Top 10 Cargo Securement Mistakes I've Seen Steel Haulers Make

Believing More Chains Automatically Means a Safe Load

One of the biggest misconceptions in flatbed trucking is that throwing more chains on a load makes it legal. It doesn't. The FMCSA doesn't care how many chains you use — they care whether your securement system provides enough Working Load Limit (WLL) for the weight of the cargo.

I've watched drivers use four smaller chains when three larger ones would have been the correct solution. I've also seen drivers use five chains that still didn't provide enough combined WLL. Know your chain ratings. Do the math. Never guess.

Forgetting That Coil Orientation Changes Everything

I've heard drivers say, "A steel coil is a steel coil." No, it isn't. Eye vertical. Eye crosswise. Eye lengthwise. Each one has different securement requirements under FMCSA regulations. If you secure an eye-crosswise coil the same way you'd secure an eye-lengthwise coil, you're asking for a violation — or worse.

The first thing I do before grabbing a chain is identify which way the eye is facing.

Ignoring the Coil Bunks

I've seen drivers spend thousands of dollars on chains and binders, then load onto cracked, worn-out coil bunks. That's backwards. The bunk is what keeps that coil from rolling. If the bunk shifts, your chains are suddenly doing a job they weren't designed to do.

Not Rechecking the Load After the First 50 Miles

Steel settles. That's just reality. I've never hauled coils and expected my binders to feel exactly the same after fifty miles — I've tightened plenty during that first stop. Drivers who skip that inspection are gambling.

Using Worn-Out Equipment

One stretched chain. One bent hook. One cracked binder. That's all it takes to turn a compliant load into an out-of-service violation. Your equipment is only as good as its weakest component — and a tiedown with a damaged or unreadable tag counts as zero toward your total.

Relying on "The Way We've Always Done It"

This one gets people into trouble all the time. "That's how my trainer taught me." "That's how we've done it for twenty years." Maybe. But regulations change. Inspectors change. Best practices improve. The only thing that matters during an inspection is whether your load meets today's regulations — not yesterday's habits.

Not Understanding Chain Angles

I've watched drivers throw chains over a load with almost no thought about the angle. Angle matters, and it's worth understanding why.

A flatter, more horizontal chain pulls harder against the load sliding forward or back — it fights the coil's momentum in a hard stop. A steeper, more vertical chain does less against sliding but presses down harder, clamping the coil to the deck. You want both jobs covered, and small changes in where you set your chains change how the load behaves in an emergency. Throwing chains over a coil without thinking about the angle is leaving that to chance.

Letting the Shipper Do All the Thinking

I've been to excellent steel mills. I've also been to shipping docks where they couldn't care less whether your load is legal. Remember this: when that truck leaves the property, the citation belongs to the driver.

I always inspect every load before I pull away, no matter who loaded it.

Being Afraid to Ask Questions

I've met new drivers who were embarrassed to ask experienced steel haulers for advice. Don't be. Every experienced steel hauler was new once. I'd rather answer a question in the parking lot than read about someone in the accident reports. There isn't a driver alive who knows everything.

Becoming Too Comfortable

This is probably the biggest mistake of all. Complacency. I've seen drivers haul steel for twenty years without a problem. Then one day they skip checking one binder. Or they assume the loader tightened everything correctly. Or they decide they don't need to stop after fifty miles. That's usually when something goes wrong.