Tarping sucks!

I knew the pay structure when I signed up. I knew what the job entailed. I didn't go into it expecting more because I knew what it was up front. If you don't want to tarp that's your choice. If you feel they owe you more and won't give it, leave.

 

Actually what you quoted me on was a response to someone that said the driver should get all the tarp pay. So my analogy about wanting 100% of the reward with zero investment would be more akin to wanting the full rate per mile because you're the one driving than it would be to compare it to driving for free because the company owns the truck.

This is from my personal experience. We got $50 a load, tarped or not, but easily 90% of our loads were tarped. Anyone worth their salt can tarp plywood, particle board, lumber, etc in an hour. And at the most it takes 30 minutes to be untarped. So even though we got the $50 to tarp and "nothing" to untarp it comes out to $37 an hour for the 90 minutes of work. We unloaded and reloaded every day so on a typical pay period we'd have $5-600 on top of our mileage pay for dealing with our tarps.

Back to the analogy you quoted me on. If I owned flats and a guy showed up looking for a drivibg job and was packing his own set of tarps I'd hire him on the spot and you bet I'd give him every penny of the tarp charge on the loads he hauled. Too many people don't care and have zero pride and go through tarps like they're throwing out old t-shirts.

 

I'll put this out there and you guys can chew on it.

I have no intention of paying my drivers extra for tarping.

I will pay percentage or CPM,.. drivers choice. They make their deal coming in the door. What ever they agree on,.. it will include tarping as part of the job description.

That being said,.. I haul mainly equipment, machinery and vehicles. Chains, binders,.. wham bam,.. thank you maam.

I do maybe 2 - 3 tarp loads a month. Sometimes none. Just depends on who's paying and where I am. I dont expect a driver to do any more or less than I do, I am almost 50 yrs old, over weight and out of shape. The time to complain and make an issue of it would be at the table,.. not after your driving my truck.

Like I said,.. if you dont like tarping, then dont come to flatbed.

Did I beat that horse enough?

Hurst

 

I have my own furniture blankets would that count?

 

Bless you!!

I forgot I need to buy a few more before I head out. Mine are getting tattered.

Hurst

 

Yep. Paid for them out of my pocket to protect the boss's tarps. Look what a fool I am.

 

How dare you spend your own money to save an evil company owner money on tarps!

 

And what is involved in untarping a load? Tanking the bungees off, folding the tarp and strapping it back to whereever you store it at, right? Well, they dont pay you to untarp, right? Well, technically, you dont have to untarp. You could leave the tarps on and leave it with the load. So what happens the next time you need tarps?

Next thing you know, tanker drivers are going to want to be paid to take their hoses off and return them back to the little storage points. "Well, the company didnt pay me to disconnect the hoses and put them back on the trailer...I left them at the last drop."
Bedbuggers are going to want money for folding their moving blankets. Doorslammers are going to want to get paid to close their trailer doors. Reefer drivers are going to want to be paid to set their thermostats. NASCAR fans are going to want to be paid for having to make any right turns on the morning commute. Husbands are going to start demanding to be paid for sex. Children are going to want to be paid to go to school.

See how important you flatbedders are? Youre the last line of defense against the anarchists. The whole world will go crazy if you dont keep it together.

 

Here is one for you guys to laugh at. Last summer I was in VA up off i81 at a J. Forward Air driver backs in next to me. I tell him his front turn signal and side marker light on his tractor are out. He says yeah,.. I know,.. company wont do anything about it.

I dont know about you guys,.. but I'm scratching my head. Just how is his company supposed to do anything about it parked next to me? You go inside,.. spend a couple bucks on new bulbs so you dont get written up by DOT. You turn in the receipt to get reimbursed. Done deal. His comment to me was that they dont pay him to replace bulbs. Thats the mechanics job.

If I had ever said that to my boss when I was first coming into trucking, I would have been fired on the spot, just for principle stupidity.

Hurst

 

Then you've probably never tarped one of these. Takes 2 people 6 to 8 hours, Monday I'll be doing it alone again.