Can Your Truck Handle the Same Weight as Your Cargo Net?

Moving heavy cargo is, of course, a familiar challenge to nearly any person who drives a truck, commercial or personal. To not pay enough attention to the safety and security of a cargo load is often to put everyone on the road at risk. Loose cargo is a common cause of accidents, and it can also do major damage to nearby vehicles if it falls off of your truck. Most drivers understand this, and do all that they can to safely secure their cargo. The drivers who stack in a precarious load are, however, usually easy to spot, as every car in their vicinity tends to give them an extra few car-lengths of space.

While in some cases loose cargo is a result of negligence or carelessness, it also occurs when people do their best to safely secure a load, but do so with substandard equipment. Cargo nets should be built specifically to withstand the rigors of securing heavy cargo. For truly safe driving, however, it is important to know not only the strength of your cargo net, but also the load bearing capacity of the vehicle that you are driving.

What is GVWR, and how does it apply payload capacity?

• GVWR stands for Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, which indicates the maximum load weight that a vehicle is capable of safely transporting. This number is the combination of the weight of the vehicle itself, plus the weight of all occupants and cargo.

• Payload capacity is determined by subtracting the overall weight of your vehicle when empty from the GVWR of your vehicle. So, a truck that weighs 4,000 pounds empty and has a GVWR of 5,000 pounds would have a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds.

How can this information be used to secure cargo more safely?

• Naturally, having an accurate guideline of what your truck is capable of hauling will prevent you from overloading your vehicle. It can also help you to pick out the ideal equipment necessary for safely securing your load.

• When securing a cargo net, payload capacity will also help you pick out the right anchor points for your vehicle. The more weight you will be securing, the stronger your tie-down points need to be.

Are cargo nets rated, too?

• Each cargo net is designed to safely hold a predetermined weight. Going above that weight, just as with going over your payload capacity, creates a dangerous situation for you, and everyone else on the road. The best cargo net, then, will be tested rigorously for its true strength.

• At Quarantine Restraints, our cargo net is measured both by how much weight it can handle overall, which is called the complete assembly test. In addition, our cargo net is tested at its weakest points, to ensure a high, comprehensive standard.

Quarantine Restraints takes safety seriously, meticulously testing every product to ensure it meets the highest standards of safety. With the right cargo net in place, you can simply focus on getting your load where it needs to go.