Came up I-95 out of NC into VA. A little before the scale, "VOLUME TRANSPORT" passes me, pulling a flatbed loaded with steel pipe. The pipe had to be 16" ID, because only 6 of them fit across the width of the trailer. Then I realized...

The tractor has no headache rack. The trailer has no bulkhead. There was no attempt to build a bulkhead in front of the load. The trailer is a straight flat, not a step with the load below the step.

I have not been pulling flats for a couple of years, so I can't brag about keeping up with new developments, but I've never heard of DOT relaxing safety requirements.

Am I missing something, or is he? :?:

 

Since when?????>

 

I believe it was in the past year.

 

I tried to find the reg on it, Windwalker, but I couldnt find it. The guys are right, sometime last year or so, they no longer require to have headache racks.

 

As stated, headache racks are no longer required by regulations, you just have to add 1 strap/chain to the first 10 feet of the load if there is no headache. However, most pipe yards that I load at will not load you without a headache rack or even with one with a window in it.

 

So what do you do? Do you simply not get loaded or do they allow you to build a small one with boards?

 

Headache Rack? for people who don't drive a flatbed, can someone fill me in to what one is?

 

Generally its a large barrier plate attached to the flatbed's nose or the rear wall of the tractor to prevent pipe or steel or other objects hauled on a flatbed from turning into deadly projectiles in the event of a panic stop or accident.

I remember when I was a kid in high school, and in Driver's Ed they showed us the movie "Signal 33".....there were a couple of pictures of truck drivers that had been killed by pipe and such that got loose and went all the way through the cab of the truck...impaling them or going all the way through them because of an accident, etc.

 

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