How to Secure Precast Concrete Fence Panels for Transport

Precast concrete fence panels are secured for transport by blocking the load against forward movement and tying it down with enough rated tiedowns that their combined working load limit is at least half the weight of what they hold. Those are the general cargo securement rules in 49 CFR 393.100 to 393.114, published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and no commodity-specific section in the regulation covers fence panels, so the general rules are the ones a fence load is built around. This guide maps panels, posts and caps onto the regulation text on eCFR. It is orientation, not legal advice; your carrier and FMCSA decide what a given load needs.

Which federal rules apply to a fence panel load?

A fence panel load falls under the general cargo securement rules in 49 CFR 393.100 to 393.114, which apply to trucks, truck tractors, semitrailers, full trailers and pole trailers. Under 49 CFR 393.100, cargo must be secured so it cannot leak, spill, blow or fall from the vehicle, and so it cannot shift enough to affect the vehicle's stability or maneuverability.

The regulation has commodity-specific sections for loads such as concrete pipe, but none for fence panels, posts or caps. That leaves a producer working from the general rules: how strong the tiedowns are, how many there are, and how the load is blocked.

What forces does the load have to survive?

The securement system has to hold the load through hard braking, acceleration and cornering without any tiedown exceeding its rating. 49 CFR 393.102 says tiedowns must stay within their working load limit at 0.435 g forward deceleration, 0.5 g rearward acceleration and 0.25 g lateral acceleration, and within their breaking strength at 0.8 g forward, 0.5 g rearward and 0.5 g lateral.

Panels on a flatbed are not contained by the trailer's structure, so 49 CFR 393.102 also requires the system to provide a downward force equal to at least 20 percent of the weight of each article. That is why a stack sitting on dunnage still needs straps or chains over it, even when blocking stops it sliding.

How much working load limit do the tiedowns need?

The tiedowns securing an article or group of articles need an aggregate working load limit of at least one-half times its weight, under 49 CFR 393.106. How a tiedown is run decides how much of its rating counts toward that total.

• A tiedown that runs from an anchor point on one side of the trailer, over the load and down to an anchor point on the other side counts its full working load limit.
• A tiedown that goes from the trailer directly to an attachment point on the load, or over the load and back to the same side, counts one-half of its working load limit.

Under 49 CFR 393.108, a tiedown's working load limit is the lowest rating of any part of it, including the tensioner, or of the anchor points it attaches to. Marked material carries its marked rating; unmarked material takes the value in the regulation's tables, and unmarked welded chain is treated as grade 30 proof coil.

Tiedown (from the 49 CFR 393.108 tables)	Working load limit
3/8 inch chain, grade 30 proof coil	2,650 pounds
3/8 inch chain, grade 70 transport	6,600 pounds
2 inch synthetic webbing	2,000 pounds
4 inch synthetic webbing	4,000 pounds

Read the tag on every strap and chain before it goes over a load. An unmarked chain on a yard trailer is rated as proof coil whatever it actually is, and the table shows how much capacity that gives away.

How many tiedowns does each panel, post and cap need?

The minimum number of tiedowns depends on each article's length, its weight when it is short, and whether it is blocked from sliding forward. 49 CFR 393.110 sets the count for an article that is not blocked by a headerboard, bulkhead or other secured cargo:

Article not blocked against forward movement	Minimum tiedowns
5 feet or less long and 1,100 pounds or less	One
5 feet or less long and over 1,100 pounds	Two
Longer than 5 feet, up to 10 feet	Two
Longer than 10 feet	Two, plus one for every 10 feet or fraction beyond the first 10 feet

When an article is blocked against forward movement, the same section requires at least one tiedown for every 10 feet of its length, or fraction. Blocking lowers the count, but it never lowers the aggregate working load limit the load still needs. A fence load mixes article sizes, so posts, panels and pallets of caps each get counted on their own terms.

How should panels be loaded on the trailer?

Panels should be loaded so the trailer structure, dunnage and the other cargo stop them moving before any strap is tensioned. 49 CFR 393.106 says cargo must be firmly immobilized or secured by structures of adequate strength, dunnage or dunnage bags, shoring bars, tiedowns or a combination of these.

• Block forward. A headerboard counts when it reaches 4 feet above the floor or high enough to block the cargo, whichever is lower, under 49 CFR 393.114.
• Close the gaps. Articles placed side by side under transverse tiedowns must touch or be kept from shifting toward each other, per 49 CFR 393.106.
• Use friction. Unrated friction mats are credited with resisting horizontal movement equal to 50 percent of the weight placed on them, under 49 CFR 393.108.
• Check the dunnage. Dunnage, chocks, cradles and blocking must have no damage or defects that compromise the system, under 49 CFR 393.104.

The support positions that protect a panel in the yard protect it on the trailer too. Our guide to storing and stacking precast concrete fence panels covers dunnage placement and lifting.

Why does a concrete load need edge protection?

A concrete load needs edge protection because panel and cap edges cut and abrade synthetic webbing under tension. 49 CFR 393.104 requires edge protection wherever a tiedown would be subject to abrasion or cutting where it touches the cargo, and the protector itself must resist abrasion, cutting and crushing.

Edge protectors also keep a tensioned chain off the arris of a textured panel, where it can chip the face the customer paid for. The same section bars knotted tiedowns and any tiedown with cuts or cracks that reduce its working load limit.

What does the driver check once the truck is moving?

The driver re-checks the load on a fixed schedule. Under 49 CFR 392.9, the driver inspects the cargo and its securement within the first 50 miles of a trip, then re-examines it whenever the driver changes duty status, or after 3 hours or 150 miles of driving, whichever comes first.

Concrete loads settle on dunnage in the first miles, and straps loosen as they do. 49 CFR 393.112 requires every tiedown except steel strapping to be adjustable so the driver can tighten it in transit, which is what that first check is for.

A load that arrives intact is the last step of a production line that starts at the mold. Our mold systems page describes Elastoquip's urethane gang, rail, post and cap molds for producers setting up a fence line.