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Minnesota 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 motor vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight, gross vehicle weight rating, gross combination weight, or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more, or hauling hazardous materials required to be placarded.
In Minnesota, a vehicle must not be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is constructed, loaded, or the load securely covered to prevent it from dropping, sifting, leaking, blowing, or otherwise escaping.
This requirement does not apply to:
- Dropping of sand to secure traction,
- Sprinkling water or other substances to clean or maintain the roadway,
- Leaking liquid from thawing sugar beets only if transporting unprocessed sugar beets, or
- A vehicle operated by a farmer when transporting produce such as small grains, shelled corn, soybeans, or other farm produce of a size and density not likely to cause injury to persons or damage to property on escaping in small amounts from a vehicle.
A driver must not operate a vehicle transporting sand, gravel, aggregate, dirt, lime rock, silica, or similar material in or on any part of the vehicle other than in the cargo container. In addition, the driver must ensure that the cargo compartment of the vehicle is securely covered if:
- The vertical distance from the top of an exterior wall of the cargo compartment to the load, when measured downward along the inside surface of the wall, is less than six inches; or
- The horizontal distance from the top of an exterior wall of the cargo compartment to the load is less than two feet.
The driver also must clean the vehicle of loose sand, gravel, aggregate, dirt, lime rock, silica, or similar material before the vehicle is moved on a road, street, or highway following loading or unloading.