Shall I put a rolling tarp system on my stepdeck?
 

I talked to a local dealer for Conestoga "LOOK" kit (Aero-Kit Tarping Systems) and the width inside is the same, the height is not compromised either (since my trailer is very low, they can make it the inside height 10 feet). The only 2 drawbacks I can see so far are: a) 2,500 lbs of extra weight; and b) with the rolling tarp, the load would have to stay INSIDE the trailer edges (no overhang). I talked to the Load Planner and he said "he'd prefer if I didn't put it on because you won't be able to haul as many loads as you do now."

I see his point as since I got this 48" step, I"ve been hauling: lumber, dry wall, coils, oversize concrete parts, utility trailers (3 ft overhang in the rear of my trailer), transformers, metal racks, cat loaders, plant machinery, and aluminum logs - to name just a few categories. However, as many here have stated before: heavy loads usually pay less than light loads; and oversize often doesn't pay that good either. The best load I've hauled so far was a 18,000 lbs transformer which needed to be tarped. This one load paid me in 3 days what I usually make in 2 weeks hauling cheap lumber and dry wall.

I'd like to focus on the best-paying loads (especially machinery and equipment) and I'd rather wait for a good load than spin the wheels while burning fuel to haul cheap freight.

What do you guys think: is it worth it to add the rolling tarp to the stepdeck for best profits or might it affect my cash flow in a negative way? According to the dealer, the system is $0 down, with $400/mo capital lease for 4 or 5 years (the tarp on the system lasts 5 years and has to be replaced at the appr. cost of $3,500 after that).

It's obviously a personal preference and I for one would not put one on. It's heavy and restrictive in the aspect of hauling OD loads (when they pay) would be out.

Based on what you're hauling and if you don't like tarping and still want to leave your options open for hauling OD loads, then I'd suggest a side kit. They are lighter than the Conestoga's and can be set up or torn down in no time. The "light weight" kits for a flat run around $2300. I imagine one for a step may be slightly higher.

A sidekit for a step? I haven't thought about it ... how tall can the inside height be with them? any idea? thanks for the tip.

I saw a guy one time with what he said was a custom made side kit. He had a step and was at 13'6" with it assembled. I would think panels that tall would be hard to handle especially in the wind.

Plus ... where would you store such a massive side kit when you have to load both decks? What I think might work better is a setup where the step looks like a van except that the roof can be opened for crane loading and sides can be rolled up for loading by forklift from the sides. I saw once something like this on a flat. The side posts were so strong that the driver said he hauled most loads without any tie downs, just like on a dry van.

I have known a couple of owners who have had side kits and conestoga's on their step decks. You will limit your options with a conestoga. A side kit could work. I believe the sides on the lower deck are about 5' tall on a step deck side kit. That would make the upper deck sides about 3'. I am sure you could have one custom made if you wanted. You could stow it on the upper deck but would lose a couple of feet of deck when it is stowed. You could also lay it down on the upper deck for storage. I believe a light weight kit adds about 500 pounds to your trailer. I would not want to put a conestoga on my step deck for a couple of reasons. The height would be restricted as would being able to haul over sized loads. Another is the additional weight. Step decks are generally heavier anyway and adding that much extra weight could cost you some loads. One other factor is the cost. I believe a conestoga costs about $17,000. You could get a good side kit for about $3,600. A plywood kit should run around $1,500-1,800 but will weigh a few hundred pounds more than the light weight kit. I believe my side kit weighs about 800 pounds. Whatever you do it will be a trade off. You will gain one thing and lose something else.

you couldn't pay me to put one of those things on my trailer.

Last week I moved:
-2 loads 12'- 4" wide and they paid $3,750 each + permits and pilots on 600 miles.
-1 load 10' - 4" high that paid $1332 on 369 miles.
-1 load 10' wide that paid $1600 + permits on 500 miles
-1 load 10' - 4" wide that paid $1750 + permits on 603 miles.

