§ 393.102 Securement systems.

(a) Application and scope of the rules in this section. The rules in this section apply to tiedown assemblies (including chains, cables, steel straps, and fiber webbing), other securement devices, and attachment or fastening devices used in conjunction therewith, which are used to secure cargo to motor vehicles in transit. All devices which are used to secure cargo to a motor vehicle in transit under the rules in this subpart must conform to the requirements of this section.

(b) Tiedown assemblies. Except for integral securement devices of containers designed for the transportation of containerized, intermodal cargo which conform to the rules in § 393.100(e), the aggregate working load limit of the tiedown assemblies used to secure an article against movement in any direction must be at least 1/2 times the weight of the article. With the exception of marking identification, tiedowns used must meet applicable manufacturing standards listed in this paragraph (b).

(1) Steel strapping. Steel strapping used as a component of a tiedown assembly must conform to the requirements of the 1991 edition of the American Society for Testing and Materials’ Standard Specification for Strapping, Flat Steel and Seals, ASTM D3953-91. Steel strapping which is not marked by the manufacturer with a working load limit, shall be considered to have a working load limit equal to 1/4 of the breaking strength listed in ASTM D3953-91. (See § 393.7(b) for information on the incorporation by reference and availability of this document.) Steel strapping that is one inch wide or wider must have at least two pairs of crimps in each seal and when an end-over-end lap joint is formed, it must be sealed with at least two seals.

(2) Chain. Chain used as a component of a tiedown assembly must conform to the requirements of the June 15, 1990, edition of the National Association of Chain Manufacturers’ Welded Steel Chain Specifications applicable to all types of chain. (See § 393.7(b) for information on the incorporation by reference and availability of this document.)

(3) Webbing. Webbing used as a component of a tiedown assembly must conform to the requirements of the 1991 edition of the Web Sling and Tiedown Association's Recommended Standard Specification for Synthetic Webbing Tiedowns. (See § 393.7(b) for information on the incorporation by reference and availability of this document.)

(4) Wire rope. Wire rope used as a component of a tiedown assembly must conform to the requirements of the November 1985 second edition of the Wire Rope Technical Board's Wire Rope Users Manual. Wire rope which is not marked by the manufacturer with a working load limit, shall be considered to have a working load limit equal to 1/4 of the nominal strength listed in the Wire Rope Users Manual. (See § 393.7(b) for information on the incorporation by reference and availability of this document.)

(5) Cordage. Cordage used as a component of a tiedown assembly, must conform to the applicable Cordage Institute rope standards listed below: PETRS-2, Polyester Fiber Rope, 3-Strand and 8-Strand Constructions, January, 1993; PPRS-2, Polypropylene Fiber Rope, 3-Strand and 8-Strand Constructions, August, 1992; CRS-1, Polyester/Polypropylene Composite Rope Specifications, Three- and Eight-Strand Standard Construction, May 1979; NRS-1, Nylon Rope Specifications, Three- and Eight-Strand Standard Construction, May 1979; C1, Double Braided Nylon Rope Specifications, DBN-January 1984. (See § 393.7(b) for information on the incorporation by reference and availability of these documents.)

(6) Tables of working load limits. The working load limits listed in the tables in this paragraph are to be used when the tiedown material is not marked by the manufacturer with the working load limit. Tiedown materialswhich are markedby the manufacturer with working load limits which differ from the table, shall be considered to have a working load limit equal to the value for which they are marked. Synthetic cordage (e.g., nylon, polypropylene, polyester) which is not marked or labeled to enable identification of its composition or working load limit shall be considered to have a working load limit equal to that for polypropylene fiber rope.

(c) Load binders and hardware. The strength of load binders and hardware that are part of, or used in conjunction with, a tiedown assembly must be equal to, or greater than the minimum strength specified for that tiedown assembly in paragraph (b) of this section.

(d) Attachment to the vehicle. The hook, bolt, weld, or other connector by which a tiedown assembly is attached to a vehicle, and the mounting place and means of mounting the connector, must be at least as strong as the tiedown assembly when that connector is loaded in any direction in which the tiedown assembly may load it.

(e) Winches or other fastenings. The anchorages of a winch or other fastening device mounted on a vehicle and used in conjunction with a tiedown assembly must have a combined tensile strength equal to, or greater than, the strength of the tiedown assembly.

(f) Adjustability. A tiedown assembly and its associated connectors and attachment devices must be designed, constructed, and maintained so that the driver of an in-transit vehicle can tighten them. However, the rules in this paragraph do not apply to a securement system in which the tiedown assembly consists of steel strapping or to a tiedown assembly which is not required by the rules in this section.

(49 U.S.C. 304, 1655; 49 CFR 1.48(b) and 301.60)

[38 FR 23522, Aug. 31, 1973, as amended at 47 FR 47837, Oct. 28, 1982; 59 FR 34718, July 6, 1994; 59 FR 43898, Aug. 25, 1994]