When I first started out as a car lashing supplier 12 years ago, I made a mistake that still gives me a headache today. A small regional haulier I’d just partnered with showed up at my workshop to pick up a set of ratchet straps, and I casually mentioned “just tie ‘em tight enough so the cars don’t move.” Two weeks later, they called to say a van full of compact cars had left the motorway during a sudden stop, slamming into the barrier and totaling three units. The driver said he’d used the straps the way I’d suggested—just cranked ’em until he couldn’t turn the ratchet anymore. That incident taught me more about commercial transport regulations than any manual ever could, and it’s stuck with me ever since. Car lashing isn’t just about strapping things down—it’s about adhering to a set of rules that are written to keep every driver, every road user, and every haulier on the right side of both safety and the law. Car Lashing
Let’s start with the basics, because that’s where most people go wrong. In commercial transport, car lashing isn’t a one-size-fits-all job. The regulations vary by region, but there’s a core set of standards that most countries follow closely, and the European Union’s EN 12195 series is probably the most widely recognized globally. For anyone reading this who’s not based in the EU, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the U.S. has almost identical requirements when it comes to load securement, because a loose car is a deadly load on the highway. The first rule most drivers miss is weight rating. Every single strap, chain, or webbing you use has a Working Load Limit (WLL)—that’s the maximum weight it can safely hold on a regular basis, not the breaking strength. A lot of hauliers will grab a cheap strap because it looks strong, but they don’t check the WLL against the weight of the car they’re moving. For example, a standard compact car weighs around 1,200 kg, while a full-size SUV can hit 2,200 kg. If you use a ratchet strap with a WLL of 1,000 kg to secure an SUV, that strap isn’t just not going to hold—it’s a ticking time bomb. I’ve had customers come to me panicking because they bought straps from a discount market that only listed breaking strength, not WLL, and when I explain the difference, they’re shocked at how much they underestimated the load.
Next, there’s the number of lashings required. This is a rule that’s non-negotiable, and it’s where that driver I worked with 12 years ago messed up. Let’s talk about the “four-point rule” first, which applies to almost all light vehicles. That means every car has to be secured by at least two straps on the front axle and two on the rear axle, for a total of four lashings. Wait, I know what you’re thinking—what if it’s a small hatchback? Or a sports car with low ground clearance? The rule still applies. In fact, for sports cars or vehicles with lower bumpers, we supply shorter ratchet straps with padded hooks so you can attach them to the chassis points without damaging the bumper, and we always advise adding an extra lashing for the rear if the car is particularly light. The EU’s EN 12195-2 standard also specifies that you can’t just attach straps to the body panels. Hooks have to go to designated lifting points or chassis mounts, not the plastic bumper or the door sills. I’ve seen drivers try to hook a strap to the edge of a trunk lid, and by the time they hit 60 mph, the trunk pops open, the car shifts, and suddenly you’ve got a 1,500 kg vehicle sliding across the trailer. That’s not just unsafe—it’s a violation that can get you a fine of thousands of dollars, depending on where you’re based.
Tensioning is another area where people cut corners. I see it every day: drivers cranking a ratchet strap as hard as they can, or leaving it loose because they think “it’s tight enough.” The regulations say that car lashing straps need to be tensioned to a specific amount—usually between 2% and 5% of the WLL, or roughly 50 kg of tension per strap. It sounds like a small amount, but if you over-tension, you risk damaging the car’s frame, and if you under-tension, the load shifts. The FMCSA even has a rule that you have to be able to check the tension of your lashings before you leave a stop, which is why we started supplying our customers with simple tension gauges a few years back. It’s a small tool, but it eliminates all the guesswork. I had a customer last month who told me he’d been tightening straps for 20 years by hand, and when he used the gauge, he realized he was over-tightening by 20 kg per strap—enough to bend the chassis of a compact car. That’s the kind of mistake that can lead to hidden damage that shows up when the customer gets their new car, leading to claims and bad reviews.
Then there’s the type of lashing you use. Not all straps are created equal, and regulations are strict about what’s allowed. For example, nylon straps used to be common, but they stretch up to 10% under tension, which makes them terrible for securing vehicles because the stretch will let the car move. Now, almost all commercial hauliers use polyester straps, which only stretch around 3%—enough to absorb minor bumps, but not enough to let a car shift. We also never supply straps with frayed webbing or broken stitching, because that’s a safety violation. The EN 12195-2 standard requires that all lashings be free of any damage that could reduce their WLL, so if a strap has a fray longer than 10 cm, it’s not safe to use. I always tell my customers to inspect their straps before every trip, and if there’s any damage, replace it immediately. A $20 strap is nothing compared to the cost of a crash or a fine.
