tarping?
 

Does anyone know of a link anywhere about proper way to tarp loads and fold tarps.

Tarping
 

Don't sweat it, companies have their own way they want it done. Wait for the company you go with to train you, you won't bring any misinformation or bad skills. BOL

What is not covered in your training is common sense. Most everywhere I have loaded that needed tarped had another driver there tarping his load in front or behind me, I have never had a driver tell me he didn't have time to give advice on any securement or tarping I was doing, feel fee to ask. When in doubt, ask your loader, they have seen enough tarped to know what to do.

What is also not covered in training though is situations like I had last friday, 19 degree weather, 40 mph winds. FUN FUN FUN!!!

Re: tarping?
 

there really isn't a "proper" way to do it persay other than what your company will require. The goal to tarping is to protect the load from the elements and help prevent spillage of the load (to an extent) onto the highways.

When I tarp, I look at it as a huge package and just "get-er-dun" :wink:

Sealord is right, don't sweat it.....wait for your company as they all have slight variations as to the way they want it done.

I'd like to add.... From what I was told...the way your cargo is tarped is in part a reflection of you . You want it to look real nice.....Make sure you tarp it right the first time, you don't want a loose tarp blowing anywhere or it'll cause a damage to the tarp. I was told by the company equiptment guy that he'd kill anyone of us that he heard of tarping and then using our straps to secure the load ontop of the tarp.

I always thougt I don't want to mess with this thing on the side of the highway at 4am in the rain/wind.

I have even pulled my vee boards out from under the trailer and bungie them together length wise to span a gap in the load. This made it easier to tarp and bungie. I even had rope that I threw over my tarps for the uneven loads. I'd tie oneside to the rub rail and then bungie the other side. Just remember to pad your corners. Like Sealord and DevilDice wrote above. Just wait till you get with the company.
Also...I took my watch off after the 2-3 time doing it.... and your going to get dirty but I found as I get better at it I don't get as dirty.

Re: tarping?
 

Those tarps can sometimes weight 100lbs. or more especially in rainy,ice or snow situations. You will carry two tarps on your trailer. About 95% of the time the forklift operator will pick your tarps up and place them on the trailer after you have rolled them up.

If and when you lift the tarps yourself, be careful because it could really cause back injuries if not properly lifted. If you can invest in a back brace.

Re: tarping?
 

Back braces are devices made to play tricks on your mind. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18.../smilielol.gif

Tarpin
 

Well I've tarp'd a few LD's well driving this Skateboard around lets say IT"S AN ART if u can tarp a LD w/out havin it bubble anywhere but I will say the more bungee's u use the better it get's after a while u find urself trying to out do the last tarp job you did! :? <--IF that makes sences any1 agree??

just remember to start from the back when tarping. back tarp first front tarp second. the tarps i use weight between 150and 180 lbs. i wish for 100lbs. tarps. everybody has there own way of folding tarps. some fold in thirds some fold in half. just take your time when starting the more you tarp the faster you will get. good luck.

Re: Tarpin
 

I'll sure agree - and sweeten the pot a little...

It's a mean pride in some o us goodolboys, 'bout that tarped load and what it says about the driver pullin' it.
I don't care if it's a brand spankin' new rig or a Beater, if it goes flyin' by ya with the tarp(s) a'flappin' and rips all in it - you just can't help thinkin' "there goes one sorry feller," and while the reasons a load isn't tarped properly are many.. the vast majority o those reasons can be remedied.
It's getting to the point where I feel the same way about loads going out of a plant untarped or half tarped where you know the BOL states "Must Tarp Load" or it's a Securement Issue load or the weather's lookin' foul or....
Sure, I've had Hot Loads in good weather at short enough distance that I've flown out of somewhere nekkid but... If it's on the BOL or I know the client requires it for whatever reason, I'm gonna rein it in and tarp the sucker.

Back on Topic - Yes, the more bungies the better - but only if they're really performing a needed 'pull' at the right spots. My CO provides bungies but only the 21" ones. I found out real quick that running 15" and 31" made the job Easier, Faster and by far a more professional job of it even tho' I have to buy those myself. It's an investment I make in myself as a professional. Same with the "Veeboards.com" plastic edge protectors I've built up over time and paychecks... They've paid for themselves many times over.

