393.106(b) Cargo Securement — Front End Structure Q&A

Yes—most likely. Across our 13 million inspection records, 393.106(b) citations result in an out-of-service (OOS) order 80.1% of the time. That's significantly higher than the FMCSR average of 31.4%, meaning inspectors treat missing or inadequate headerboards as a safety issue requiring immediate correction before the truck moves again. If you were cited but not placed OOS, you're in the minority (19.9% of cases).

This violation carries a severity weight of 5 points under the CSA system. Your actual score depends on whether you accumulate this with other violations in the same 30-day period and which BASIC category it falls under. The CSA multiplier rules can push your score higher if you repeat the violation or have co-occurring safety issues. Check your Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) profile within 30 days of the citation to see how FMCSA weighted your specific inspection.

Immediate steps:

1. Stop operating the truck if an OOS order was issued—you cannot legally move it until corrected.
2. Inspect your cargo area: verify the headerboard/bulkhead is present, properly secured, and rated for the cargo weight and type you're carrying.
3. Repair or replace the headerboard if damaged or missing.
4. Request a follow-up inspection (a "reinspection") to clear the OOS order once fixed.
5. Document the repair with photos and invoices for your carrier and your CSA record.
6. Report the citation to your dispatcher and carrier's safety team immediately.

Yes. Our inspection data shows 393.106(b) has an 80.1% out-of-service rate, far above the national FMCSR average of 31.4%. Among peer cargo-securement and vehicle-maintenance codes, only 396.3(a)(1) (general inspection/repair/maintenance) exceeds it at 45.3% OOS. Most similar codes like 393.9 (lamp defects) sit at 6.9% OOS. The high rate reflects that missing headerboards are treated as immediate safety hazards preventing continued operation.

You can attempt to contest it through the FMCSA's DataQs (Data Quality System), but success depends on the type of violation. If the citation rests on a documentation or inspection procedure error—such as the officer misidentifying your cargo type or failing to measure the headerboard properly—you have grounds to request removal. If the finding is based on observed equipment condition (a visibly missing or collapsed bulkhead), your contestation window is narrower. Submit your DataQs challenge within 90 days of the citation, with photos and maintenance records as evidence.

Our inspection records do not identify state-level breakdowns for 393.106(b) specifically; we can only report that across all 13 million inspections, it ranks #596 of 3,036 FMCSR codes by total citation volume. Carriers like SiteOne Landscape Supply (5 citations) and Lowe's Home Centers (4 citations) appear in our top-cited list, suggesting the violation is concentrated in the landscape supply and home-improvement segments where headerboards are essential for load containment.

Extremely urgent. The 80.1% out-of-service rate means you almost certainly cannot legally operate until the headerboard is repaired or replaced. Do not attempt to move the truck without a reinspection clearance. Our data shows zero citations for this code in the last 90 days in the TruckCodex database, indicating either improved compliance or a reduction in inspections targeting this violation, but the underlying safety requirement remains absolute.

The violation attaches to the vehicle and the carrier's safety record under FMCSA's Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) system. A driver does not carry CSA points personally; instead, the citation appears on the carrier's SAFER profile, affecting the carrier's SMS (Safety Management System) scores. However, the driver may face internal carrier discipline or training depending on company policy. If you drove the vehicle pre-citation, document your maintenance reports and pre-trip inspections to show due diligence.