TORONTO – The Canadian Trucking Alliance is warning carriers about inconsistencies in enforcement of cargo securement rule changes taking effect on Jan. 1.

The educational enforcement period, which so far has consisted of warnings to carriers, ends on Dec. 31, 2010 and carriers in violation will risk being put out-of-service.

On New Years Day, each of the minimum number of tie-downs required must be rated and marked with a working load limit. Default values for working load limits will be eliminated from the Cargo Securement Standard.

Unmarked and unrated tiedowns will be disregarded by enforcement if they are used as one of the minimum number of tiedowns to achieve compliance, says CTA.

As with many National Safety Code issues, CTA says that there are likely to be some inconsistencies in enforcement policy between jurisdictions, potentially creating challenges for inter-provincial carriers.

"Governments are committed to moving forward with this change January 1st, despite the fact it will put Canadian and U.S. regulations out of sync. We also remain concerned regarding the enforcement approach taken by all provinces," said Geoff Wood, CTA’s VP, Operations and Safety.

Under the rule, manufacturers must directly mark the tiedowns with a working load limit value, or use a standard marking method adopted by the Web Sling and Tiedown Association to show the working load limit.

Carriers are encouraged to go over the markings with their drivers to ensure drivers know how to locate them on the tiedowns.