And Hell Yeah, ICKY, every load is a learning experience and I've sure gotten into the habit o "goin' it one better" each time I tarp one up - especially those Gypsy Cart/ Tinker Wagon Lowes loads where that $500 ladder they "spined" on top and straight down the middle may wind up being 'secured' to the load by the tarps n bungies alone....
While I often get "pre-tarped" drop trailers, (jus' draped), if I have any spare time available - (or if they threw a Ripper Tarp over it) - I'll yank that tarp down, roll it up and strap the load FIRST. Then tarp it. There's few things in life, besides ladders, barbed wire n rebar, that'll tear up a tarp worse than throwin' those straps right over it and crankin' down. :( Sometimes we have to - a "throw n Go". But I hate it. Edge protectors over the tarp and under the strap help only if you have an edge to work with... but I carry Spare Mudflaps bungied down on the catwalk and I've used Those many a time on the more 'rounded' spots.
If it's a pallet o Barbed Wire, you Betcha those spare mudflaps (or even chunks of a damaged mudflap you find everywhere) will be under the strap or the tarp.

It's Work.
Work won't kill ya...

Somebody else said, "think of it as a Package you're delivering", and you're well on your way at least by philosophy.
Me, hell, I'm Santa Clause - it's 10 gears instead o reindeer - and I'm Gift wrappin' this load for all my good little clients out there. OK, whether they're been good or not, LOL ... but never forget this: Attitude Is Everything.
People can't help but SEE you wherever you go.
They can't always see what rags you're wearin' up in that cab, but baby - that trailer load followin' you around back there jus' sticks out like a sore thumb!
What it "says" out there is up to You.
What it says about you is a lot more than you think - no matter whose name's on the door o that cab. ;)


My 2 cents jus' run out - see y'all out there.... :mrgreen:

The fun gets even better when you're UN-TARPING in a 40 mph wind. You leave a few bungees in place on the up-wind side, and while you're up on top of the load, one of the customer's guys decides to get helpful... He removes the bungees from the up-wind side, you find yourself suddenly in the dark, and when you bounce a couple of times and finally find yourself back in daylight, you realize you've just gotten a MAGIC CARPET RIDE over the top of another trailer parked on your down-wind side. Your free ride has taken you from the top of a 7 foot height, over the top of a 13' 6" object, and down the other side. Just exactly how to guide that magic carpet so that you don't bang your knee and sprain your wrist is also not covered in training.

Can't say that I worried much about just how the tarps were folded and rolled up after that.

But, there seems to be as many ways of folding and rolling tarps as there are drivers doing it. You want them small enough to fit where you have to store them. And, in this weather, they don't like to get small.

While we are on the topic of tarping, someone explain to me why it is a bad idea to throw your straps over the tarped load. I do this sometimes intentionally. We pick up pretarped loads with the tarps already on the load, I wouldn't untarp to throw the straps then retarp. Other times, especially when it is a irregular load, the tarp with straps over it secures the load, for example when you don't have V-boards. It also holds down the tarp so you don't have to use as many bungies. On the down side it might take a little longer to throw your straps because you can't see the load for proper placement of the straps.

k
 

B/c if u strap over ur tarps then the LD isnt as secure as it could be. I do strap under all my tarped LD's but then I'll throw a few 2 incher's over the tarps just so it stays pretty :twisted:

Re: k
 

How can a load be less secure with the straps over the tarp? All loads would be just as secure, some even more secure.

terrylamar

How can a load be less secure with the straps over the tarp? All loads would be just as secure, some even more secure.

all loads, how bout a coil?

Assuming it a small coil that is strapped and not chained I still don't see that it matters whether the straps are inside or outside the tarp. If I am missing something, tell me.

I don't think it a load securement issue but you are pinching the tarp so any little thing under the tarp can damage it. I liked putting the straps under in the winter because the straps stayed clean and dry and rolled. up nicer. I used to fold the first end in 4 feet or so to make a flap. That way when you rolled out the tarp on a load you didn't have to drag the whole tarp back to cover the back of the load down to the trailer.

I don't think it makes any difference on load securement as long as you take time to make sure the straps are in the right place, and don't guess at it just because you can't see. Get up on the load and feel if you have to. As far as a coil goes COIL+STRAPS=FATALITY!!

How else are you going to secure small coils on pallets eye to the sky?

Small coils on pallets thats alright. I just get the impression he was talking about big coils.

[quote="chuck3507"]trip chains front and rear, chain over top.

[quote="Jay B"]I don't know what trip chains are. Maybe what we call U chain.

Depending on the weight I would U chain the front and back and X strap the front and back with one strap across each. If the weight warranted it, X straps, with one strap across the center for the ends and X strap each in the center. I tend to over secure. I would not chain because they tend to come lose.

yep........and it also depends on what the coil is. We haul a lot of small aluminum coils that are palletized "eye to the sky" and the you must use straps to prevent or limit damage.

work for tmc they will show you how to tarp pretty good

Hi all...

