How many tiedowns secure a vehicle over 4,500 kg carried as cargo?

Four, each rated at least 2,268 kg

Two, one at the front and one at the rear

BC Class 1–4: Cargo securement

The North American cargo securement standard, tiedown condition, how many tiedowns and how strong, binders, front-end structures, load projections and vehicles carried as cargo.

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Cargo securement · Question 1Score 0/0

How far may a load project beyond the front wheels or front bumper?

Tip: press 1–4 to answer and Enter for the next question.

Study reference: Driving Commercial Vehicles (ICBC, 2024 edition), Ch. 5 Skills for driving trucks and trailers — Securing cargo, Tiedowns, Front-end structures, Specific cargo types

All 14 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

How far may a load project beyond the front wheels or front bumper?
1. No more than four metres
2. No more than one metre
3. No more than 30 cm
4. No more than two metres
A load projects 1.5 m past the rear in daylight. What must be on its tip?
1. An amber light
2. A reflective triangle
3. Nothing below 2 m
4. A red flag or cloth
How many tiedowns secure a vehicle over 4,500 kg carried as cargo?
1. At least six, any rating
2. Two, one at the front and one at the rear
3. Four, each rated at least 2,268 kg
4. One chain over the frame
A small article 1.2 m long weighs 700 kg and is not blocked. How many tiedowns?
1. Three
2. None if it is heavy
3. One
4. Two
Since when have tiedowns without a marked working load limit been prohibited?
1. January 1, 2010
2. October 18, 2021
3. January 1, 2000
4. April 1, 2015
Is a cab protector a front-end structure under Standard 10?
1. Yes, if it is steel
2. No
3. Yes, on logging trucks
4. Yes, always
An article is 2.5 m long and is not blocked in front. How many tiedowns does it need?
1. Four
2. Two
3. Three
4. One
What forward deceleration force must a cargo securement system withstand?
1. 0.5 g
2. 1.5 g
3. 0.8 g
4. 0.2 g
Which chain must NOT be used as a tiedown?
1. One fitted with edge protection
2. One rated for the cargo weight
3. One with a locked binder
4. One with a knot or a stretched link
What must the total working load limit of your tiedowns be?
1. At least 50 per cent of the cargo weight
2. At least 20 per cent of the cargo weight
3. At least 100 per cent of the cargo weight
4. Equal to the vehicle's GVW
A 3.65 m, 600 kg article is not blocked in front. How many tiedowns does it need?
1. One
2. Four
3. Two
4. Three
How must load binder handles be secured?
1. Taped to the deck
2. Left loose for quick release
3. Locked or tied so they cannot open
4. Removed after tightening
Which vehicles do B.C.'s cargo securement rules apply to?
1. Only vehicles crossing provincial borders
2. Only trucks over 5,500 kg
3. Every vehicle carrying cargo on a highway
4. Only flat-deck trailers
May rub rails be used as tiedown anchor points?
1. Yes, if the load is light
2. Yes, with edge protectors
3. No
4. Yes, on flat decks only

Cargo securement: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Securing cargo (p. 94–95)

Do not operate a vehicle unless its cargo is properly secured.
B.C. has adopted the North American Standard on cargo securement (Standard 10) and keeps Division 35 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations for logs, loose-load covers, front-end structure marking and bus luggage.
Division 35 and the Standard apply to every vehicle carrying cargo on a highway, regardless of gross vehicle weight.
General and commodity-specific requirements both apply unless the Standard says otherwise.
A securement system can include the vehicle structure, blocking and bracing equipment and securing devices like tiedowns.
The system must withstand 0.8g decelerating forward, 0.5g rearward, 0.5g sideways either way, and a downward force of at least 20 per cent of the cargo weight.
No component may carry more than its working load limit; components must not be damaged, cracked, cut or weakened.

General requirements for tiedowns (p. 95)

Tiedowns (except steel strapping) must be tightenable by the driver, stay taut and not slip, loosen or release.
Use edge protectors where a tiedown could be cut or scraped by cargo; keep tiedowns inboard of rub rails if possible.
One long chain can act as two tiedowns only if each part has its own tensioning device.
Do not use chain with cracked welds or links, bent, twisted, stretched or collapsed links, gouges, nicks or pits, poor repairs or obvious wear.
Do not use any chain, wire rope or webbing with knots; nor spread or disturbed grab hooks; nor nylon webbing with cuts, nicks or splits; nor wire cable with missing strands or wraps.
Anchor points with cracks, breaks or distortion may not be used.
Rub rails must not be used as anchor points.

