Cargo securement - British Columbia

Transporting logs or poles

A person may not drive or operate on a highway a logging truck, a truck or a truck tractor and trailer combination with a flat load deck while the vehicle is transporting a load of logs or poles or both that are longer than 2.6 metres placed in the longitudinal axis with the vehicle or vehicle combination unless the vehicle is:

• Equipped with the same bunk and stake assembly, unmodified, that it was equipped with at the time it was sold as a new vehicle and bears the National Safety Mark under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada) and the regulations made under it; or
• Not equipped and marked, as required, but is equipped with bunks and stake assemblies that meet the applicable requirements (stake extensions must be securely attached to the stakes; stakes, together with their stake extensions, must form an angle of 90 degrees or less with the bunk cross member; stakes must be properly secured to the bunk cross member or to the trailer’s side flanges or rub rails; bunk lash must not exceed five millimetres when the pole trailer is fully loaded; and log bunks carrying logs or poles must be securely attached to the structurally adequate integral part of the frame of the truck or trailer by nuts and bolts, retaining pins, or by welding).

Covering of aggregate loads

A person must not drive or operate a vehicle on a highway while the vehicle is carrying aggregate material if any of the material is likely, if not covered, to bounce, blow, or drop from the vehicle in transit, unless:

• The material is covered in a way that prevents any of it from blowing, bouncing, or dropping from the vehicle; and
• The cover is securely and tightly fastened so that it is not, and cannot become, a hazard.

Front end structures

A person must not drive or operate on a highway a vehicle transporting cargo that is in contact with the front end structure of the vehicle unless the front end structure has been affixed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and is:

• Permanently marked with the name and address of its manufacturer, the model number or serial number of the front end structure, and its rated capacity in terms of the cargo weight that may be transported in compliance with NSC Standard 10; or
• Identified by carrying in the vehicle a copy of a letter that has been signed by the manufacturer or a professional engineer certifying the model number or serial number of the front end structure and its rated capacity in terms of the cargo weight that may be transported in compliance with NSC Standard 10.

Operating vehicles with insecure cargo prohibited

A peace officer who has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a vehicle carrying cargo is unsafe for use on a highway because of the method of cargo securement, the peace officer may order the driver of the vehicle to stop the vehicle and secure the cargo before proceeding.

A person must comply with any order by the peace officer regarding cargo securement.

Carrying luggage in bus passenger compartments

A person must not drive or operate on a highway a bus or school bus that is transporting passengers and carrying luggage or other equipment in the passenger compartment unless the luggage and other equipment:

• Does not block or intrude on any aisle or exit;
• Are carried in overhead racks that:
  • Are designed and adequately constructed for the purpose of carrying luggage and equipment;
  • Are equipped with:
    • Elastic rope or cord;
    • Doors which secure in the closed position by a positive latching mechanism; or
    • A rigid vertical edge or side of a height equal to ¹/₂ of the remaining opening;
  • Extend from the side of the bus to no further than the centreline of the aisle row of forward facing seats; and
  • Are free of any projections;
• Are stowed under a seat against a barrier that is constructed and placed so that it prevents the luggage and other equipment from sliding forward in the event of an emergency stop;
• Are carried on a passenger’s lap; or
• Are carried in a luggage compartment enclosed on all sides.

A person must not load a vehicle so as to:

• Obscure the driver’s view ahead or to the right or left side;
• Interfere with the free movement of the driver’s arms or legs;
• Obstruct access to emergency equipment; or
• Interfere with the safe operation of the vehicle in any other manner.