transporting wood in personal truck

sad that you would even have to ask this question, we used to have a free country, unless you are getting up to very large weights the govt. shouldn't be able to stick its nose into what you do.

My understanding is that as long as the load is contained within the confines of the bed of your truck, you are fine. If there is an overhang of more than 2 feet beyond your bumper you are required to flag the trailing edge of the load.

If you are more comfortable with "tarping" or ropes or straps or any combination thereof, there is nothing stopping you from making your load "more safe".

In my state we must have a secure load. You can be cited for failure to secure cargo. I choose to secure cargo by using the sides of the truck. You are not required to secure cargo against failling out of an upside down truck.

You mention personal vehicle. Well, if this wood is being transported for sale to someone else then your normal personal liability insurance will be void. That's right, if a log falls out and kills someone then you are not insured.

I built huge side boards for my truck and don't lean a single piece of firewood against them. It's just a safety net.

hinge rusted off the tailgate last year on my 97 F250 HD... i just throw the log lengths in the bac and go without it... no one has ever stopped me for being w/ out the tailgate haulin wood....

Summit, your in Maine.

Did a quick search, came up with this. I think in general, its your liability. But there are some general guide lines.

The U.S Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires all interstate commercial motor vehicles to comply with performance standards for securing cargo. When transporting cargo on public roads, it must be secured, in accordance with FMCSA regulations to prevent the cargo from leaking, spilling, blowing or falling from the motor vehicle and prevent shifting within the vehicle to such an extent that the vehicle's stability or maneuverability is adversely affected.

For additional information on cargo securing devices and systems, visit the FMCSA regulations at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/rules-regulations.htm and link to Part 393, Subpart I -Protection Against Shifting and Falling Cargo.

Intrastate:

New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 39:4-77) states that when the load of any vehicle is of material susceptible to scattering on a street and such load extends above the height of the sides, tail gate, or rear of the body of the vehicle, the load must be securely covered by a tarpaulin or other cover. Farm products are not subject to the tarping requirement. However, if there is the possibility of spillage of farm products on the road, the load must be covered.

I live in Northwestern New Jersey and work in Central New Jersey and I am a dyed-in-the-wool scrounger. If I come upon a big score I will usually load wood as much as 18-20" over the bedrails, taking care to make sure that the pieces are sitting firmly and not rocking back and forth, etc...so as not to cause shifting during transport. I have never once been stopped by a New Jersey State Trooper or a local police officer. If you operate dump trucks however I can understand your concern-when talking about commercial vehicles its a whole different ballgame. New Jersey takes (commercial) truck enforcement seriously, which is understandable when you consider that we have 9 million people and our state is a major corridor for the entire Northeast. New York is just as rigorous in many ways. However, law enforcement does not usually take the time to enforce weight restrictions, etc...on private vehicles. Like anything else, just use common sense. If you're going to go down the road with 18" rounds bouncing out of the bed onto the roadway you're going to get stopped-if you load sensibly, take it easy on turns, braking, etc...you'll be just fine. Also, as I said before I wouldn't worry that much about weight either. Most importantly stay within the confines of your tire's weight rating, for example, Ford rates my bed carrying capacity at just over a meager 2,000lbs, but my E-rated tires give me a rear axle capacity of 6,830lbs-even when I account for the weight of the frame, bed, 60 gallon auxiliary tank/toolbox, fuel, and tools I can still safely haul just over 4,000lbs in the bed.

gzecc said:

Summit, your in Maine.

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YES IA AM... IF THAT WAS REFERENCE TO THE LAXIDASICAL ATTITUDE THAT THE TROOPERS HAVE TOWARDS US, YOU GUYS ARE MISTAKEN... AN EMPTY BEER OR NO SEATBELT CAN ALMOST GET YOU THROWN IN JAIL AROUND HERE! CHRIST, IF YOU SMOKE A BUTT WITH SOMEONE ELSES KID IN THE CAR BEHIND YOURS THEY SLAM THE CUFFS ON YOU RIGHT THERE!!

Sounds like maine has changed. I remember, personal trash piles behind peoples houses. One of my greatest memories is a vacation in maine when I was around 12 or 13. My cousin put us kids in the back of his pick up truck in the winter and drove like h#$@ home, probably after drinking a few. Man that was cold. Thats probably why I still remember it.

Every state is going to have there laws. Michigan and Washington are similar in that as long as it doesnt fall out, or hang out without a clearance flag, you are fine, and I'd be willing to bet that most states are the same. Like I told the guy I ticketed this spring whose stacked brush/branches came out of the back of his pickup on a curve, 'You were legal till it hit the roadway'................

NY requires covered loads. I inquired about this and was told that a cargo net is fine. The net takes me about 2 minutes to put on. Seems reasonable enough.

I keep one of those spiderweb like elastic cargo nets behind the truck seat. Just in case. Cheap and universal from walmart.

I have something similar. I use a real line to tie it to the trailer frame as the tie downs on it failed the first time I used it.