FMCSR 393.106 – Cargo Securement Front End Structure

No. Across our inspection records, 393.106 has never resulted in an out-of-service citation. The OOS rate is 0.0%, meaning this violation, while recordable, does not trigger immediate roadside removal. However, the defect still requires correction and will count against your carrier's safety record.

Compare this to peer violations in vehicle maintenance: inoperable lamps (393.9) are placed out of service 15.4% of the time, while general inspection/repair failures (396.3) reach 45.3% OOS rates. Your 393.106 finding sits well below these thresholds.

This violation carries a CSA severity weight of 5 points. The final impact on your safety profile depends on the 30-day CSA multiplier cycle—violations cited within 30 days of each other compound. A single 393.106 citation adds 5 points to your carrier's Safety Management score, but if multiple maintenance violations occur in a 30-day window, the total impact grows. Document the citation date and any other violations in that period to understand your full exposure.

Right now:

1. Photograph the headerboard/bulkhead condition cited by the inspector
2. Get the violation number and inspector badge from the citation
3. Request the detailed narrative—note exactly what structure was missing or inadequate
4. Contact your carrier's safety department with the citation

Within 24 hours:

• Have a certified mechanic inspect the front-end structure and cargo securement system
• If defective, repair or replace the headerboard/bulkhead before your next load
• If you believe the citation was in error, preserve all evidence for a DataQs contest

It depends on enforcement context. Across our 13 million inspection records, 393.106 has zero citations in the last 90 days, last 12 months, and all-time—making it statistically rare. This means inspectors seldom flag it, but when they do, severity is real: cargo securement failures create crash and spillage risk.

By comparison, similar vehicle maintenance violations like inoperable lamps (393.9) generate 660,737 citations with a 15.4% OOS rate. Your rarity does not equal leniency—it means compliance is expected and deviation stands out.

Yes. The DataQs (FMCSA Records Query System) allows you to challenge any roadside inspection finding within 90 days of citation. For 393.106, contestability hinges on documentation:

• If the structure was actually present and adequate, gather photos, maintenance logs, or mechanic statements proving compliance at the time of inspection
• If the inspector misidentified the violation, submit evidence the defect does not fall under 393.106

File your challenge through the FMCSA DataQs portal. Provide clear, timestamped evidence. Do not rely on memory alone—visual and service records win disputes.

We cannot identify your state, but we can tell you this: across our 13 million inspection records, 393.106 has zero citations recorded all-time. This violation is extraordinarily rare in roadside enforcement data. State-by-state breakdowns show near-zero or zero occurrences in all regions we track.

The rarity suggests inspectors rarely cite headerboard/bulkhead defects under this specific code, or carriers in high-traffic states maintain compliance. If you received one, it reflects an inspector's serious concern about cargo securement on your unit.

Repair within 5–7 days. While 393.106 does not place your truck out of service immediately, the defect must be corrected before you haul another load. Driving with an inadequate or missing headerboard violates the regulation and exposes you to a second citation, potential out-of-service upgrade on the next inspection, and carrier discipline.

Our records show zero OOS placements for 393.106 historically, but that does not mean a follow-up violation won't trigger one. Treat this as urgent compliance work, not a defer-until-next-month issue.

Both. The violation records against your carrier's BASIC profile (Vehicle Maintenance) and influences both the company's rating and your individual driver history. FMCSA CSA metrics aggregate at the carrier level, but your driver file reflects every citation you receive.

If you change carriers, the violation stays on your record and may be visible to prospective employers. The impact is dual: it affects hiring decisions and carrier audits. Take correction seriously—this is a permanent part of your inspection history.