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Saskatchewan Commercial overview

Saskatchewan Commercial: Loads, cargo securement and bills of lading

Weight distribution on trucks and trailers, securing and covering loads, overhang flags and lights, special cargos and livestock, prohibited shipments and what a bill of lading must contain.

  • 12 questions
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Loads, cargo securement and bills of lading · Question 1Score 0/0

How must different classes of livestock be transported together?

Study reference: SGI Professional Driver's Handbook (2026-27), Ch. 6 Information for Class 1 and Class 3 — About loads and loading, Securing loads, Load projections, Special cargos, Bills of lading

All 12 questions in this test

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

  1. How must different classes of livestock be transported together?

    1. Tied together to stop them shifting
    2. Loaded with the largest animals at the front
    3. Separated by a partition
    4. Only with a veterinarian on board

  2. Where does SGI place a single concentrated load on a straight truck?

    1. Against the cab, standing upright
    2. Over the front axle, on its end
    3. At the tailgate, standing on its end for easy unloading
    4. Just ahead of the rear axle, lying flat

  3. Your load overhangs the truck body. What marking is required at night?

    1. A red flag tied to the end of it
    2. A red light at the end of the overhang
    3. A white reflector on each side of the overhang
    4. An amber flashing light on the cab

  4. You are hauling gravel in an open box. What should you do?

    1. Drive slower than 60 km/h instead
    2. Fill the box only to the halfway mark
    3. Cover the load completely with a tarp
    4. Wet the gravel so it stays in place

  5. What can happen if a very heavy load is placed on one side of a truck?

    1. The truck will steer more easily
    2. Light-side brakes may lock and flat-spot tires
    3. The springs on both sides share the extra load equally
    4. The heavy-side tires will wear less

  6. Who is responsible for making sure a load does not fall onto the highway?

    1. Both the driver and the owner
    2. Only the company dispatcher
    3. Only the shipper of the load
    4. Only the owner of the vehicle

  7. An empty tanker that normally hauls gasoline approaches an uncontrolled railway crossing. What must it do?

    1. Cross without stopping, since it is empty
    2. Slow to 30 km/h and cross carefully
    3. Stop at least 5 m from the nearest rail
    4. Stop only if a train is visible

  8. How is a straight truck designed to carry its cargo weight?

    1. All of it on the rear tires
    2. About 50% on each axle
    3. About 90% on the rear tires, 10% on the front
    4. About 70% on the front, 30% on the rear

  9. Why should tailgate loading never be practised?

    1. It wastes space at the front of the box
    2. It is allowed only when hauling empty pallets or bins
    3. It makes unloading at docks slower
    4. It strains the equipment and leads to collisions

  10. Your total load is within the vehicle's capacity but piled at one end. What can happen?

    1. Nothing, as long as the total weight is under the legal limit
    2. The brakes will adjust automatically
    3. Only the fuel economy will suffer
    4. An axle or set of tires can be overloaded

  11. While freight is on the vehicle, which copy of the bill of lading must the driver have?

    1. A photocopy left at the shipper
    2. No copy; it is kept on file
    3. The carrier's original
    4. A duplicate original

  12. What may an express transporter not carry in a vehicle carrying passengers?

    1. Live animals, acids or explosives
    2. Bicycles or wheelchairs
    3. Sealed food or bottled water
    4. Mail, parcels or luggage

Loads, cargo securement and bills of lading: 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 ↗

Ch. 6 About loads and loading (pp. 114–116)

  • Poor weight distribution can overload one axle or set of tires even when the total load is legal, and can bend the frame and misalign steering.
  • Load evenly side to side; a heavy load on one side overloads one spring and can lock the brakes on the light side.
  • A concentrated load belongs just ahead of the rear axle with its longest side on the floor.
  • Loading too far back lifts weight off the front tires and can make steering almost impossible.
  • A truck is designed for about 90% of the cargo on the rear tires and 10% on the front.
  • A trailer's cargo should be split equally between its rear tires and the fifth wheel.
  • Tailgate loading (all weight at the rear) should never be done.
  • A single unit truck's central loading point is midway between the back of the cab and the tailgate; a semi-trailer's is about the middle of the trailer.

Securing loads and projections (pp. 117–118)

  • Both driver and owner are responsible for making sure no load drops on the highway.
  • Check lashing ropes and binder cables periodically for slack or chafing.
  • Loose material (wood chips, refuse, gravel, stones) must be completely covered with a tarp; littering is chargeable to driver and owner.
  • An overhang must carry a red flag at its end from sunrise to sunset and a red light at its rear at night.
  • Extra-wide or long loads need a permit and the warning signs the permit requires.

Special cargos, livestock, prohibited shipments (pp. 118–119)

  • A vehicle used mainly to carry petroleum products or flammable or explosive liquids, loaded or empty, must stop at all uncontrolled railway crossings, as far right as possible and at least 5 m (15 ft.) from the nearest rail.
  • Livestock haulers must keep the vehicle clean and not overcrowded, protect animals from undue heat or cold, and separate different classes of livestock with a partition.
  • Take curves carefully with livestock, because the animals shift as the vehicle moves.
  • A public service vehicle carrying passengers must not carry live animals, acids, explosives, flammable materials or anything disagreeable or dangerous to passengers.
  • Food must not be stored or carried in premises used for vehicles, livestock or acids.

Bills of lading (p. 120)

  • A carrier must issue a bill of lading when it accepts freight for a public service vehicle.
  • It lists the carrier, shipper, place of acceptance, consignee, delivery place, contents and gross weight of each container, and any other participating carrier.
  • The original stays with the carrier; a duplicate original stays with the driver while the freight is aboard; another goes to the shipper on request or to the consignee.
  • Shipper and carrier sign to confirm the list is correct; no one may sign a bill they know is wrong.
  • The driver must show the duplicate bill of lading to a peace officer on demand.

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