TITLE 31

Motor and Other vehicles

CHAPTER 31-25

Size, Weight, and Load Limits

SECTION 31-25-10



   § 31-25-10  Fastening of load and covering.

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(a) No person shall operate on any highway any vehicle with any load unless the

load and any covering on it is securely fastened so as to prevent the covering

or load from becoming loose, detached, or in any manner a hazard to other users

of the highway.



   (b) No motor truck trailer or semitrailer which is used for

the purpose of hauling logs, pulpwood, lumber, or other materials which by

their very nature may shift or roll so as to be likely to fall from the

vehicle, shall be operated or moved over any highway unless its load is

securely fastened to the vehicle by chains, cables, or other approved devices

as will effectively prevent the shifting of the load or any part of it falling

from the vehicle. The ends of the chains, cables, or other devices and any tire

chains shall be tied securely, whether the vehicle is loaded or unloaded, so

that loose ends shall not endanger pedestrians or other vehicles encountered on

the highway.



   (c) This section shall not be construed to include a truck

transporting lumber, wood, or sawmill wastes, when transported in a box type

body with solid sides, provided that the truck is not loaded higher than its

side-boards.



   (d) A person who violates the provisions of this section

shall be fined:



   (1) Not more than one hundred dollars ($100) for the first

violation; and



   (2) Not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than

five hundred dollars ($500) for any subsequent violations.



   (e) No person shall operate a motor truck or other vehicle

carrying or transporting any rubbish, refuse, or other debris on any highway

without first securely fastening a covering on it to prevent the contents from

falling to the highway. No person shall operate on any highway any vehicle with

any load unless the load and any covering on it is securely fastened so as to

prevent that covering or load from becoming loose, detached, or in any manner a

hazard to other users of the highway.



   (f) No person shall operate an open motor truck or other

similar vehicle while carrying or transporting any child under sixteen (16)

years of age without securely fastening the child to prevent them from becoming

loose or detached in any manner.



History of Section.

(P.L. 1950, ch. 2595, art. 35, § 5; G.L. 1956, § 31-25-10; P.L. 1966,

ch. 270, § 1; P.L. 1973, ch. 119, § 1; P.L. 1974, ch. 31, § 1;

P.L. 1975, ch. 17, § 1; P.L. 1986, ch. 271, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 410,

§ 1.)