securing loads in vehicle citation

**kidpittsburgh** · 01-21-2014, 03:02 PM

I received a ticket this morning about 3am for securing loads in a vehicle. I seen the cop sitting on a side road and he proceeded to pull out behind me. After about a block he pulled me over.so the two police officer cone up to my truck and the one asks me for my info and the other starts questioning my friend in the passenger side about where we were coming from and where we got the stuff in the truck. I proceeded to tell him that I was picking up stuff from a post off of craigslist in a city next to theirs. So they go back to the cop car with my info after about 15 to 20 minutes they come back and give me ticket for securing loads in a vehicle. Then they made me take out a water heater and a gamer chair before I could leave and told me to come back and get the items or they would give me a fine for not coming back for the items. On the ticket they listed the offense as: vehicle loaded above tailgate, items not fastened down and shifting during movement, created hazard. Anyone ever get a ticket for this?

**JohnC4X4** · 01-21-2014, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by kidpittsburgh

Anyone ever get a ticket for this?

YEARS ago I got one in Maine for a non secured load
5AM , My guess the Officer was bored and looking to generate some income for the city

**kidpittsburgh** · 01-21-2014, 03:42 PM

I alway make sure items I haul are not moving, the items were not shifting at all as they stated on the ticket. I have ratchet straps that I had with me for times I need them. the items I had were no more than a foot or so above the truck bed. I think I'm going to try and fight this.

**Mick** · 01-21-2014, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by JohnC4X4

YEARS ago I got one in Maine for a non secured load
5AM , My guess the Officer was bored and looking to generate some income for the city

The law in Maine is that anything wholly above the side rails will be secured (strapped).

**kidpittsburgh** · 01-21-2014, 05:30 PM

I'm in Pennsylvania.and I had nothing fully above the sides.

**Bear** · 01-21-2014, 05:31 PM

I generally secure anything that might bounce out, or even get thrown out, within reason of course. If it looks or feels like it could get out of there with anything short of rolling down a hill almost, it's got a secure tie down on it. In case of a collision those projectiles can be as deadly as the vehicle itself, if not more so. Long as it's below the bed sides in the truck, I might not bother so much

**bcrepurposing** · 01-21-2014, 06:43 PM

i have found bed nets to be invaluable tools for loads like this. i also keep bungees and 1/4" diameter rope (100') in the truck at all times.

never gotten ticketed but know people that have. Using the bed net i hauled stuff 2 feet over cab of truck. 2100 miles one way. around 2000 miles back. no issues with the load.

i just keep checking the load and BEFORE travel i take it into back roads and settle aka bounce and fishtail a bit. the loads rarely shift or fall out after settled. just tighten them down after settling the load and run down the road.

**Yunkman** · 01-21-2014, 08:10 PM

I was told by a DOT officer that the yellow ratchet straps (any length) are a NO NO on metal loads. He pointed out that they will wear through as the load jiggles down the road and I saw the evidence myself. Now I use 1/4 inch or 5/16 inch chains exclusively with Comealongs <------like this. I lost a piece of light metal this week and stopped to pick it up. A man almost ran over it and he stopped to help also. The load was secured but that piece was rusty and broke off. Lesson learned. I did get stopped recently as the officer couldn't see my chains and didn't know if the load was secured. He's the same guy who told me not to use those big flashy bright obvious straps....his bad !! He said I was doing a good job of securing. No penalty ticket either time. I think some of my loads get so ridiculous that the POlice just roll their eyes and go on their way.

**Yunkman** · 01-21-2014, 08:12 PM

By the way, there's kind of a knack for loading this stuff as many of you already know....LOL

**bejak** · 01-22-2014, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by kidpittsburgh

I received a ticket this morning about 3am for securing loads in a vehicle. I seen the cop sitting on a side road and he proceeded to pull out behind me. After about a block he pulled me over.so the two police officer cone up to my truck and the one asks me for my info and the other starts questioning my friend in the passenger side about where we were coming from and where we got the stuff in the truck. I proceeded to tell him that I was picking up stuff from a post off of craigslist in a city next to theirs. So they go back to the cop car with my info after about 15 to 20 minutes they come back and give me ticket for securing loads in a vehicle. Then they made me take out a water heater and a gamer chair before I could leave and told me to come back and get the items or they would give me a fine for not coming back for the items. On the ticket they listed the offense as: vehicle loaded above tailgate, items not fastened down and shifting during movement, created hazard. Anyone ever get a ticket for this?

Two guys with stuff in the back of a truck in the middle of the night was why you might have got pulled over in the first place. Ticket was maybe their way of justifying pulling you over.

**lousypirate** · 01-22-2014, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by Yunkman

I was told by a DOT officer that the yellow ratchet straps (any length) are a NO NO on metal loads. He pointed out that they will wear through as the load jiggles down the road and I saw the evidence myself. Now I use 1/4 inch or 5/16 inch chains exclusively with Comealongs <------like this. I lost a piece of light metal this week and stopped to pick it up. A man almost ran over it and he stopped to help also. The load was secured but that piece was rusty and broke off. Lesson learned. I did get stopped recently as the officer couldn't see my chains and didn't know if the load was secured. He's the same guy who told me not to use those big flashy bright obvious straps....his bad !! He said I was doing a good job of securing. No penalty ticket either time. I think some of my loads get so ridiculous that the POlice just roll their eyes and go on their way.

dang, i wanted that tractor seat.

**skylinejack** · 01-22-2014, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by kidpittsburgh

I alway make sure items I haul are not moving,

2 cops say they were moving.

the items were not shifting at all as they stated on the ticket.

