damaged or weakened components, such as, but not limited to, cracks or cuts." Floors, walls, anchor points and bulkheads must be strong enough to meet the performance criteria. Dunnage, shoring bars and blocking must not have damage or defects that compromise the system. Tiedowns must not contain knots, must be attached so they can't come loose in transit, and need edge protection wherever they would be subject to abrasion or cutting.[7]
Section 392.9 puts the inspection duty on the driver. Before driving, the driver must be satisfied the cargo is properly distributed and adequately secured. The driver must then inspect the cargo and securement devices within the first 50 miles of a trip and re-examine them whenever the driver changes duty status, after 3 hours of driving, or after 150 miles, whichever comes first.[8]
The sealed-trailer exception
Those inspection intervals don't apply to the driver of a sealed vehicle who has been ordered not to open it, or to a vehicle loaded in a way that makes inspecting the cargo impracticable.[8] The exception only removes the inspection duty. The securement standards in 393.100 through 393.136 still apply to the load.[8]
Example Scenario
Hypothetical, for illustration only. Say a shipper loads 22 pallets into a 53-ft dry van for two stops. The first 18 sit tight against the nose and each other. The last 4, for the second stop, sit as a separate group near the doors, with about 8 feet of open floor between the groups. Say that group weighs 6,000 lb and is about 8 feet long.
- The front 18 pallets can rely on the sided-vehicle provision in 393.102(c)(2).[4]
- The rear group has nothing in front of it, so it is not blocked forward. At about 8 feet long, 393.110(b)(2)(ii) calls for at least two tiedowns.[6]
- The aggregate WLL for that group must be at least 3,000 lb (half of 6,000 lb).[2] Two unmarked 2-inch straps running wall to wall across the group count at their full default WLL of 2,000 lb each, for 4,000 lb total, provided the track fittings and wall anchors are rated at least that high.[5] If the only anchors available are rated lower, the lower number is what counts.
- A better fix is often to close the gap, or fill it with rated blocking or load bars. Then the rear group is blocked forward, and one tiedown per 10 feet is the minimum.[6]
When a Load Arrives Unsecured or Shifted
Paper compliance doesn't help once pallets have moved. If a driver's 50-mile check turns up a leaning stack, or a container comes off the terminal with freight never braced for the road, the correction is physical: unload, rebuild damaged pallets, square the stacks, and reload with proper blocking, load bars and straps.
That is the work we do at our East Brunswick, NJ facility, 24/7, for freight coming off the Port Newark / Elizabeth terminals and the NJ Turnpike corridor. Loads that have already moved in transit go through our shifted-load repair process. Loads that need a full restack, new pallets or a different loading pattern go through freight rework. When the fix means moving freight from an ocean container into a domestic trailer and loading it properly, that's a transload. We're not a freight broker or a carrier; our job is the physical fix.
If you have a load that needs to be restacked or re-secured, call 800-376-2808 or send us the details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the cargo securement rules apply to enclosed dry vans?
What does the 0.8 g forward requirement mean?
How do I calculate the aggregate working load limit?
What working load limit do I use for an unmarked strap?
How often does a driver have to check the load?
Sources
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, "49 CFR § 393.100 – Which types of commercial motor vehicles are subject to the cargo securement standards of this subpart, and what general requirements apply?," accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, "49 CFR § 393.106 – General requirements for securing articles of cargo," accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, "49 CFR § 393.5 – Definitions," accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, "49 CFR § 393.102 – Minimum performance criteria for cargo securement devices and systems," accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, "49 CFR § 393.108 – Determining the working load limit of a tiedown or the load restraining value of a friction mat," accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, "49 CFR § 393.110 – Additional requirements for determining the minimum number of tiedowns," accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, "49 CFR § 393.104 – Standards for cargo securement devices and systems," accessed September 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, "49 CFR § 392.9 – Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices and systems," accessed September 2026.
This guide is general operational information, not legal or regulatory advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements with the relevant agency or your carrier before acting.