In the context of commercial cargo securement, what is dunnage?
- Spacing blocks, boards or mats
- Material used to distribute the pressure that a tiedown may exert on a section of load
- Material used to separate cargo from itself and its restraints
- All of the above ✓
Answer: D. All of the above
Dunnage covers all of the listed items: spacing blocks, boards or mats, material that spreads tiedown pressure on part of a load, and material that separates cargo from itself and its restraints.
Why this is the answer
The handbook defines dunnage as spacing blocks, boards and mats that keep cargo apart from itself and from its restraints. It also shows corner boards being used with tiedowns to secure a brick load, which fits the idea of material placed where a tiedown meets the load. Because the handbook treats these boards and mats as part of dunnage in those roles, the inclusive choice is the best match, though the passage does not use the exact pressure-distribution wording.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Spacing blocks, boards or mats — Spacing blocks, boards and mats are only part of the handbook's dunnage definition, since dunnage also covers material that separates cargo from restraints.
- B. Material used to distribute the pressure that a tiedown may exert on a section of load — Material that distributes tiedown pressure is a partial description; the handbook's definition also includes spacing blocks and mats that separate cargo.
- C. Material used to separate cargo from itself and its restraints — Separating cargo from itself and its restraints is central, but by itself it leaves out the spacing blocks, boards and mats that the handbook also calls dunnage.
Remember it
Picture dunnage as the boards and mats you put between cargo and tiedowns so they do not press directly on each other.