What's Your Rule of Thumb for Loading and Tying Down a Trailer? What's the Worst-Secured Load You've Seen?

One of the most important parts of towing a trailer happens before the truck ever moves: properly positioning and securing the load.

At Fort Worth Trailer Rentals Pro, we rent trailers for everything from cars and trucks to skid steers, forklifts, equipment, shipping containers, and general cargo. One thing I've learned is that there isn't a single loading rule that works perfectly for every situation.

But there are some good rules of thumb.

Start With the 60/40 Rule

For most loads, we use the 60/40 rule as a starting point: approximately 60% of the load should be positioned in front of the trailer axles and approximately 40% behind them.

We're generally looking for approximately 10–15% tongue weight.

You don't want all the weight on the tongue, but you definitely don't want a trailer that is tail-heavy either. Too much weight behind the axles can contribute to trailer sway and create an unstable towing situation.

But I emphasize the words starting point because not every load follows the 60/40 rule.

You have to consider what you're hauling, where its weight is concentrated, and how the trailer itself is constructed.

A 10,000-Pound Load Isn't Just a 10,000-Pound Load

A forklift is a great example and a real world issue for our 24' Tilt Deck Trailer with 8k axles.

A forklift can put an incredible amount of weight into a very small footprint. That's completely different from carrying the same amount of weight distributed over a much larger portion of the trailer.

When we're loading a forklift, we generally like to position it over the rear axles where the trailer's cross members can better support that concentrated weight.

We also provide 1-inch-thick, 2' × 4' plywood sheets to place under the forklift. The plywood helps spread the concentrated load across a larger section of the trailer deck rather than putting all that weight into a few small contact points.

That's why I don't like the mentality of:

"If it fits, it ships."

Just because something physically fits on a trailer—and even if the total weight is technically within the trailer's capacity—doesn't automatically mean it's loaded correctly.

You have to think about where that weight is sitting.

How We Secure Cars and Trucks

For cars and similar vehicles, we provide our renters with ratchets and straps rated at a 3,333-pound working load limit.

Depending on the vehicle, the straps can be run through the wheels or lasso straps can be placed over the tires.

The important thing is that the renter understands how to use the equipment correctly.

We explain the process to our renters, and we also provide video instructions with our rentals. I would much rather have someone ask us how to secure their vehicle than guess and hope they got it right.

Heavy Equipment Is Different

When we're dealing with heavy equipment, we provide chains and binders rated at a minimum 7,100-pound working load limit.

One of the biggest things we explain is the importance of having four points of contact on heavy equipment.

We show renters how to use the chains and binders correctly and provide instructional videos they can reference.

Again, the equipment itself is only part of the equation.

Having heavy-duty chains doesn't do you much good if you don't know how to properly attach them, tension them, and secure the machine.

The Load Isn't Finished Just Because You Tightened Everything Once

This may be the most important lesson I can give someone about securing a trailer:

Trailers bounce. Loads shift.

A trailer sitting in a parking lot is very different from a trailer traveling down the highway.

Once you start driving, the trailer is bouncing over expansion joints, potholes and uneven pavement. You're turning, accelerating, slowing down, and braking.

The load can settle and shift.

When that happens, a strap or chain that was tight when you left can become loose.

That's why we advise our renters to drive a few miles and then stop and check the load again.

After that, our rule is simple:

Every time you stop, check the load and check the trailer.

You're already stopped. It only takes a few minutes to walk around the trailer, look at your straps or chains, inspect the tires, and make sure nothing has moved.

Those few minutes can prevent a much bigger problem later.

What's the Worst-Secured Load I've Seen?

Fortunately, we've been pretty lucky with our own renters.

We're not aware of any major load-securement incidents involving our customers, and when renters send us pictures of their loaded trailers, the loads have generally looked good.

I'd like to think some of that comes from taking the time to provide renters with the right equipment, instructions, and videos before they leave.

What scares me is what I occasionally see elsewhere on the road.

I've seen trailers carrying cargo—including cars and equipment—with no visible straps or chains securing the load at all.

That's hard for me to understand.

A car or piece of equipment might weigh several thousand pounds, and someone may think, "There's no way that's going anywhere."

But that's looking at the load while everything is sitting still.

The real question is:

What's going to happen during a hard stop, a sharp turn, a pothole, or an emergency maneuver?

That's when proper load securement matters.

You're not just protecting the equipment you're hauling.

You're protecting your trailer, your tow vehicle, and everyone else sharing the road with you.

My Rule of Thumb

After renting trailers and seeing how many different types of loads people haul, my rule isn't simply "use X number of straps" or "put the load exactly here."

It's this:

Position the load correctly for the trailer and the type of cargo you're hauling. Use properly rated securement equipment. Secure heavy equipment from four points. Then assume the load is going to move.

Check it after the first few miles.

Check it every time you stop.

And if something doesn't look right, fix it before you continue.

Loading and securing a trailer isn't something you want to figure out through trial and error.

At Fort Worth Trailer Rentals Pro, we don't expect every renter to be a trailer expert. That's our job. We provide the appropriate straps, ratchets, chains, and binders for our trailers, explain how to use them, and provide instructional videos renters can reference during their rental.

If you're ever uncertain about how to position or secure a load, ask before you leave.

A five-minute conversation in the parking lot is a whole lot better than discovering 50 miles down the highway that your load wasn't as secure as you thought.

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