All were no tarp. All of these loads were going into crappy areas, so that contributed to the rate....but still.

If tarping bothers you that much, increase your tarp fee and move more valuable freight. I disagree when you say OD doesn't pay well. I do realize as an o/o, you don;t have that much flexibility.

Maybe if your dispatcher doesn;t want you te get the roll system, he can pay you more to tarp.

We have a side kit that came with a Reitnouer step. We've never used it. Don't even know how tall it is.

Side kit / Roll tarp
 

I run a 48x102 flatbed, my 4' sidekit, 30" bows, lightweight panels (plastic honeycomb), aluminum carrier
weighed 1080 lbs. Setup/teardown, 1hr. 5mins.

Personally, a sidekit is great if you can leave it up but, I was constantly up/down with it and went months with it in the carrier so I finally sold it.

I also looked into a roll tarp system but as previously stated, no O.D. loads, added weight of 1700 lbs. and $16 k , yikes! Another problem is, if your freight is 101" wide it's got to be on the trailer perfectly for the roll tarp to operate. I will admit when I loaded with guys that have them they're quite impressive in the speed of covering a load.

Tracer,in a "haul everything" type operation I think the roll tarp would be a detriment more than a plus.

It depends on what you are hauling. I had two conestogas flats, my buddy right now is pulling a step with a conestoga up here in MI, OH, IN and doing quite well with it hauling automotive, which I used to do. And when I say automotive, I am speaking of robotics, controls, assembly lines, along with various machinery, dies and molds that can only be transported on a conestoga as per the the shipper/consignee. He is averaging $3.11 for all miles as of last month with his step conestoga. There is still a need for them, but like my buddy said, they have no idea how long it will last, this good paying freight. As they have been starving up until a month or two ago.

Even with my flat conestoga, it was nothing to get $3 to $10+ a mile moving these plants around along with the many emergency calls to go get this tool or die that needed to get swapped out and fixed. And they always requested a conestoga, especially in the winter.

Is it the right move for you? I don't know. Allot of the work we did was pretty much pick up, deliver and dead head back to MI asap, unless we had a load waiting, as most of our freight paid round trip. It was nothing to get say $8000 to run down to TX out of Detroit with a 10,000 lb load. And the steps actually fetched a bit more as there are not that many of them out here.

Are you guys hooked up with any of the big 3? Or any of the shops that build/repair tools, dies, molds, assembly lines or fabrication? As that is where the money is to be had with these wagons. Not to mention the time savings and virtual integrity of these set-ups to the weather in regards to protecting a valuable piece of freight.

If you have the freight, or don't mind expediting, I would give it a serious look, as they can be some nice money makers. Our motto was, the least amount of miles for the most amount of dollars, and the conestogas did just that.

And seeing that you are over in Guelph, give Verduyn Tarps in Hamilton a call. They did all of our wagons, very simple set up and very easy to maintain. Verduyn Tarps Inc. - Home Page

And the service was just incredible, along with the craftsmanship, very heavy duty especially on the rail system/trac. You could beat it with a fork lift all day long and still close the wagon. That is something that many companies cannot say. They also have full size walk in doors in the nose and they would fab up anything you needed in the nose of the trailer to hang straps, chains, ladders, you name it they would do it. Just an incredible company to do business with. Give them a call, Lloyd is the owner, he is either there in Hamilton or in their Detroit store right off I-96 Just East of Livonia MI.

"Tracer,in a "haul everything" type operation I think the roll tarp would be a detriment more than a plus."

This has been a very interesting discussion. Thanks to everyone for great input. I've talked to the load planner and my flatbed dispatcher, Cindy, and showed them the booklet on the Aero-Kit "Look" system and its limitations. They said they can work with me if I choose to get it, but:

- they usually quote to customers 47,000- 48,000 lb capacity on the trailer. the way my step is now, i can take 48,500 lbs with full fuel tanks and still be legal. the rolling tarp would take away 2,500 to 2,700 lbs from that.
- one of the our stepdeck guys converted his step to a "covered wagon" and they said he felt some limitations right away.

