snowflake
Ow ya goin'
What do you know about the synthetic web strapping you use to secure cargo? What you need to know is that it has a label, tag or stencil showing the manufacturer's name and/or trademark, and the working load limit of the strap in pounds or kilograms. You've got all that? The label even says the strap is DOT approved. You're good to go, right?
Guess what? There are no DOT standards for cargo strapping.
The FMCSA's cargo securement rules incorporate by reference manufacturing standards for certain types of tiedowns -- including synthetic webbing -- developed by the Web Sling & Tie Down Association. That group describes its own manufacturing standard as more of a guide than a requirement. The following caveat appears on page two of the Web Sling & Tiedown Association's Recommended Standard Specification for Synthetic Web Tiedowns:
This recommended standard specification has been formulated as a guide to users, industry and government to ensure proper use, maintenance and inspections of synthetic web tie down assemblies. The existence of this recommended standard specification does not, however, prevent members of the Web, Sling, & Tie Down Association, Inc. and other manufacturers from manufacturing or selling products not conforming to this standard.
"It's ironic; you can't buy a $10 lamp in this country that doesn't have an Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) approval sticker on it, but there's no policing of the cargo securement product sold to the trucking industry," says Ralph Abato, vice president of sales and marketing for Ancra International.
Abato has raised the issue of cargo strap quality with enforcement officials, and he has provided test data showing some of the commercially available product falls alarming short of its indicated working strength.
"The biggest issue is the influx of importers and local sellers of strap assemblies that don't meet any standards at all," Abato says. "They either don't understand the standards or don't care. They don't do any testing, and they put out vastly inferior product that's basically mislabeled."
On top of that, when it comes to enforcing the cargo securement rules, inspectors tend to take the rating labels and tags at face value, he says. "They're looking for compliance with the total number and working load limit (WLL) of the tie down devices. They rarely question the integrity of the straps' rating."
Strap condition.......
Guess what? There are no DOT standards for cargo strapping.
The FMCSA's cargo securement rules incorporate by reference manufacturing standards for certain types of tiedowns -- including synthetic webbing -- developed by the Web Sling & Tie Down Association. That group describes its own manufacturing standard as more of a guide than a requirement. The following caveat appears on page two of the Web Sling & Tiedown Association's Recommended Standard Specification for Synthetic Web Tiedowns:
This recommended standard specification has been formulated as a guide to users, industry and government to ensure proper use, maintenance and inspections of synthetic web tie down assemblies. The existence of this recommended standard specification does not, however, prevent members of the Web, Sling, & Tie Down Association, Inc. and other manufacturers from manufacturing or selling products not conforming to this standard.
"It's ironic; you can't buy a $10 lamp in this country that doesn't have an Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) approval sticker on it, but there's no policing of the cargo securement product sold to the trucking industry," says Ralph Abato, vice president of sales and marketing for Ancra International.
Abato has raised the issue of cargo strap quality with enforcement officials, and he has provided test data showing some of the commercially available product falls alarming short of its indicated working strength.
"The biggest issue is the influx of importers and local sellers of strap assemblies that don't meet any standards at all," Abato says. "They either don't understand the standards or don't care. They don't do any testing, and they put out vastly inferior product that's basically mislabeled."
On top of that, when it comes to enforcing the cargo securement rules, inspectors tend to take the rating labels and tags at face value, he says. "They're looking for compliance with the total number and working load limit (WLL) of the tie down devices. They rarely question the integrity of the straps' rating."
Strap condition.......
