Load securement violations: what two years of FMCSA roadside data show

Key finding: out of 134,851 cargo securement violations cited at roadside over two years, 75% put the truck out of service. The ones that did were almost always about the system as a whole: too few tiedowns (99% out-of-service), a working load limit total that was too low (99%), machinery secured wrong (99%). A single damaged or loose strap was cited about as often, but only 9 to 12% of those were out-of-service.

We pulled every cargo securement violation (49 CFR 393.100 to 393.136) from FMCSA's public SMS violation file, covering roadside inspections from September 25, 2024 to September 24, 2026, and grouped them by rule. Below is what inspectors cite, which violations stop the truck, and what that means for a flatbed carrier. We plan to refresh the numbers every 6 months as FMCSA publishes new data.

Download CSVEvery 393.1xx violation code with counts and out-of-service share.

The most cited load securement violations

Violation	Rule	Violations	Out of service
Cargo not secured against falling, spilling or blowing off	393.100(b)	29,238	99%
Too few tiedowns for the article's length and weight	393.110	21,036	99%
Machinery or equipment not secured to the machinery rule	393.130	11,558	99%
Damaged tiedowns or securement devices	393.104(b)	11,050	12%
Loose or unfastened tiedown	393.104(f)(3)	10,948	9%
Cargo not secured against shifting	393.100(c)	5,698	12%
No or improper load securement (general)	393.100(a)	3,921	92%
Working load limit total under half the cargo weight	393.106(d)	2,941	99%
Cargo not blocked or secured against rolling	393.106(c)	2,257	98%
Dressed lumber or building products secured wrong	393.118	1,977	100%
No edge protection where a tiedown is cut or worn	393.104(f)(4)	1,789	2%
Metal coils secured wrong	393.120	356	98%
All other 393.100 to 393.136 codes (roll-off containers, vehicles, intermodal, logs and more)	393.1xx	32,082	-
Total cargo securement violations		134,851	75%

Source: FMCSA SMS Input - Violation dataset (data.transportation.gov), inspections Sep 25, 2024 to Sep 24, 2026, pulled 2026-10-26. Grouped by FlatbedDispatch; the CSV has every violation code.

Securement violations were about 2% of all 6.8 million violations in the file, cited in roughly 115,000 inspections. Several of the large non-flatbed groups (roll-off containers, cars on carriers, intermodal containers) sit in the "all other" row; the rows above are the rules open-deck carriers live under.

Two patterns stand out:

• The count rule is cited seven times more often than the weight rule. Too few tiedowns under 393.110: 21,036. Working load limit total under half the weight under 393.106(d): 2,941. Drivers usually carry enough strap strength; they run short on straps for long articles.
• Machinery is the biggest commodity problem. Equipment secured outside the 393.130 method drew 11,558 violations, almost all out-of-service. That is step deck and flatbed territory.

Out-of-service criteria basics

Whether a violation stops the truck is decided under the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, which inspectors across the US, Canada and Mexico use; the current edition took effect April 1, 2026. The criteria themselves are a CVSA publication, so we do not reproduce them, but the data shows how they play out:

• Out-of-service almost every time: cargo that can fall or is not secured at all, too few tiedowns, a working load limit total under half the cargo weight, cargo free to roll, and the commodity rules for machinery, lumber and coils.
• Usually a violation, not a stop: one damaged strap, one loose tiedown, missing edge protection. Inspectors generally treat those as defects to fix, unless they leave the load short of the required tiedowns. Then the stop follows.

Either way, every violation lands on your carrier record. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System counts securement violations in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC for 24 months, and out-of-service violations weigh more. Brokers who book flatbed freight look at those scores.

How to avoid the top violations

Count every article, not the load. The count rule in 393.110 applies to each article: one tiedown for a short, light piece; two for pieces up to 10 ft; two for the first 10 ft plus one for each extra 10 ft or part of 10 ft. A 22 ft beam needs four, not two. Our load securement calculator runs it for you.

Then check the weight rule. Add up working load limits: full value for a tiedown that goes over the load to the other side, half for one that comes back to the same side or attaches to the cargo. The total must be at least half the cargo weight.

Use the machinery method on machinery. Wheeled or tracked units of 10,000 lb or more need at least four tiedowns at the front and rear, accessories lowered and secured, and articulation locked (393.130). Chain is the usual choice here.

Retire damaged straps. Cuts, burns, broken stitching, knots and missing tags. A strap with no tag is rated at the lowest default in the table, which can quietly drop you below the WLL total.

Protect the edges. Edge protectors are required where a tiedown would be cut or worn, and they are cheap. Our flatbed gear checklist has what to carry.

Re-check on the road. Within the first 50 miles, then every 3 hours or 150 miles, or when you change duty status (392.9). Straps loosen as loads settle, and loose tiedowns were cited 10,948 times.

The full rules, with examples, are in our flatbed load securement guide.

Method

• Source: FMCSA's SMS Input - Violation file on data.transportation.gov, the roadside violations used in the October 2026 Safety Measurement System run. It covers inspections from September 25, 2024 to September 24, 2026.
• Scope: every violation code for 49 CFR 393.100 to 393.136 (138 codes). Lighting and conspicuity codes that share the "39311" prefix were excluded.
• Grouping: codes were grouped by the rule paragraph they cite. Out-of-service share is the number of violations flagged out-of-service divided by all violations in the group.
• Limits: the file holds violations used in SMS, so it reflects carriers in that system, not every inspection ever done. It does not say which trailer type was inspected, so flatbed-only numbers are not possible from public data.

For the freight these rules apply to, see the flatbed loads we book. More guides are on the guides page.