Flatbed trucking software that holds securement, working load limits and permits per load
Flatbed trucking is the movement of freight on an open deck, which makes securing the load the carrier's responsibility rather than the trailer's. Cargo securement sits under 49 CFR Part 393 Subpart I, where the aggregate working load limit of the tiedowns must be at least one half of the cargo weight, and 49 CFR 393.130 governs heavy vehicles and equipment. Neurobird holds securement, devices, permits and photographs on one record per load across 22 trailers.
Neurobird Flatbed Trucking in short
- Hold the securement plan against the load, including devices used and aggregate working load limit
- Track tiedown and chain condition by device, because a damaged binder fails the whole calculation
- Keep oversize permits attached to the route and the dates they cover
- 50 percent The aggregate working load limit of the tiedowns must be at least one half the weight of the cargo secured, under the Part 393 Subpart I securement rules. 49 CFR Part 393 Subpart I
- 393.130 The section covering securement of heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery, which governs a large share of open deck heavy haul. 49 CFR 393.130
- Pricing runs 89 to 529 US dollars per month across 3 tiers. Early access is free.
What flatbed carriers and heavy haul operators actually deal with
Why it stays broken
Securement is a calculation performed at a loading dock by a driver under time pressure, and then judged months later at a roadside inspection against a written standard. Nothing in a dispatch system records which chains went on, what their working load limit was, or what the load looked like when it left.
One out of service order for securement holds a truck and a driver for hours, and the file that would have answered it does not exist.
The aggregate working load limit of tiedowns used to secure an article or group of articles against movement must be at least one-half times the weight of the article or group of articles.
Neurobird Flatbed Trucking Dispatch Platform
Make the load the record. Commodity, devices, aggregate working load limit, permits and photographs attach to it, so a roadside question is answered from a file rather than from memory.
- 1Hold the securement plan against the load, including devices used and aggregate working load limit
- 2Track tiedown and chain condition by device, because a damaged binder fails the whole calculation
- 3Keep oversize permits attached to the route and the dates they cover
- 4Capture securement photographs at the point of loading rather than after a citation
What changes with Neurobird Flatbed Trucking?
The same work, read left to right: how it runs today, and how it runs once the record is in one place.
| Today | With Neurobird Flatbed Trucking |
|---|---|
| Securement is judged at roadside against a written standard, and the only evidence you have is what the driver remembers | Hold the securement plan against the load, including devices used and aggregate working load limit |
| Aggregate working load limit has to exceed half the cargo weight, and nobody recomputes it when a chain is swapped | Track tiedown and chain condition by device, because a damaged binder fails the whole calculation |
| Oversize permits expire per state and per route, so a legal load in one state is an out of service order in the next | Keep oversize permits attached to the route and the dates they cover |
Who is this for?
Three carriers, three reasons the load needs a file.
The calculation is on the record
Devices used and aggregate working load limit recorded against cargo weight, so the maths exists before the inspection asks.
Permits with the route
Oversize permits attached to states and dates, so a legal load does not become an out of service order at a border.
Devices retire on condition
Chains, straps and binders tracked individually, because a worn device quietly invalidates every calculation it appears in.
The fleet, load by load
A working preview. Tick a load to pull its securement record.
Drag a job onto a driver to assign it.
How does Neurobird Flatbed Trucking work?
Record the securement as loaded
Which devices, how many, and the aggregate working load limit they produce against the cargo weight.
Track the devices themselves
Chains, straps and binders inspected and retired by condition, because a damaged device breaks the calculation.
Keep permits with the route
Oversize and overweight permits attached to the states and dates they cover, not to a folder in the cab.
What securing an open deck load actually requires
Useful if you are writing a securement policy or scoping heavy haul. Each source links out.
The aggregate working load limit of the tiedowns must be at least one half the weight of the cargo secured, under the Part 393 Subpart I securement rules.
49 CFR Part 393 Subpart IThe section covering securement of heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery, which governs a large share of open deck heavy haul.
49 CFR 393.130The OSHA general industry duty to provide fall protection at qualifying heights, which is where tarping injuries sit.
OSHA 1910.28Federal truck size and weight limits are the point at which a load becomes a permit problem, and permits are issued state by state.
FHWA, truck size and weightFMCSA publishes cargo securement guidance alongside the rule, because the performance criteria are applied differently by commodity.
FMCSA, cargo securementFlatbed trucking software questions, answered
Key terms
- What is flatbed trucking?
- Flatbed trucking moves freight on an open deck rather than in an enclosed van, which makes the load itself the operator's responsibility to secure. Cargo securement is governed by 49 CFR Part 393 Subpart I, which sets performance criteria, working load limits and commodity specific rules.
- What is the aggregate working load limit rule?
- The combined working load limit of the tiedowns must be at least one half the weight of the cargo being secured. It is a calculation, not a habit, and it changes the moment a device is substituted.
Are there special rules for particular commodities?
Yes. Subpart I includes commodity specific requirements, and 49 CFR 393.130 deals with heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery, which is where a lot of heavy haul work sits.
Does fall protection apply on a flatbed?
Tarping and securing at height is where flatbed injuries happen, and OSHA 1910.28 sets the general duty to provide fall protection at qualifying heights in general industry settings.
Does this replace our TMS?
No. Dispatch, rating and settlement stay in the TMS. What lives here is the securement and permit layer: devices, working load limits, photographs and permit windows, joined per load.
Why we are building this
Securement is the only part of trucking where the driver performs a calculation in a loading dock, under time pressure, and is then judged on it by an inspector months later with a tape measure and a rule book.
The dispatch system knows the load moved. It does not know which chains went on, what their working load limit was, or what the deck looked like when it left. That evidence exists for about 20 seconds, in a driver's head.
So we are building the load file. Devices, calculation, permits, photographs. If you run open deck, tell us what your worst roadside stop turned on.
Where the requirement comes from
The rules a roadside inspection is conducted against.
- 49 CFR Part 393 Subpart I, protection against shifting cargo The securement standard, including working load limit rules.
- FMCSA, cargo securement rules Agency guidance on how the standard is applied.
- 49 CFR 393.130, heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery Commodity specific rules for most heavy haul work.
- FHWA, truck size and weight limits Where oversize and overweight permitting begins.
- OSHA 1910.28, duty to have fall protection Relevant wherever tarping and securing happen at height.
How much does Neurobird Flatbed Trucking cost?
Priced per fleet, not per load. A busy week should not cost more than a quiet one.
- Up to 3 trailers
- Securement records
- Load photographs
- Device inventory
- Up to 30 trailers
- Working load limit calculation
- Permit tracking
- Driver accounts
- Unlimited trailers
- Multi terminal views
- Inspection reporting
- Priority support
Get free early access
We are building this with carriers who run open deck freight every day.
Straight answer on where this is: The software is in development and not purchasable today. Early access means your loads shape what a securement record has to hold, and you see it first.
Prefer email? Write to office@neurobird.com and a person will reply. No autoresponder.