Number and strength of tiedowns (p. 95–97)

Consider an article's length first, then its weight, when choosing how many tiedowns to use.
Rough guide: two tiedowns for the first 3.04 m of load and one more for each additional 3.04 m.
Article 1.52 m or shorter and 500 kg or lighter, not blocked in front: one tiedown.
Article 1.52 m or shorter but over 500 kg: two tiedowns.
Article over 1.52 m up to 3.04 m: two tiedowns.
Article over 3.04 m: two tiedowns plus one for each additional 3.04 m or part of it.
When the article is blocked from moving forward (headboard, other cargo, step-deck drop), the minimum is one tiedown per 3.04 m of length.
Example: a 3.65 m, 600 kg article not blocked in front needs three tiedowns.
Machinery or fabricated structural items needing special securement are exempt from the count table.
The aggregate working load limit of tiedowns must be at least 50 per cent of the cargo weight.
Example: 600 kg article needs 300 kg aggregate; with three tiedowns each needs at least 100 kg; with 50 kg-rated tiedowns six are needed; with 200 kg-rated ones the minimum count of three still applies.
The working load limit is marked by the manufacturer; unmarked tiedowns have been prohibited since January 1, 2010.
Standard 10 gives default working load limits for chain, webbing, wire rope, manila and synthetic rope and steel strapping.

Chain links, binders and other rules (p. 97–101)

Connector links must match the grade of chain; the chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Quick connectors are not suitable for heavy-duty work.
Assume tiedown parts, hooks and binders are the lowest grade for their size unless clearly marked or tagged.
Protect tiedowns from abrasion; do not use any assembly worn past the manufacturer's wear limit.
Lock every load binder handle (rope, wire, chain or a locking mechanism; the free end of the chain is enough).
A friction mat with no marked rating is assumed to resist horizontal movement equal to 50 per cent of the weight of cargo resting on it.
Dunnage is spacing blocks, boards and mats that separate cargo from itself and its restraints; timber dunnage must not split or crush.
Corner boards used with tiedowns are a form of dunnage (for example on a load of bricks).
A winch for wire rope should be designed for wire cable; if a webbing winch is used, anchor the wire rope securely to the drum.
Articles side by side under the same tiedown must touch or be kept from moving toward each other.
Cargo that can roll must be held by chocks, wedges, a cradle or a similar device.
Bagged products on pallets need tiedowns and corner boards; interlocking bags and wedging pallets is not enough.
A load on rollers must have at least one roller locked plus adequate tiedowns.

Front-end structures and projections (p. 102–103)

A front-end structure is a vertical barrier across the front of the deck that stops cargo moving forward.
A cab shield or cab protector is not a front-end structure under Standard 10; WorkSafeBC requires cab protectors on logging trucks.
A front-end structure under 1.83 m tall must withstand a static load of 50 per cent of the cargo weight; one 1.83 m or taller, 40 per cent.
It must be at least 122 cm above the deck (or as high as needed to stop the cargo) and at least as wide as the vehicle (or the cargo).
It must resist penetration at a deceleration of 6.1 m/s² and have no gaps cargo could pass through.
It must be marked with model or serial number, maker's name and address and rated capacity, or backed by a signed letter carried in the vehicle.
Front load projection: no more than one metre beyond the front wheels, or beyond the front bumper if there is one.
Front projection on trailers: within a two metre radius of the articulation point for TAC (BC) vehicles, 2.25 m for non-TAC vehicles.
Rear: a straight truck's load may not extend more than four metres beyond the turn centre.
A load projecting more than 1.2 m past the rear needs a red flag or cloth at the tip in daylight, or a red light at night.

Specific cargo types (p. 104–109)

Log or pole vehicles need bunks, bolsters, stakes or other cradles; stakes and extensions must be at 90 degrees or less to the bunk cross member.
Stakes can be secured by an engineer-approved method, pin and closed-loop wire rope stake lines at least 22 mm in diameter, or properly welded gussets.
Before a log truck enters a highway from a private road, the driver must inspect the vehicle, logs and securing devices.
Short logs loaded crosswise need a device that keeps tension and takes up slack automatically as the logs settle.
Side-by-side lumber or drywall bundles must touch or be blocked from shifting toward each other; bundles longer than 1.52 m need at least two tiedowns.
Special rules apply to metal coil shipments and paper roll shipments of 2,268 kg or more.
Vertical-eye coils must be kept from tipping; crosswise or lengthwise coils must be kept from rolling.
Intermodal containers on a container chassis are secured with integral locking devices; chain can be used only as an interim measure if a lock is damaged or missing.
On other vehicles, containers are secured at all lower corners and/or with crossed chains at all upper corners, aggregate working load limit 50 per cent of container weight; hook the chain around a whole link.
Vehicles carried as cargo under 4,500 kg GVW need at least two tiedowns front and rear (a winch may be the front tiedown).
Vehicles over 4,500 kg carried as cargo need at least four tiedowns each rated at least 2,268 kg; lower accessories such as shovels.
Crushed or flattened vehicles: containment walls and/or tiedowns rated at least 2,268 kg, never synthetic webbing.
Boulders over 5,000 kg or over two cubic metres on a flatbed: flattest side down on at least two pieces of hardwood blocking or a crib, at least two chains.

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