General Knowledge: Cargo, Hours of Service, and Regulations
Cargo securement
Cargo must be tied down so it cannot shift, spill, or fall. Aggregate working load limit of the tiedowns must be at least half the weight of the cargo, with at least one tiedown per 10 feet of article length. Cargo cannot obscure lights, reflectors, or the plate, and must not block your view. Recheck securement within the first 50 miles and every 150 miles or three hours afterward.
Federal weight limits apply in Nebraska: 20,000 pounds on a single axle, 34,000 on a tandem, and 80,000 pounds gross, subject to the bridge formula.
Hours of service
- 11-hour driving limit inside a 14-hour on-duty window.
- A 30-minute break is required after 8 cumulative hours of driving without at least 30 minutes of non-driving time.
- 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days, reset with 34 consecutive hours off duty.
- Records must be accurate and current; an ELD is required unless a short-haul exception applies.
Other rules worth marks
Notify your employer within 24 hours of any traffic conviction, and notify the licensing state within 30 days. Whistleblower protections under 49 U.S.C. 31105 bar retaliation against a driver who refuses to operate an unsafe vehicle or reports a violation; complaints go to OSHA, generally within 180 days.
Worked example
A dispatcher asks you to run a fourth load after you have logged 11 hours of driving inside a 14-hour window. You must refuse. Driving past the limit is the violation, not the refusal, and the refusal itself is protected activity. Document the request and the time, since the complaint clock runs from the retaliatory act.
Traps
- Confusing the 11-hour driving cap with the 14-hour window.
- Assuming the 30-minute break must be off duty; it must be non-driving time.
- Believing cargo rules stop at the shipper's dock - the driver is responsible for securement checks en route.