Cargo Securement for the CDL Exam

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

• !Wrong number of tie-downs for cargo length (1 for ≤ 5 ft, 2 for 5–10 ft, then add 1 every 10 ft)
• !Tie-downs with insufficient aggregate working load limit (must be ≥ 50% of cargo weight)
• !Forgetting to re-inspect cargo within the first 50 miles or 3 hours
• !Missing protections for friction-reduced surfaces (ice, dunnage)

Study tips

• 1Memorize the tie-down count rule by cargo length.
• 2Drill the WLL aggregate rule: tie-downs ≥ 50% of cargo weight.
• 3Practice identifying the correct securement device for each cargo type.
• 4Know the 50 mi / 3 hr re-inspection rule.

Sample CDL Cargo Securement questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real CDL questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1. 1

   A 12-foot piece of pipe weighing 4,000 pounds requires at least how many tie-downs?

   • A1
   • B2
   • C3Correct
   • D4
   Why this answer?

   The FMCSA rule: 1 tie-down for ≤ 5 ft + 1,100 lb, 2 tie-downs for 5–10 ft, then add 1 tie-down every 10 ft beyond. A 12-foot pipe falls into the 10–15 ft band requiring 3 tie-downs.