The Sudbury Landfill charges a fee of $24.10 for every uncovered or unsecured load coming into the facility, regardless of the type of materials being transported.

An unsecured vehicle load is one that has not been fastened in or attached to the vehicle with tarps, rope, straps, netting, or chains to prevent any part of the load or the covering from becoming loose, detached, or leaving the vehicle while the vehicle is moving. 

Materials falling from unsecured loads can become roadside litter, and may even be hazardous or fatal to other drivers.

If you have questions, please call the landfill at 509-527-4591 during operating hours.

Unsecured Loads Can Be Dangerous

The Washington State Department of Ecology reports anything that flies off a moving vehicle is dangerous, and even deadly. When you carry a load in a truck bed, open trailer, or in the back of a car with an open tailgate, the wind and vibrations from high speeds, quick starts and stops, and other conditions of your moving vehicle can cause material to shake off or blow away. Material that falls from vehicles also makes up about half of the debris littering roads, adding to the public cost of roadside litter pick-up.

Although it is illegal in Washington to travel with an unsecured vehicle load, the Washington State Patrol reports that troopers investigated 154 collisions caused by unsecured vehicle loads in 2019 and contacted 7,386 motorists for failing to secure their vehicles’ load. And, that’s only a small slice of the picture, because local law enforcement addresses the same issue.

The fine for driving with an unsecured load in Washington is $228. If an item falls out and causes bodily harm or property damage, the driver faces gross misdemeanor charges and penalties of up to $5,000 and/or up to a year in jail. In addition, some solid waste transfer facilities and landfills (such as the Sudbury Landfill) charge additional fees for unsecured loads.

Secure Your Load Campaign

Washington resident Robin Abel started the Secure Your Load movement in 2004 after an unsecured load blinded and nearly killed her daughter, who was struck by a piece of particle board that flew out of a trailer ahead of her vehicle on I-405. At that time, there were no federal or state laws making unsecured loads a crime. 

Since her daughter’s incident in 2004, she has changed two Washington State laws, making an unsecured load that significantly injures or causes death or property damage a crime with possible jail time/fine, and making victims eligible to apply for Crime Victim’s Assistance. On a national level, she has had authorization language in two transportation bills. In 2015 she was awarded the nation’s highest road safety award for Public Service at the Lifesaver’s conference in Chicago.