The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has amended its Sept 27, 2002, final rule concerning cargo securement.
In a final rule published in the June 22 Federal Register, the FMCSA is requiring that cargo securement devices and systems be designed, installed, and maintained to ensure:
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Maximum forces acting on the devices or systems do not exceed the manufacturer's breaking strength rating under the conditions currently listed in Sec. 393.102(a).
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Forces acting on the devices or systems under normal operating conditions do not exceed the working load limit for the devices under (1) 0.435 g deceleration in the forward direction, (2) 0.5 acceleration in the rearward direction, and (3) 0.25 acceleration in the lateral direction, all applied separately.
The changes come in response to petitions for rulemaking from the American Trucking Associations, Forest Products Association of Canada, Georgia-Pacific Corp, and Weyerhaeuser. They also are a response to issues raised by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Forest Resources Association Inc, Washington Contract Loggers Association and Washington Log Truckers Conference (WCLA/WLTC), and the Timber Producers Association of Michigan and Wisconsin (TPA).
The amendments make the final rule more consistent with the Dec 18, 2000, notice of proposed rulemaking to adopt the North American Cargo Securement Standard Model Regulations. This final rule also includes several editorial revisions to the 2002 final rule.
The changes take effect July 24.