Knot for tying down a load

Friday, the day before a campout. Tents, water drums and the kitchen box are waiting at the church door, and someone shows up with a coil of rope to tie everything down on the truck. When it comes to a knot for tying down a load on a cargo vehicle, Brazilian traffic law only accepts rope on the tarp. The load itself needs proper tie-down devices, such as straps, chains or steel wire ropes.

Off the road, on the campground and in the club storeroom, knots still earn their keep. This guide first lays out what Contran Resolution 945/2022 and the Brazilian Traffic Code say, then walks through the 15 knots in the catalog that handle the logistics of a Pathfinder Club's gear, explaining when each one works and how to test the tie-down.

🚛Can you tie down a load with rope? What Brazil's Contran Resolution 945/2022 says

On a cargo vehicle, you can't. Resolution No. 945 of Brazil's National Traffic Council (Contran), dated March 28, 2022, sets the minimum safety requirements for securing loads on cargo vehicles, and it also covers special or mixed-use vehicles used for that kind of transport. It was published in Brazil's Federal Official Gazette (Diário Oficial da União) and took effect on April 1, 2022.

The key passage is art. 4, § 3, which reads, in our own translation: "The use of ropes as a load securing device is prohibited, and their use is permitted exclusively for fastening the cover tarp, when required". The rule is not new: Contran Resolution 552, from 2015, already carried the same ban, and Resolution 945 kept it when it revoked the earlier rules.

Instead of rope, the article calls for tie-down devices such as textile webbing straps, chains or steel wire ropes, with a safety factor of at least twice the weight of the load, in good condition and with a tensioning mechanism where applicable. The text does not explain why it took rope off the load. The practical lesson for knot lovers: the trucker's hitch is still useful on the tarp, and only there.

Source: Contran Resolution No. 945/2022 (Federal Official Gazette, April 1, 2022), checked in October 2026.

💸Is there a fine for tying down a load with rope in Brazil?

On a cargo vehicle, yes. Article 11 of Resolution 945/2022 ties each breach to an article of the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB, Law No. 9,503/1997). Using rope as the device that secures the load falls under art. 230, item IX: driving without mandatory equipment or with equipment that is ineffective. It is a serious violation, with a fine of R$ 195.23 (Brazilian reais, art. 258), 5 points on the driver's license (art. 259) and the vehicle held until it is brought into compliance. Driving with a loose tie-down falls under art. 169, a minor violation.

When the club hires a truck to haul tents, stoves and water drums to the Camporee, settle it with the carrier ahead of time: the load secured with ratchet straps, rope only on the tarp. The club team stacks and arranges the gear, and the resolution puts the job of checking the tie-down during the trip in the driver's hands.

Nobody rides in the back with the cargo. Article 230, item II, of the CTB treats carrying passengers in a cargo compartment as a very serious violation, except in cases of force majeure with permission from the authorities. Moving people follows the rules for chartered buses to the Camporee.

🚗How do you tie down a load on a car roof without breaking the law?

Loads carried outside a car fall under a different rule, Contran Resolution 955/2022, which covers loads on the exterior of cars, pickups, mixed passenger and cargo vehicles, and utility vehicles. On the roof, only with a roof rack or a proper carrier, firmly fastened (art. 6), and the weight stays within the limits set by the vehicle and rack manufacturers (art. 2). Counting the rack, the load can be at most 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) high and cannot extend past the length of the body or the width of the roof (art. 6, § 2). It also cannot block the driver's view or hide lights and reflectors (art. 3).

What about rope? Resolution 955 does not repeat the ban in 945, but it requires cables, tarps and nets to be properly anchored and has the rack manufacturer state the fastening conditions (art. 3, item VIII, and art. 6, § 1). Follow the roof rack manual and use the straps or nets it recommends. A knot is a complement, for tying off a loose end, and never the only thing holding the luggage.

In a pickup, Resolution 955 limits the height of the load in the bed to twice the width of the vehicle, measured from the ground (art. 4, § 1), and a poorly secured load can fall under art. 169 of the CTB. If the club vehicle is registered as a cargo vehicle, check with your state's Detran (the state traffic department) which resolution applies and, when in doubt, use straps.

