...
Michigan has adopted Part 393 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).
The adoption includes regulations dealing with projecting loads (393.87) and cargo securement (Part 393, Subpart I).
Part 393 applies to an intrastate vehicle with a gross vehicle weight, gross vehicle weight rating, gross combination weight, or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more (whichever is greater), or any size vehicle transporting a placardable amount of hazardous materials.
In Michigan, no person may drive or move a vehicle on a highway unless the vehicle is constructed or loaded to prevent its contents from dropping, sifting, leaking, blowing off, or otherwise escaping from the vehicle.
The tailgate, faucets, and taps on a vehicle must be:
- Securely closed to prevent spillage during transportation whether the vehicle is loaded or empty, and
- The vehicle must not have any holes or cracks through which material can escape.
This requirement does not apply to:
- Products or material escaping from the vehicle in an amount that does not interfere with other traffic on the highway. Examples include:
- A vehicle transporting agricultural or horticultural products when hay, straw, silage, or residue from a product, but not including the product itself, escapes.
- When materials like water, used to preserve and handle agricultural or horticultural products while in transportation, escapes.
- Any highway maintenance vehicle engaged in either ice or snow removal.