FMCSR 393.110 – Cargo Securement (Logs): Driver Q&A

Yes — almost certainly. Across 2,839 all-time citations in our inspection records, 2,701 resulted in an out-of-service order, giving 393.110 a 95.1% OOS rate. That is roughly three times the all-FMCSR average of 31.4%. In plain terms, if an inspector finds your log load is not secured to the required standard, you will almost certainly be parked on the spot until the securement is corrected. This is one of the highest OOS rates in the entire Vehicle Maintenance category, so treat any log-securement deficiency as an immediate shutdown risk, not a fix-it ticket.

393.110 carries a severity weight of 7 in the FMCSA CSA scoring system. That base score is then multiplied by a time weight: violations from the last 6 months get a 3× multiplier, 6–12 months get 2×, and beyond 12 months get 1×. So a fresh citation can effectively add up to 21 weighted points to your Unsafe Driving or Vehicle Maintenance BASIC before other adjustments. Because 393.110 falls in BASIC Group 5 (Vehicle Maintenance), it counts against your carrier's Vehicle Maintenance BASIC percentile and appears on your driver record, potentially affecting your PrePass and carrier hiring screenings.

Stop, secure the load properly before moving, then document everything. Here is the order of operations:

1. Fix the securement on-site — you cannot move until the OOS condition is corrected and the inspector releases you.
2. Photograph the corrected load before pulling away.
3. Check co-occurring violations — our records show that in the last 90 days, 393.110 citations appeared alongside 393.9 (inoperable lamps) in 19 inspections and 393.104B (damaged tiedowns) in 17 inspections. Make sure those items are also resolved.
4. Notify your fleet safety manager immediately so the citation is logged and a DataQs review window isn't missed.
5. Retain all paperwork — the inspection report, any repair receipts, and photos.

Yes — it is significantly more severe than most peer codes. Our inspection database ranks 393.110 #455 out of 3,036 FMCSR codes by citation volume, meaning it is frequently enforced. More importantly, its 95.1% OOS rate dwarfs every peer code in the Vehicle Maintenance category: 393.9(a) (inoperable required lamps) sits at 15.4% OOS, 396.3(a)(1) at 45.3%, and 393.78 (windshield condition) at just 0.3%. No other commonly cited Vehicle Maintenance code comes close to 393.110's shutdown rate. Inspectors treat an unsecured log load as an immediate public safety threat, and the data confirms they act accordingly.

Yes, you can submit a DataQs Request for Data Review (RDR), but the bar is specific. Because 393.110 is an equipment/condition finding — the inspector observed the physical state of your log securement — a successful challenge generally requires evidence that the inspector's observation was factually incorrect: for example, photos showing the load was properly secured, a corrected inspection report, or a duplicate entry. DataQs does not allow you to argue the violation was minor; you need to show the citation was recorded in error. Submit through the FMCSA DataQs portal within the review window. If approved, the violation is removed from your CSA record entirely.

Texas is by far the top enforcement state. In the last 180 days our records show Texas issued 146 citations with an 89.0% OOS rate. The next most active states were Illinois with 7 citations (85.7% OOS) and North Carolina with 6 citations — all 6 resulting in an OOS order, a 100.0% rate. New Mexico also hit 100.0% OOS on its 3 citations in that window. If you haul logs through Texas, expect heightened scrutiny; that state alone accounts for the large majority of recent 393.110 enforcement activity in our database.

Extremely urgent — citation volume is rising and OOS consequences are immediate. Our records show a clear upward trend over the last 12 months: citations climbed from 7 in April 2025 to a peak of 36 in December 2025, and the OOS rate has remained near-total throughout, hitting 34 OOS out of 36 citations in December alone. The 90-day total stands at 71 citations, meaning enforcement is active right now. With a 95.1% all-time OOS rate, there is virtually no scenario where a detected securement deficiency lets you keep rolling. Audit your log bunks, binders, wrappers, and tiedown condition before every dispatch.

Both the driver and the carrier are affected. Under FMCSA's CSA system, a 393.110 citation is tied to the carrier's DOT number through the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC, impacting the carrier's percentile ranking and potentially triggering interventions. At the same time, the violation is linked to the driver's record via the inspection report and can be visible to future carriers during pre-employment screening and safety reviews. Our all-time data shows carriers ranging from large fleets like J B HUNT TRANSPORT INC to small owner-operators like JAMES SMITH (USDOT 3210400) have accumulated citations, confirming this violation type reaches every segment of the industry.