Lashing and securing
Lashing and securing machinery for transport
On the road the tiedowns must hold at least half the load’s weight, with four or more on a machine of 10,000 lb or more[1][2]. At sea the lashings go to the rack’s rated points, 11,000 lb (5,000 kg) each on the carrier’s own flat racks, and welding to the rack is not allowed[3].
- rating of each lashing point on the carrier’s own flat racks[3]
- 11,000 lb5,000 kg
- rating of each lashing point inside a standard box[4]
- 2,200 lb1,000 kg
- tiedowns at least, for a machine of 10,000 lb or more on a truck[2]
- 4
- of the load’s weight, the least the tiedowns’ combined working load limit may be[1]
- 50%
How a load is held
Weight goes onto the main beams of a flat rack through timber bedding, not onto the wooden floor alone, with the centre of gravity in the middle of the rack. Wood or rubber between steel and steel adds friction and cuts the number of lashings needed[3].
Chains or web lashings run to the rack’s lashing points. Leased racks can be weaker than the carrier’s own, web lashings need edge protection on sharp corners, and nothing may be welded to the rack[3].
For packing any cargo transport unit, the IMO/ILO/UNECE CTU Code sets out the shared practice for blocking, bracing and lashing[5].
Securing by transport unit
| Method | Use it when | Avoid it when |
|---|---|---|
| Flat rack and open top | Chains or webbing to points rated 11,000 lb (5,000 kg), bedding on the main beams[3]. | Welding to the rack: not allowed. |
| Container | Blocking and bracing against the floor and walls; the points are rated only 2,200 lb (1,000 kg)[4]. | Relying on the floor rings alone for a heavy machine. |
| Truck | Four or more tiedowns, total working load limit at least half the weight[1][2]. | Leaving buckets raised or articulation free. |
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Securing a machine on a flat rack
Rules that apply
- Cargo securement on trucks (49 CFR 393.106 and 393.130)FMCSA
The tiedowns on a load must together have a working load limit of at least half its weight. A machine on wheels or tracks weighing 10,000 lb or more needs at least four tiedowns, fixed as close as practicable to its front and rear or to its designed tie points; buckets and shovels are lowered and secured, and articulated machines are locked so they cannot articulate.[1][2]
Applies to: Machines on wheels or tracks moved by truck, and every other load on a public road
- ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS
Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.[6]
Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage
- SOLAS verified gross mass (VGM)IMO
Since 1 July 2016 the shipper must give a signed verified gross mass for each packed container, found by weighing the packed unit or by adding the weighed cargo, lashing and dunnage to the container tare. The carrier needs it before the stowage plan is drawn up; without it the container is not loaded.[7]
Applies to: Every packed container, flat rack and open top
Questions about lashing
Can a machine be welded to a flat rack?
Not on Hapag-Lloyd’s racks: welding to the rack is not allowed. The machine is held by chains or web lashings to the rated points.
How strong are flat rack lashing points?
11,000 lb (5,000 kg) each on the carrier’s own racks. Leased racks can be weaker, so the rating is checked on the rack itself.
How many tiedowns does a machine need on a truck?
At least four for a machine on wheels or tracks of 10,000 lb or more, with a combined working load limit of at least half its weight.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]eCFR, 49 CFR 393.106 General requirements for securing articles of cargo, checked October 18, 2026
- [2]eCFR, 49 CFR 393.130 Securement of heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery, checked October 18, 2026
- [3]Hapag-Lloyd, A Guide for the Loading and Lashing of Cargo on Hapag-Lloyd Flatracks, checked October 18, 2026
- [4]Hapag-Lloyd, Container Specification (2024 update), checked October 18, 2026
- [5]IMO, IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code), checked October 18, 2026
- [6]USDA APHIS, Export ISPM 15-compliant wood packaging material, checked October 18, 2026
- [7]IMO, SOLAS verified gross mass requirement enters into force (1 July 2016), checked October 18, 2026
Send us the machine and the destination
Give us the model or the measured dimensions and weight. We come back with the method, the sailing and a price, and the figures behind them.