MOSES LAKE — Advance registration is required for people who want to take advantage of a free cargo net giveaway from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at two locations in Grant County.

The giveaway is sponsored by the Washington Department of Ecology and supplies are limited.

The cargo nets will be distributed at the Grant County Landfill, 3803 Neva Lake Road NW in Ephrata, and the CDSI Transfer & Recycling Center, 9524 Road 7 NE. People can register here.

Most drivers – two out of three – tie down the load when they’re hauling, according to the DOE website. But it also happens that drivers think they’ve got the load tied down properly, and it’s not quite as secure as they think. After all, that mattress strapped to the top of the car is going to catch the air, and is that strap really strong enough to hold it at 40 mph or 60 mph?

And then there are the people who are only going a couple blocks, so they just toss the couch or dining room set in the back of the truck. What can happen in a couple of blocks?

Well. Everybody probably has seen the remains of furniture that fell out of the back of a truck alongside the road, or leaves and branches that fell off a trailer.

And an object flying out the back of a truck or trailer might land on the windshield or hood of a car or truck following behind. And that could get ugly.

The Washington State Patrol investigated 154 accidents caused by unsecured loads in 2019, according to the WSP website.

A load is secure when it can’t shift or slide, fall onto the road or become airborne, according to the King County Department of Public Works. And just because the item is heavy doesn’t mean it won’t shift if conditions are right.

Keeping the load where it needs to be requires straps, ropes, or chains, and the more the better, according to the Department of Ecology. Heavy items should be tied directly to the vehicle.

A tarp to cover the load also is recommended, so things are less likely to become airborne. And no, flattening a bunch of cardboard boxes, laying them over the load and tying them down does not qualify as a tarp.

Any net used to secure stuff in the back of a truck, say a bunch of tree branches, needs to be big enough to cover the whole load, according to the DOE.

Lighter items should be in the truck or trailer bed, with heavier items on top. The driver should double-check before leaving to make sure everything is secure. And before driving away, drivers should ask themselves if the load will be secure if the driver has to slam on the brakes or hits a bump.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].