They’ve got standards for everything these days: tread depth, push-rod stroke, exhaust emissions. And headache racks, too, though only in British Columbia among Canadian provinces. Betcha didn’t know that.

A headache rack-sometimes called a cab shield or cab guard-isn’t considered part of a cargo-securement system. It’s a safety device. Transport Canada offers no federal standard when it comes to cab protection. That’s why it seems to be quite all right in most parts of the country to nail a sheet of plywood to the front of your flatdeck trailer and hope for the best.

Part of the problem is that cab protection falls under the control of provincial labor ministries, not transportation. Occupational health and safety rules demand some sort of worker protection from shifting cargo, but fail in most cases to define what sort of protection the cab guard must offer.

According to the law, that old piece of plywood is indeed a barrier between the cargo and the occupants of the cab. It’s effectiveness is another matter-one that’s usually not addressed. British Columbia, like the United States, does have standards for cab protection. They were developed jointly by the provincial Worker’s Compensation Board and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), and they’re written into the Motor Vehicle Act. As such, provincial roadside inspectors have the authority to ticket drivers for improper cab guards.

B.C.’s standards mirror those found in the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, part 393.106 (see sidebar). But even with legal limits, the cab guard can only do so much. The best you can expect in the worst-case scenario is that the cargo might be deflected by the headache rack, or maybe slowed down a little. It’s unlikely that even the best cab guard will stop a stray 40,000-pound steel coil that’s gaining momentum as it rolls forward along the deck.

And even with properly engineered and labeled headache racks, there are still situations in which the device won’t meet the requirements.

America’s restrictive weight laws dictate that few loads will exceed 50,000 pounds, making the maximum cargo-restraining demands of a U.S.-designed bulkhead about 25,000 pounds. Canadian payloads can easily exceed 70,000 pounds in some jurisdictions, thus requiring a cab guard to be capable of resisting a forward static load of at least 35,000 pounds.

A driver may get into trouble when buying a cab guard in a jurisdiction where the standards don’t apply. It may be fine where you bought it, but travel far enough west or a little to the south and an inspector with some time on his hands could make a federal case out of an uncertified headache rack. If it doesn’t meet the standards, it might as well not be there at all.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Ron Abramoff, president of Northwest Mfg. in Saskatoon, says drivers often buy solely on cost and cosmetic appearance with little regard for the effectiveness of the product. To offer proper protection, the cab guard has to cover the back of the cab or sleeper. Guards are available in widths from 70 to 90 inches and heights from 65 to 68 inches, but make sure there’s enough side-clearance for the cab extenders you might have. The feet and the uprights are universal and designed to fit any truck frame. But the strength of the uprights and the vertical braces is important. The ratings describe its ability to support a given force, but Abramoff suggests that the diagonal braces should be designed to absorb impact rather than resist it completely. “If it’s built too strong in order to satisfy the rating, it’ll likely fail completely when struck from behind, rather than bending or collapsing in the act of absorbing the impact,” he says. “It should function like the passenger compartment of a modern car and self-destruct as it absorbs the impact.”

Strangely, according to Wayne Worobec of Magnum Trailers in Abbotsford, B.C., some guys get mad if the rack is destroyed in an accident. “That’s what it’s supposed to do,” he says.

Worobec also notes that a rack that’s certified for a minimum weight might not be sufficient for the load you’re hauling today. “It’s better to spec the rack for the maximum payload you’re likely to haul,” he says. “Otherwise, all you’re buying is an expensive sticker holder.”

All the strength and engineering expertise money can buy will be lost if the rack isn’t installed properly. The mounting kits sold with the headache racks are part of the engineering process, and they’re integral to the overall strength of the unit.

The B.C. WCB recently issued an advisory following the death of a driver who was crushed by a load. The WCB said the mounting U-bolts weren’t rated for the task. What’s the point of buying a top-quality cab guard, then installing it with the wrong hardware?

Brian Patelka of Aero-Kit Industries in Burlington, Ont., says the manufacturer’s mounting instructions should be followed to the letter, and buyers should always use the mounting kit supplied with the rack. He adds that it’s sad but true that it sometimes takes a fatality and a huge lawsuit to make folks see the light.

“It’s expensive to have these things tested. We spend upwards of $25,000 to test each design, and it’s unfortunate that some manufacturers just aren’t willing to make that investment,” says Patelka. “They can produce and sell anything they want here in Canada, and drivers will often buy on price alone.”

Cab guards are available in several different configurations, and many include optional chain racks and trays.

Patelka says the half-trays are among his more popular options because they leave the driver room to store a rolled tarp under the rack. Care should be taken when spec’ing a chain tray or cabinet to insure there’s adequate clearance for the trailer to swing past in a turn.

The truck frame configuration is critical to the proper mounting of the rack. Sometimes, fuel-tank hangers and air tanks get in the way. Abramoff warns not to sacrifice the integrity of the cab-guard design by taking shortcuts when mounting the device.

And finally, many headache racks are built with portals or openings for extra visibility.

If any portion of the cargo can fit through that opening, the cab guard is useless with respect to certification. It may be just fine when hauling coiled steel or a machine, but if a two-by-four can fit through the hole, then you may find yourself in violation with a load of lumber. This applies in the U.S. as well as B.C.

SIDEBAR

FINE PRINT Is your rack up to code?

Section 35.13 of British Columbia’s Motor Vehicle Act (covering “front-end structures”) is similar to that in section 393.106 of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The rules apply to either cab guards or trailer bulkheads.

To paraphrase, here’s what the rules cover:

o Height and width: The front-end structure must stand at least 1.2 metres above the floor of the vehicle or to a height that blocks any forward movement of the cargo. It must be equal to the width of the vehicle or wide enough to prevent any forward movement of the cargo being transported. It must be able to withstand a horizontal forward static load equal to one-half of the weight of the cargo being transported over the entire portion of the structure that’s within 1.2 metres of the floor of the vehicle.

For a cab guard that’s 1.8 metres or higher, the structure must be able to withstand 40% of the weight of the cargo.

o Penetration resistence: It must be capable of resisting penetration of any piece of cargo that contacts it when the vehicle decelerates at a rate of 20 feet per second. The structure cannot have an aperture large enough to permit any item of cargo to pass through it.

The B.C. requirements also state that the device shall be marked with the name and address of the manufacturer, its model and serial number, as well as its rated capacity in terms of the cargo weight that can be transported.

In order to be certified to the American standards, the device must bear a stamp or plate from the manufacturer stating that it’s been tested by a lab to the required standards.