Basically, they said it's my decision but in their opinion - especially with eventual winter freight slowdown coming - it'd be unwise to put the rolling tarp on right now, as I need to be as versatile as possible.

Also, I see from Rank's posting there is some OD freight that pays good after all. It's just that our planners don't have it.

I did move some huge what looked like industrial molds/presses once (that make stuff out of plastic) but that was more of an exception because one U.S. plant sold these and someone from Canada bought them.

So, basically once again I've decided to keep my step open, at least for now - when I'm involved in the "haul everything" operation. If I get my authority later on and find shippers that pay big $$$ for a rolling tarp stepdeck, I might still get it.

I can't increase my tarping fee as I get 82% of whatever the customer pays to MacKinnon (including any extras for tarping). What I can do however is say "no" to a load of machinery or some similar stuff with multiple sharp edges that "MUST be tarped". Or I'll just get loaded and leave without tarping. This load of metal racks I just brought for the Volvo warehouse in Toronto made four 3" holes in my tarps and the forklift guy said all truckers delivering the stuff complained about their damaged tarp. No matter how many blankets you put on these racks one of them will eventually stick out and pierce a hole in the tarp. The guy said they actually didn't "need" to be tarped and it mostly depended on the freight broker you get this load from. So, the next time I"m getting these stupid racks, I"m not tarping period.

I almost always call the customer to see if they want it tarped. It has saved me from tarping a lot of loads. It's frustrating to tear your tarps up for nothing.

You're talking about side kits right? Not a sliding system?

By "customer" you mean the consignee, where the load is going, right?

Yes the consignee.

Slider.

Really. I would be afraid as soon as I spent the money on one of those, there would be a bunch of loads come up that I couldn't do. Those are some great rates though. Would a side kit work just as well, or are there some shippers that only want the rolltite?

the added weight would nix the deal for me. I would have to turn down most of my runs, adding that kind of weight. I can haul 50,000lbs legal now, with a all steel trailer. most my loads are 48-49,500 lbs. if i had to I would go with a light weight side kit, cause if it dont work for ya, you can store it on board or leave it off. with a slider.. it is there to stay.

A side kit will work in some cases, like dies, molds and tools. But the interior height is an issue with a standard side kit. Allot of this stuff we put on these conestogas are items that if they could get them in a dry van they would. But dropping an 8 foot tall control panel through the roof of a dry van is not cost effective so they request a conestoga or a slider Roll Tite unit.

And you are right in regards to losing some loads, I can count many that I had to pass on because of width and weight. I topped out at 46,000 lbs and max 102" to 103" width, depending on if I had to use chains or straps. But, I will say that most of the stuff I had to pass on really was not paying that good, allot of those 50,000 lb loads of steel trying to get back to Detroit. Backhaul rates were better if you know what I mean.

I would spend some time talking to shippers and brokers before spending that much money on a conestoga. No matter what type of trailer you have there will always be a few loads that simply won't work for various reasons. Unless I had a committed account for a specialized piece of equipment I would not want to spend the money.

the beauty of financing is that I wouldn't spend anything out of my pocket. It'd be $0 down with pretty low monthly payments. If I could get at least one extra load a month based on the time I"d save with the rolling tarp, it'd be worth it. However, because MacKinnon moves everything that pays, they persuaded me not to do it while I'm still with them.

That said, I really hate to roll in someone else's tracks if you know what I mean. Why tarp when we live in the 21st century? Heavy loads rarely pay better than light ones. My truck is going to be paid off in December 2010 and I should gain $1,600 a month in cash flow (minus increased maintenance on the truck with - then - 500k miles). I'll definitely put the rolling tarp on the stepdeck before then, especially if I get the authority.

