CVSA's semi-annual North American Cargo Securement Harmonization Public Forum was held in Montreal, Que. this week. About 75 people attended from various branches of the enforcement and regulatory community, carriers, equipment makers and suppliers.

The North American Cargo Securement Standard is a bilateral effort, even though each country has its own regulatory framework and enforcement regimes. The Cargo Securement rules are intended to be identical in Canada and the U.S. so carriers operating on either or both side of the border have only one set of rules to comply with, and can expect a degree of consistenecy in enforcement. To the extent that is possible, the rules are fairly equally applied in each country, but discrepancies in interpretation or application of the rules are inevitable.

The North American Cargo Securement Harmonization Public Forum provides an opportunity to resolve some of those discrepancies through discussion and study. The Forum convenes twice a year, during the spring in the U.S., and in the fall in Canada. The meetings are open to all stakeholders who are invited present concerns about enforcement or confusion in the regulations through an Issue Request, submitted to CVSA for discussion.

Among the new Issue Requests presented at the Montreal agenda:

- securing metal coils in sided trailers
- rating and marking of chain hooks
- blocking and bracing of heavy articles of cargo with nailed lumber
- tarp straps marked with a working load limit

Several older issues were deemed closed after the spring meeting in Rosemont, Ill., including:
- using welded chain links as anchor points
- definitions of "metal coils" and groups of coils for the purpose of determining the correct procedure of securing the cargo
- twisted cargo straps

Meeting agendas and minutes from previous meetings, including discussion of the Issue Requests, submitted documentation etc., can be found in the Cargo Securement Subcommittee section of the CVSA website.