Running straps over tarps

Yup. Lafarge Gypsu--sorry, Continental Bldg Products down in Silver Grove KY, Buchanan NY and Palatka FL, at least when I used to deal with them, all used to do a pretty decent job of lining tarps up. (All three were once and may still be TMC dedicated operations, which is probably why.) Georgia Pacific in Cumberland City TN is a different story...it depends on what crew you get. Some can line them up pretty well; other times, well...let's just say poles and hooks will be used to adjust those tarps. Another reason those places tarp loads for drivers is for safety--ahem, insurance reasons. They don't want drivers getting hurt on their property i.e. falling off their load and such (nor do they care for the court cases that come with such); in that vein I don't blame them. So yeah, with those wallboard places one will definitely be strapping over the tarps. (This was and I'm still still is the case with SSAB in Montpelier IA and Axis AL...most of those are preloaded and pre-tarped, too, though one would still need to lift the tarps to check the x-chains underneath.)

Yup. See above. I think Cypress has the Palatka operation now, but I haven't been down there (or pulled any drywall) in over five years.

As for other oddball cases, well...I used to do local/regional multi-stop building material delivery. Not all of us had conestoga, so some of us had to whip out the canvas during inclement weather. Through trial and error I learned it was far more advantageous to tarp then strap--especially when you're peeling back and dropping portions of tarp eight or nine times a day if not more...



Sometimes you just have to make it work. Yes it used to mess with me because I like my tarp jobs to look good--but back then, I was also racing a clock, and when you have 10-11 stops to hit in a 400- or 500-something-mile day, well...yeah.

Of course, now being back OTR I don't have to concern myself with that. And the 20% of the time I do have to tarp, let's just say the inner TMC in me comes out, lol...

 

Straps over tarp helps secure the load and the tarp without 100 bungees.

 

what on earth are the yellow lug nut tabs for?

 

Ive always wondered that mysef !

 

Yep--that's exactly what they're for. Big time help when you're based in South Dakota with all that snow and carrying on...lol!

 

They should be all facing the same direction. The ones that have a yellow tab on each nut. If one is out of place then it indicates a loose lugnut.

There is also a different indicator that is just a yellow strap attached to one lugnut that sticks outside the wheel/rim where you can see it in the truck mirror. It's just there to make it easy to check that the tire is still moving. To make it easy to notice if a wheel has frozen brakes or if the brakes are locking up in slick conditions.

 

You'll see some of the lower budget ltl companies doing the same thing with a can of spray paint, a big white line on the tire so you can see that it's moving.

 

I had a load of building materials out of harvey, il last week. All pallets. Broker added $100 onto the i
Load because of tarping fee. I got there and you drop your trailer put your tarps straps edge protectors and bungees on your flat. They take and bring it back all done. Straps over the tarp too. Yes I took it ALL apart and re did it. Hooks facing in. They put the front tarp down THEN the rear tarp. It was ridiculous