I'm too short to put the tarp on the flatbed

I lost 8 ft of deck one time after unloading in Glendive @ -22. What a mess. I just drug the pair up front and strapped em.

May be the same deal tomorrow mornin.

 

That is pretty handy , but hell I could've had it rolled out and been bungeeing it down by the time they finished just getting them on the trailer

 

Why hurt yourself go to a company that does not tarp...

 

Watch this video (from McElroy Truck Lines -- on YouTube)....& see if you like/can use their suggested technique:



You might even wanna put in an application with them:

About Us | McElroy Truck Lines Inc.

They are a preferred supplier to Lowe's home improvement stores -- so that may open up some parking options for you, at the end of your shifts.

I've driven past their main HQ....over in Cuba, AL.

Very professional.

-- L

 

You refuse the load.

 

When I started flatbed I was only about 135 lbs and 5'5" tall. Getting the tarps onto a flatbed has always been a challenge but it is doable.

Start by rolling it up in a way that's it's at least waist high for you. Then get down onto one knee and get the tarp up onto your other knee. The goal is to get it up onto your shoulder and then use your legs to lift not your arms or back. Once the tarp is on your shoulder and balanced you should be able to stand up. Walk it over to the trailer. When you get close to the rail let the tarp start to fall forward and get one end onto the edge of the trailer. Now you only have to lift about half the weight with your arms. Move sideways and kind of roll the tarp as you go and push it onto the edge.

That's how I still do it to this day.

Trying to dead lift 120lbs over your head is a guaranteed way to destroy your back. There is no reason to ever do that and if a company expects you to then you don't want to work for them. Any sane safety person would put an end to that right away. Its just a huge workers comp claim waiting to happen.

I have never had anybody refuse to help me lift my tarps at a customer when I asked. Might have to wait a few minutes for a forklift to be available but they always help.

They have 3 options. Lift the tarp on top. The load goes untarped. They unload my trailer. That's it.

 

I have a driver who is 5 foot, she sometimes tarps with straps as shown in the video, but a lot of times she asks the forklift driver who is loading her is he would put the tarps on the load or deck for her and gives him a fin, which she expenses back to me. she also uses straps to pull it over some loads, she showed me how she does it but I can't really describe it.

 

I’ve never had a shipper refuse to set them on the load with a forklift. Or back on the deck when I was empty.

The tighter the roll the easier they are to handle.

 

10 years of flatbedding and I never had to get my tarps on top of the load myself. Forklifts always put them up.

The only time I had to lift a tarp was on a grain load. I had to get my top tarp from the deck plate up on top of the grain to roll it out.

 

I remember bag loads of cement on old Fruehauf steel flats with a substantial bulkhead that had space for the tarp so it never left the dedicated trailer(s). The mill had a loading station where they loaded two at a time under cover and one of the three yard Jockeys [Bid for a year at a time] would cover the load with the supplied plastic before dragging the custom tarp [possibly with plant help] before bringing it out to the loaded line. The delivering driver only needed to unsecure and flip the rear/sides up and roll it to the bulkhead and unstrap and secure the belly band from the rear. It meant getting up on top of the bags to do it.