Tarping sucks!

Why should a company driver get the whole tarp charge when they don't have the expense of buying the tarps in the first place? I wasn't an O/O when I was flatbedding. I knew what I was getting into going in.

 

I like this post. As a driver, the most valuable thing you have is your name. You signed your name on the BOL. That load is yours. If you signed your name on a contract to drive someone's truck, you agreed to the job, correct? If you dont want to do what you agreed to do, then quit and find something else to do.

Why should you, a company driver take pride in tarping? The majority of guys in this forum are owner operators. The majority of owner operators in this forum at one time or another were company drivers. Oftentime, you will hear a Wannabe come in and ask about starting out trucking as an owner operator. Same thing goes for flatbedding. You want to learn how to become proficient at tarping on someone else' dime because odds are you are going to ruin quite a few tarps before you figure it out. Thats alot of money.

So, one day you decide to pull the trigger and buy a truck, and stock it up with gear. This time, your name is on the title. I know that at times a company drivers complain about feeling like a number instead of a person...but as an owner operator, they know your name. If you agreed to tarp a load, tarp the load! Dont like the rate? Thats your fault for being cheap.

Had to belly tarp a load. Laid out a 30x30 on the deck of my trailer. They put the piece on top of the tarp (13ft wide) pulled the tarp up the sides and bungeed (padded the edges), then laid the tarps across the top and down the front and back and sides. Stitched it all together. Took a few hours, but it looked good and paid $1600 to tarp it. Drove out of the city to the edge of the curfew area and called it a day.

A few years back, we used to have oversized coming out of Laredo going to Houston. Loads were lightweight, usually between 14-15 ft tall and 12 ft wide. Loads paid $4500 to the truck plus a $1000 tarp pay. These drivers would wait for weeks at a time for the loads to cross the border. Would you believe that there were drivers who would not tarp the loads? They'd get to Houston to deliver and the receiver would ask them, "Driver, did you tarp this load?" And the driver would swear he did. "If you tarped this load, why does it have a billion bugs splattered against it?" Of course, they would call the company and file a claim.

I dont normally tarp, but I can tarp just about anything that can be picked up and put on a trailer. If a customer agrees to my rate, I will guarantee a first class tarp job. It's my name on the line.

 

When a friend of mine started flatbedding his first trailer was a conestoga/flatbed. As he says,"I'm a flatbedder and don't even know how to tarp ". But he loves his conestoga.

 

Tarping is part of flatbed. Its part of the job you signed up for. Whether you get paid extra to do it or not is irrelevant IMO.

If you cant handle tarping then dont come to flatbed.

Hurst

 

I would recommend to company drivers you look at the big picture. I worked for a company that had a low tarp-pay for drivers. One guy got really irritated about it, evey time he tarped he felt he was getting ripped off. He gained a reputation as whiner and eventually quit over it. This guy was making $108,000/yr and home every weekend and some week nights. Look at the big picture, it may be that it is easier for the carrier to put some money for tarping in the mileage rate which you get a percentage of, it may be all your fellow drivers are trashing taps left and right and so they need the money to pay for them. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking why the tarp rate is low and if they would consider giving more. But if the answer is no, let it go, so long as in the big picture you are being compensated fairly.

 

To the OP: I enjoy a challenge, and as others have said, a certain pride in workmanship that is less common in this country than it used to be. Plus I don't have to spend my life in a grocery store DC.

 

If you was a company driver and they did give you the full tarp pay I bet you wouldn't turn it down.At least pay the drivers more for tarping because they don't pay anything for untarping.

 

Sorry for duplication

 

Guess that is why You didn't answer the driver question. Hope nobody takes that seriously.