One area that’s often overlooked is securing the load in multiple directions. A lot of drivers think lashings just need to hold the car from moving forward or backward, but regulations require that they also prevent side-to-side movement and upward movement in case of a sudden stop or swerve. That’s why we advise using criss-cross straps when securing larger vehicles, like vans or SUVs. Criss-crossing the straps creates a more stable hold, and it meets the EU’s requirement for “lateral restraint.” If you don’t secure side-to-side, a 2,000 kg car can slide into the side of the trailer during a sharp turn, damaging both the car and the trailer, and putting other drivers at risk. I once had a customer who transported a fleet of minivans skip the criss-cross step, and on a winding mountain road, a minivan shifted so far to the side that it punched a hole in the trailer wall. The haulier had to pay for the repairs to both the trailer and the minivan, not to mention the delayed delivery—all because he cut one small corner on the lashing setup.
What about different types of transport? For enclosed trailers vs. open trailers, the rules change a bit. Open trailers are more common for long-haul transport, and the regulations require at least one extra lashing per car compared to enclosed trailers, because there’s no side barrier to prevent movement. We also supply edge protectors for open trailers, which are heavy-duty rubber or plastic pieces that go under the straps where they touch the trailer rails. This is a requirement in most regions, because a strap rubbing against a metal rail can fray the webbing quickly, reducing its WLL. Edge protectors are cheap, but they’re non-negotiable for open trailer use. For enclosed trailers, on the other hand, you have to make sure the straps don’t rub against the interior walls of the trailer, so we supply soft webbing protectors for that use case. It’s all about matching the lashing to the environment, and the regulations are specific about that.
Documentation is another part of the rules that a lot of people forget. In many countries, hauliers are required to carry a load securement plan that lists the type of lashings used, their WLL, the number of lashings per vehicle, and the tension used. Some regulators even require a signature from the driver confirming that the load is secured correctly. I always provide our customers with a certificate of compliance when they buy car lashing from us, which includes all the technical details they need for their documentation. Last year, a customer was pulled over in France for a routine check, and the inspector asked for their load securement papers. If they hadn’t had the certificate from our company, they would have faced a €1,200 fine. That’s the kind of thing that can ruin a haulier’s week, and it’s completely avoidable by working with a reputable supplier that understands the regulations.
I know a lot of drivers and hauliers see these rules as red tape, but after 12 years in this business, I can tell you they’re written in blood. That 2011 incident I had with the small haulier? The fine they got for not securing the load was €800, but the real cost was the damage to their reputation. They lost three customers that month because news of the crash spread, and it took them two years to rebuild their business. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to not just sell car lashing, but to educate every customer I work with on the regulations that govern their use. I host free webinars for small hauliers, I send out monthly updates when there are changes to regional rules, and I even do on-site inspections for customers who want to make sure their lashing setup is compliant.
If you’re a haulier, a logistics company, or anyone in commercial transport that uses car lashing, getting this right isn’t just about following the law—it’s about keeping your drivers safe, protecting the vehicles you’re transporting, and avoiding costly fines and delays. I’ve seen too many businesses go under because they cut corners on load securement, and I don’t want that to happen to anyone who works with my company.
At the end of the day, car lashing is a critical part of commercial transport, and the regulations are there to make sure it’s done right. If you’re looking for reliable, compliant car lashing that meets all the regional standards, we can help. We work with hauliers of all sizes, from small regional operators to large national fleets, and we can provide you with the right products, training, and documentation to keep your loads secure and your business on the right side of the law. Reach out to our team to discuss your specific needs today.
Rubber Tie Down Strap References
- European Committee for Standardization. (2005). EN 12195-2: Load securing on road vehicles – Safety – Part 2: Lashing gear for use on road vehicles.
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (2022). Part 393 – Parts and accessories for power-driven vehicles. Code of Federal Regulations.
- International Transport Forum. (2021). Load Securement Best Practices for Commercial Road Transport.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2020). Load Security Requirements for Commercial Motor Vehicles.
Good Success Corp.
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