I was only sayin that this is what my previous company had told me. Then when I was out of training and hearing it from other drivers. You just don't tarp first and then throw straps. Some of the reasons were:

1) You can't see your load and what if any damage your doing to the load.

2) When you tighten the straps on a lumber or pipe load sometimes your tarp will bunch under the strap which will either rip or atleast damage it.

Now for eye in the sky coils.... that was fun. Especially large ones. Throwing 7 straps over the top and then one strap to the front pulling and one strap on the rear pulling... now which strap was on the bottom so I could start tightening the straps in order :? ..... Then nailing the veeboards down to cage the pallet.... For us at Davis we had to have our side kits up.

Hey, that's a good idea, I might check them out!

I saw a perfect example today of why you do NOT tarp then secure over the tarp…I only wish I’d taken a photo of this aberration on the hwy.
A driver for Boyd passed me in OK, I saw him in my mirrors hauling what looked like an oversized load, perhaps one of those big fuel tanks that hang over the trailer by 3 feet on either side, with a loose fitting tarp over it, then as he passed me I saw a typical square load with a tarp over it, no bungies, just 6-8 straps and some rope holding the tail together, the entire tarp was inflated by the wind causing it to balloon out several feet over the trailers rails, the entire thing was flapping wildly, looking like one of those inflatable bouncers kids jump on at the fair. :shock:

How did the straps over the load contribute to this? You still need bungies when appropriate.

hmm tmc u say. that might be a good company. ill call aand ask my disbatcher on wends if it is.

MAD2 92347 perrrty black pete with gold letters oh i almost fergot em lil chrome pieces too.

Well I drive for their competition and even I will tell you it is very uncommon to meet a TMC driver that isn't happy.

hmmmmm.......I am sure 90 or 99% are happy there, but over the past couple of months I must have met the 1 to 10% that are unhappy as they all claimed they were leaving the company and never looking back

You guys probably don't remember but back in the day we used to use canvas tarps and wooden wedges to keep them tight. AHH progress.

I agree, this wasn’t about “straps over tarps” but rather a good example of a lazy driver who chose to secure his tarps with his load securement instead of using bungies. Thus waving a big red (or in this case blue) flag for any DOT officer to see.

I was talking to a Canadian driver at a GP back in June who refereed to the practice of throwing straps over the tarp as the "French way" of tarping.

Tarps
 

Straps over tarps says to me, I don't know how to tarp. "Just thinking out loud".

Re: Tarps
 

I've done it once when I got screwed out of almost all of my bungees on a Laredo drop and hook. I had about 25 bungees to tarp a lumber load.

So there are times that call for it.

on lumber loads i personally dont see why someone cant throw straps over the tarps. i do it so the tarps dont come off the load but i also bungee the tarps like the straps werent there. I have had one tarp shred on me going down the road

There is a time to tarp first and strap over it, as much as I hate the practice in Principle: My two best examples:

1. Load o Sheetrock/ plywood/ OSB/ particleboard, (Read: Moisture Sensitive Product.) And there's a measurably significant risk o Precipe at your unload point.. (In certain areas, like the coast, Fog and Dew can be significant enough..).
Strapping over the tarps allows you to hit your drop point, unstrap and stow your gear, pull and stow bungies making D*mn sure you leave enough on to hold tarps in place..
At unload, you can execute a "peek-a-boo" or "Reveal" live unload in the rain by drawing the tarp up or back for the forklift to 'get a bite', minimizing exposure to ambient weather conditions.
And in cases like this I try like hell to get a Sig on the BOL before the first bundles come off - If they're gonna make the call, they're gonna take the risk. And if nothing else there's abundant evidence that you did everything You could as a driver to accommodate the situaiton.

2. Lowe's/ Home Depot JunkMix loads: same principle. Let'em fork it out from under the tarps..
If you handle yourself well, you'd be surprised how many Receivers will sign off in advance in inclement weather conditions. And that's your only Real release from a damage claim..

As they unload the trailer, rear to front, front to rear, (doesn't matter in Bad Weather), I leave the tarps piled on the trailer until we're done. That way I can fold the tarps 'up on deck' and not have to do it on wet ground/ pavement/ mud AND not have to dik with a Tarp Lift from a Fork Op who's probably not gonna come back for you 15-30min after he/she's ducked off back inside the building. :wink: Tarps'll be wet, yeah.
But as clean as you're gonna be able to keep'em...

I strap the load, put the tarp on and many many times I've strapped down the tarp to prevent it from filling with air. I have 25 straps and winches on my flatbed and I hate having a tarp blowing around on an odd shaped load.