Again, the police officers say the items were shifting.

I have ratchet straps that I had with me for times I need them.

This sounds like one of those times you should have used the ratchet straps.

the items I had were no more than a foot or so above the truck bed.

Yet in another post you said you had nothing fully above the sides??

I think I'm going to try and fight this.

You'll lose.

Originally Posted by kidpittsburgh

I'm in Pennsylvania.and I had nothing fully above the sides.

See what I mean? A foot or so above the truck bed is fully above the sides. You'd probably do best to just pay the fine and learn from your mistake. And remember, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS SECURE YOUR LOAD.

**MattInTheHat** · 01-22-2014, 10:27 AM

I tend to over strap my loads. if i pull on something it better shake the truck instead of moving

**WoodmanYoel** · 01-25-2014, 03:35 AM

I got a unsecured load ticket in Maine a couple years ago. I had a van on a trailer that was rated to haul the van - but the van was hanging off the back almost. We had the thing strapped with two different straps and 2 come-a-longs and a chain. I got the van for free but it had been used for a target practice session and the thing looked BRUTAL! We got pulled over about 3 miles down the road from the yard and the cops were extremely hostile due to all of the bullet holes and kept insisting we give them our ak's and shot guns immediately. But we didn't have anything on us, after sitting their for an hour they gave my buddy a ticket for unsecured load ($340.00 fine). It was a total BS fine, I mean what we were doing wasn't really that shady it just looked bad. I had to pay $65 for a flat bed to come town the car the 3 miles to the yard and it was a major PITA to unload it and then load it back on the wrecker.

I got some good advice from a lawyer, and he was pretty convinced they pulled us over cause of the bullet holes and then just stuck us with a bs ticket because they had nothing on us.

We contested the ticket - cops told the court that they had witnessed us driving by with a van covered in high powered riffle holes and that the load had shifted while they watched us drive by. They also said that the load was so dangerous the trailer had come up off of the ball of the truck (LOL Totally Wrong). When it was our turn we asked the cop if he knew the statute for the ticket he wrote us and he said no not off the top of his head, so we asked him to read it out loud and this is what he said:

Originally Posted by §2396. Unsecured Load

A person may not operate on a public way a vehicle with a load that is not fastened, secured, confined or loaded to reasonably prevent a portion from falling off.
For the purposes of this section, "load" includes, but is not limited to, firewood, pulpwood, logs, bolts or other material, but does not include loose hay, pea vines, straw, grain or cornstalks.
When the load consists of sawdust, shavings or wood chips, and a reasonable effort has been made to completely cover the load, minor amounts blown from the vehicle while in transit do not constitute a violation.
A violation of this section is a traffic infraction subject to a forfeiture of not less than $150 nor more than $500.

We brought in the pictures we took of the load and the straps we used to strap everything down (rated for 10,000lbs) - judge shook his head and said although it may have been many other things, it was reasonable secured and threw it out... Also in Maine its like 2 Straps to secure something that is over 4ft - and a strap ever 4 feet after that.

Long story short - fight it if you think you were within your rights or it just doesn't sit well with you. Worst case scenario you pay the fine..

**Mechanic688** · 01-25-2014, 02:48 PM

And for you guys that haul junk cars/farm equip. Take a page out of the Car haulers book out on the highway. They put a Neon red flag on the back of the trailer for any load that is hanging over the back, flashing light at night. DOT lets that pass.

I would have to think in today's society that being out running a curbco route at 3 in the morning is just inviting someone (po-po) to stop you and check you out. That time of the morning is when a lot of vermin runs.

**JohnC4X4** · 01-28-2014, 11:51 PM

YEARS ago I got one in Maine for a non secured load
5AM , My guess the Officer was bored and looking to generate some income for the city

I was delivering phone books at the time,
Each load was 5000 - 6000 pounds
So I am lucky he didn't want to weigh me
In all the years I did it I NEVER had even one book fall off

**gamedayron** · 01-29-2014, 04:18 PM

They must be strict in Maine around me these guys build wood walls on their truck and stack it's about 6 feet tall literally I'm gonna snap a pic next time I'm at the yard

**Mick** · 01-29-2014, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by gamedayron

They must be strict in Maine around me these guys build wood walls on their truck and stack it's about 6 feet tall literally I'm gonna snap a pic next time I'm at the yard

You wouldn't have thought so, judging by some loads I saw going to the scrap yard back when prices were high. Appliances strapped on the back of a van. Scrap strapped to the roof of a car....

I'd shake my head almost every time I'd take a load in.

**Patriot76** · 01-29-2014, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Yunkman

I was told by a DOT officer that the yellow ratchet straps (any length) are a NO NO on metal loads. He pointed out that they will wear through as the load jiggles down the road and I saw the evidence myself. Now I use 1/4 inch or 5/16 inch chains exclusively with Comealongs <------like this. I lost a piece of light metal this week and stopped to pick it up. A man almost ran over it and he stopped to help also. The load was secured but that piece was rusty and broke off. Lesson learned. I did get stopped recently as the officer couldn't see my chains and didn't know if the load was secured. He's the same guy who told me not to use those big flashy bright obvious straps....his bad !! He said I was doing a good job of securing. No penalty ticket either time. I think some of my loads get so ridiculous that the POlice just roll their eyes and go on their way.

I noticed the tractor seat in this load. If it is cast, it is worth a lot of money. If it is pressed they make great bar stools.

**Patriot76** · 01-29-2014, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by lousypirate

dang, i wanted that tractor seat.

I have lots of those old tractor seats. How many do you want and where do you want them delivered?

securing loads in vehicle citation

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