I'd take the truck and trailer around the town and stop by every single machinery manufacturing/repairing shop and pass my business cards and let them look at the trailer. I might also bring a large thermos of Tim Horton's coffee and maybe even email a news release to a couple of local newspapers.. something along the lines of "FREE COFFEE COMING TO A MACHINE SHOP NEAR YOU" :)

Who knows ... it might work and I might find some local shippers, people who like keeping their freight 100% dry, 100% clean and 100% discreet.

what companies might be interested to use a rolling tarp step?
 

who else do you think might pay a bit extra to use a "covered wagon" (a roll-tight or conestoga system stepdeck)?

I've checked yellow pages for categories with the word "machine", "power", and "transformer" in them, and came up with this:

"machine"

- machine shops
- machinery (new)
- machinery (used)
- machine tools
- engines: rebuilding & exchanging
- welding
- steel fabricators
- machine tools: repairing & rebuilding
- screw machines & equipment (I wonder what these do?)
- hydraulic equipment & supplies
- lift trucks
- automobile machine shop service
- packaging machinery, equipment & supplies
- plastics: machinery & equipment

"power"

- tools
- electric contractors
- power transmission equipment
- generators
- tools: repairing & parts
- rental services: general

"transformer"

- transformers
- electric motors
- electronic equipment supplies
- electric contractors
- signs

can anyone recommend any more potential shippers for a rolling tarp step?

Pretty much all of the above. My main party was the Big3. But, I moved items for wind plants, FedEx, trade shows etc. The money was great to say the least. My last big winner was a ThyssenKrup load out of Janesville WI to Sharonville OH, it paid me $5000.00, a robotic welder with its control panel. Weighed in at rougly 8,000 lbs, but had to be there over night. No big deal @ $12.31 a mile.

I did the ConAg show two years ago? I picked up over $15,000 for ten days work, took 20,000 lbs out and brought back around 10,000 lbs. That gig started in St. Louis, went to Vegas and finised me off in Wisconson with a quick stop in Iowa. Spent/lost about a grand in the casinos and came home to MI. It was a nice trip, and no one stole my truck. So all was good.

And on edit: Most of the money loads were expedite. I was hooked up with a few brokers, yes brokers, they ain't all bad. But I had the equipment. And you being in Canada, I would think that you could do pretty good with the specialty expedite automotive with your step if you get it covered. Those steps with a slider are worth their weight in gold, especially if you have no issues coming into the states. But, the guys I know doing it are kind of shaky on how long it will last.

Just yelled at my buddy with the step conestoga/slider, $1600 for 73 miles with a load of racks... It was supposed to be a robot, but he ain't bitchin.

what are those step deck side kits and slide kits called on DAT load board? I can't find a category for it.

A side kit is called FS on DAT. I didn't see a listing for a step with sides. I suppose it could be called SS. A Conestoga is called VS.

Put some mattresses in there and have a rolling ***** house.:)

GD in L-o-n-d-o-n used to use them to move L-A-V hulls to/from L-i-m-a, OH.
EMD in L-o-n-d-o-n for locomotive parts to/from LaGrange, IL.

I feel like I chose a great post topic :) This is some great stuff people are posting here. Justruckin, these rates are amazing. This is what we should be paid :) I have no problem going into US. This is where I spend now 95% of the time. However, my step is not a slider. It has fixed axles, spaced 61" apart. I spec'ed it this way so that I can go to Western Canada, but haven't been there yet once with this trailer. Dispatch says return loads are extremely cheap and I might wait a week for one. Will definitely look into the Conestoga and specialized runs in the future, once I get my own authority.

Heck, we've got a step deck curtain side here. paid $5,000 for the ol' girl. Maybe I should start looking on DAT for whatever that trailer acronym is.

An update about rolling tarps: I"m getting one after all. We do too many tarped loads and I only did one OD load that paid a pittance. So, I'm putting a Conestoga LOOK on and the inside usable height will be 10'2" on the lower deck. I"m going to be saving a lot of time with tarped loads once the system is installed.

rank, i sent you a private message. could you please check your mailbox? thanks. -tracer