Factors and questions on this page
The load
Identify what moved, fell or came loose.
The vehicle
Record its actual size and configuration.
The work
Identify who loaded, secured, operated or controlled it.
Identify the load, how it moved and who handled it. Unsecured cargo, an oversize load and the physical size of a vehicle are different issues. The report may attribute trailer-related factors to the associated power unit, but that coding rule does not decide the legal responsibility of the driver, carrier, shipper or loader. The commercial-vehicle guide handles that role investigation.
Questions this group helps answer:
- What does load not secured cover?
- Does the cited loose-material statute cover every kind of cargo?
- Can a permitted oversize load still contribute to a crash?
- Why is a trailer’s load factor entered against the power unit?
- What do cargo, measurements and permits help explain?
50. Load not secured
Meaning in the report: An unsecured or improperly secured load shifted or fell and contributed.
What needs explaining: Identify the load movement and its causal effect; trailer-related factor coding belongs to the associated power unit. What was being carried, how was it secured, and what shifted or escaped?
Limits and qualifications: The cited loose-material statute has a defined scope. Other cargo can require additional rules; the code alone does not identify every responsible party.
Related law and scope: Section 725.003 is the offense/penalty clause for transporting loose material in violation of Chapter 725. Read the loose-material definition in §725.001, applicability/exemptions in §725.002, containment/cover/tailgate requirements in §725.021 and residue removal in §725.022.
Sources: TxDOT definition, page 140; Transportation §725.003; Transportation §725.001(1)–(2) (related provision); Transportation §725.002 (related provision); Transportation §725.021 (related provision); Transportation §725.022 (related provision); Transportation §547.004(a)(1) (related provision); Transportation §644.051(a)–(d) (related provision).
Further care: This is not a universal statute for every shifting cargo item. Establish that the load and transport fall within Chapter 725 and identify the actual violated requirement. Natural-state agricultural products are excluded from loose material; qualifying construction/mining movements have applicability exceptions. For other cargo, §547.004(a)(1) may be relevant only if its unsafe-vehicle elements are proved. Commercial-vehicle cargo rules may apply through §644.051, but that section is rulemaking authority, not itself a complete cargo-securement standard.
52. Oversized vehicle or load
Meaning in the report: A vehicle, load or manufactured housing unit contributed because of its size.
What needs explaining: Size must have contributed; trailer-related factor coding belongs to the power unit. What were the actual dimensions, route restrictions, permits and clearance conditions?
Limits and qualifications: Oversize does not automatically mean unlawfully oversized. Permit conditions and applicable limits must be checked.
Related law and scope: Chapter 621 contains vehicle definitions and dimension/weight rules. Relevant size provisions are §§621.201–.207; §621.502 addresses operation/loading beyond applicable limits. Exact vehicle/load type, dimensions, roadway restrictions and permits determine lawful limits.
Sources: TxDOT definition, page 140; Transportation Chapter 621; Transportation §621.001(9) (related provision); Transportation §621.201 (related provision); Transportation §621.202 (related provision); Transportation §621.203 (related provision); Transportation §621.204 (related provision); Transportation §621.205 (related provision); Transportation §621.206 (related provision); Transportation §621.207 (related provision); Transportation §621.502 (related provision); Transportation §623.071 (related provision); Transportation §623.091 (related provision); Transportation §623.092 (related provision); Transportation §623.093 (related provision).
Further care: Size contributing to a crash does not establish an unlawful oversize movement. Chapter 623 authorizes permits. The manual expressly includes manufactured housing, but §621.001(9) excludes manufactured housing from its vehicle definition. Manufactured-housing movement permits are addressed in §§623.091–.093, so Chapter 621 alone does not supply the full rule.
Attorney reviewed by Jacob Alford · November 11, 2026
Disclaimer
Jacob Alford, a Texas personal injury lawyer, and Injured Texan PLLC at InjuredTexan.com provide this guide for general information, not legal advice about your particular claim. You are specifically warned about the dangers of attempting to handle a claim yourself.
In Jacobsen v. Allstate, the Court described Allstate’s own internal research that being represented (having a lawyer) meant a claim typically settled for 2–3 times as much. Allstate’s own research also showed that having a lawyer could multiply a recovery perhaps up to 5 times.
The Court documented the internal workings of Allstate’s training for its adjusters and showed just how rigged talking to Big Insurance can be. Read Allstate’s script and judge for yourself: Inside the Insurance Playbook: Jacobsen v. Allstate.
A recorded statement is designed to be used against you, and a verbal settlement can give up valuable rights. Get advice before a voluntary recorded interview or accepting an offer.
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