🪢Trucker's hitch for tying down a load: where it still belongs

The Trucker's Hitch (number 2124 in The Ashley Book of Knots) is the knot many people in Brazil search for under popular nicknames such as nó carioca or nó de carreteiro. A loop in the middle of the rope works as a pulley and multiplies your pull: 3 to 1 in theory, a good deal less in practice, because the rope rubs against itself. It is what a truck tarp needs to lie snug against the load, and what holds gear where Resolution 945 does not reach, such as a wheelbarrow on the campground. For tents and clotheslines, see the guide to the knot for tightening a rope at camp.

Three knots complete the set. The Round Turn and Two Half Hitches fastens the standing end to a hook or ring: the round turn takes the weight while you tie the half hitches. Two Half Hitches tie it off after tensioning. The Trucker's Hitch – Quick Release swaps the fixed tie-off for a loop that comes undone with one pull, so you can unload without a knife.

When not to use it: for securing the load on a cargo vehicle (there, rope only counts on the tarp), for supporting people or for work at height. The middle loop decides how solid the hitch is: quick versions made only from twists of the rope itself can fall apart or capsize under load, and the most reliable variation uses a fixed loop, such as a figure-eight loop. Tying the knot in the same spot every time wears out the fibers, as the guide on how to care for a rope explains.

📋What is the best knot for tying down a load in each situation?

Every job calls for a knot: tensioning, anchoring, cinching a bundle, closing a sack or hoisting a load. The table brings together the 15 knots in the catalog for club logistics, with the difficulty listed on each knot's page, where you will find the video and the step-by-step. In your Unit, start with the easy ones and practice with a real load, even if it is just a sack of potatoes.

Difficulty as listed in the Desbravai knots and lashings catalog, checked in October 2026.

🪵Knots for bundling firewood and dragging logs

Firewood and pioneering poles are often the heaviest load a Unit carries on foot. To drag a log, the Timber Hitch grips the wood and comes undone easily even after heavy strain, because it does not jam. On a long piece, add a half hitch farther forward, in the direction of the pull: sailors call the combination a killick hitch, and it keeps the log steady while you drag it.

To carry a bundle, the grip comes from the outside. The Constrictor Knot is among the firmest binding knots and, once pulled tight, can be impossible to untie; the way out is to cut the top turn with a knife, following the rules for tool safety. Its relative, the Strangle Knot, locks a roll of bamboo. The constrictor works better on rounded bundles.

For something light and short-term, like a bag of kindling hanging from a crossbar, the Highwayman's Hitch holds on a bar and lets go with one pull. It holds little until it is properly tightened and dressed, and it can capsize if the bar is much thicker than the rope. The Rolling Hitch, on the other hand, pulls a load along a pole or another rope, in one direction only, and can slip on smooth synthetic rope: test it with gradually harder pulls.

🧺Knot for tying a sack shut, carrying a bucket and hauling a water jug

In the camp pantry, the Miller's Knot closes sacks of rice and beans. The constrictor grips harder, but the miller's knot is easier to tie and untie, which matters when the kitchen opens the same sack three times a day. For boxes and parcels, the Packer's Knot holds the twine snug around the package.

The Barrel Hitch supports the bucket from the sides and underneath and keeps it upright, even when full. The Bottle Sling, the hardest on the list, makes a handle around the neck of the water jug and depends on the lip near the opening: without it, the loop has nothing to rest against.

To hoist a light load, the Basket Hitch runs the rope in a U under the load. The sling standard of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA 1910.184) requires a balanced load in this setup, so it does not slip. The Girth Hitch attaches webbing to a bar in seconds, but it can fail if both legs do not get the same tension: use it for hanging and organizing.

✅How do you test a tie-down before you leave?

Push and pull the load forward, backward and side to side, firmly. If anything moves, it is not ready yet. The test mimics what Resolution 945 asks for in art. 3: a load that stays put through sudden maneuvers, jolts, curves and braking.

Then look at the knots one by one. Every end needs a tail and a tie-off, and no rope can rub against a sharp metal edge. Frayed or dried-out rope does not go back on the load. Both resolutions require the driver to check the tie-down along the way; at camp, check again after the first few minutes, because the load settles.

The list of what goes on the truck is in the guide on what to bring to camp. Pathfinders sort, bag and close the sacks; adults tie down whatever goes on the road and check anything that will be hoisted. To review the basics, start with the essential knots and lashings.