Tarping sucks!

I guess I'm one of the minority that took pride in wrapping up a load nice and tight. We hauled mostly wood products but I still enjoyed it. I've always thought it came with the territory when you wanted to pull a flat. The guy I worked for paid us $50 a load whether it was tarped or not (90% of ours were tarped) and doing what we did we were Tarping every day. Wake up, untarp and unload, go reload and tarp, then drive 5-600 miles a day. We had guys that came over wanting to be home on the weekends but they didn't want to put the work in Monday thru Friday. The only time we got more money was we'd get $75 if we had to set up our sides and load wheat for Lewiston ID.

 

As MOST of my freight is tarped, I've got the timing part down

chain or strap and tarp,(45 to 48 ft of deck) in modest weather conditions, Its 1 hour and 20 minutes..(give or take a few)

I haul a TON of steel tubing..Sometimes I'll get the "Shopping cart" load ,As I like to call them where just about every bundle is a different size or length,Those take a tad longer to do protecting sharp 'burrs' before you tarp.

Point is, Tarping is part of the job, The faster you become understanding, the better..
You can always go out and buy 1 of those awkward,clumsy looking stogas,If your that fearful of tarping..

 

No, tarping sucks!

Tarping or untarping in the pouring rain getting soaked to the bone then have to get out and drive an hour before you can even change into dry clothes.

Tarping or untarping down south when it's 100 outside and you can't even drink enough water to replace what your sweating out and cramping up at night because your dehydrated. And once again, having to leave right away and drive an hour before you can change clothes. You've sweated so bad you almost have to cut your clothes off with a pair of scissors.

Trying to tarp or untarp when the wind is blowing 30+mph

Tarping or untarping when it's 10 below zero and the wind is blowing. Your fingers are frozen and your trying to walk around 13' up in the air on an ice skating rink. Snow and vinyl don't mix unless your wearing football cleats. Rollin the tarps out on top of the load you flip one side over the edge expecting it to drape down but it just sits there like an aircraft wing because it's no longer vinyl, it's basically sheet metal now.

Tarping or untarping when it's freezing rain and snow. Once again, get the scissors out to cut your clothes off after.

Tarping a 4' high load of bagged sand when it's 50 outside, sunny and no wind? That's called heaven and your probably dead.

TARPING SUCKS

 

Plenty of thgose times skateboard, In those weather conditions,It makes you question yourself,Dont it?

You know the best part is skateboard? When your finally done,Showered,in fresh clothes,And your driving down the interstate,It gives you a certain feeling of satisafaction and character especially when you see hundreds of dry vans all around you.

I wouldn't change a thing........keeps you healthy, Keeps your sugars in order, and stabilizes BP.

I personally enjoy the workout, But those Hot and Cold days definitely make it tough

 

Yup, your right. My worst one was in Washington state. It was a load of cedar fence railing that was rough cut and warped to look like old horse farm fence. It was 13' tall. I had to wait all day because it wasn't ready. When I finally got loaded the sun was going down. The whole place left and it was just me and a security light maybe 100' away and ##### dark.

It was snowing and freezing rain. I was on a ladder climbing on top. Couldn't walk because of the uneven surface. I feel the sharp edges of the cedar cutting my knees. I was soaking wet. My fingers were frozen and everything was incredibly slick. Honest to God I felt like crying. There was a small hill out of the place and knew if I didn't leave I wouldn't be able to get up it after more snow fell so I left.

I only went maybe 10 miles and there was a weigh station. Not really. One of those small ones where they setup portable scales. Sign said no parking. I parked. Wasn't 10 minutes and a cop pulled in. He took one look at me and asked it I was OK. I said NO!!!!!!!! He said your OK to stay here.

I was completely soaking wet. My T-shirt tore when I was trying to get it off. I dumped all my clothes into a hefty trash bag and threw it under the bunk. I had stocked up with food. I still remember. It was a big piece of Salmon, rice pilaf and pasta salad. I have an APU and an Espar so it was nice and warm inside. I heated up my meal and got into bed. My whole body was buzzing saying thank you thank you thank you.

That was my worst day

 

on the west coast. drivers don't make $.44. we average $.35

around here, the only companies that pay to tarp. are the megas. which AREN'T located around here. and the pay is about $20.

as for the company making $150 on tarped loads. NOT HARDLY. tarped loads don't pay enough to be hauled. no way the broker is throwing in a couple of benjamins just because the BROKER wants it tarped. that's right. THE BROKER. unless it's a steel load. most of the loads don't care if they get tarped. and on the receiving end. most ask why the load got tarped. specially them steel loads that never even see protection from the weather.

i can understand a high value load. but that's only 1% of all loads hauled. the other 99%. aren't worth hauling to begin with. let alone tarp. specially them loads where your tarps won't stand a chance in heck of surviving.

i've heard of one guy with a few trucks. and NO tarps. NON tarped freight pays better. i'd go work for him. if he ran 47 other states instead of california only.

 

I smell a troll, but I'll take a chance......

I work on a revenue split. The carrier does take $50 off the rate and adds it back in after the split as tarping pay, but that only makes it marginally better from a "how much are we getting paid" point of view.

The reality is that I look at the rate to do the job. Tarping is the LEAST FACTOR in making a decision as to wether or not a load makes financial sense.

These are some of the important questions:

- does it make financial sense?

-Geographical location of load termination. (Does it go to 50 miles north of the middle of nowhere?) lots of deadhead to reload

- is it travel restricted? (Daylight hours only?) is productivity going to be hampered?

- is this the best we can do? ( is it Friday afternoon and have we struck out elsewhere? I'd rather run a little cheaper than sit a weekend with nothing on the radar for Monday.


Tarping? Who cares.

 

Ive had a few miserable tarp days like Skateboard described, from freezing -0° temps to nearly 100° in Louisiana, pouring rain, mosquitos attacking, being the last one out of the parking lot when everyone has gone home etc.. Ive tarped disappointing loads of junk that I wouldnt have paid $5.00 for. Sometimes its miserable, demoralizing and questionable indeed, but in my experience those days are far and few between.
A customer is expecting to get their product in good condition, I will do everything in my power to protect it from the elements, scratches, theft etc. Would you- yourself pay money for the items on your trailer thats been affected because someone was too lazy to tarp it?
So I dont necessarily think of tarping only if it pays $X amount, I think of it as if the load was personally mine.

 

I'm going to have to agree with the op on this one.You flatbedders deserve every bit of the tarp pay.If you break it down say 50.00 to tarp that's 25.00 to tarp and 25.00 to untarp.Any tarping company that did that for a living would charge a lot more.Not any different then lumpers,if you unloaded your own trailer you wouldn't receive what lumpers get paid.I know a lot of drivers take pride in their work,i've seen loads that were beautifully tarped and I just shake my head thinken he deserves more then what hes getting for tarping.I really do commend you flatbedders for all the hard and dedicated work you do and you all deserve more then what companies pay you.They make a profit,drivers should too.

 

I just love how the usual whiners from the site show up anytime a thread like this is started. Funny thing is its the same people complaining how companies are bad, pay is low, I might actually have to get off my butt and do some work, blah blah blah.

Do you think there could be a reason some seem to have such trouble in the industry?? Hmmmm