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