DOT regs on tarping?

It's easy, there are no regs on when, or what, you should tarp. The only regs would be that when you do tarp, the tarps are properly secured. Tarping is done at the customer's direction.

Having said that, certain loads need to be covered, like wood chips, garbage, gravel, dirt, etc., but this is not the same as tarping a load of lumber, steel, etc. Also, other types of loads, like scrapped cars, have to be enclosed as you see them in a mesh "tarp", which is one acceptable method.

 

Here in south west Ohio ( Hamilton, Butler, Clermont and Warren counties) they say if they can't see it they can't write it. Every time I go into Clermont county I tarp no matter how many ton is aboard. The DOT is thick as a brick in Clermont. This is speaking for dump trucks though and not really your area but thought I would share.

And that is also only when driving on a interstate.

 

Not yet anyway. They'll have a manual like the Army regs.

 

Tarping is customer and freight dependent. If a shipper wants it tarped before you are allowed to leave, then you tarp. If the receiver will reject the load if it wasn't tarped, then you tarp it. If the freight will be damaged if exposed to the elements, then you tarp.

DOT doesn't care what condition the freight is in when it arrives at the receiver...as long as it doesn't have to be picked up off the road somewhere along the way. The regulations dictate securement of the load...keep it on the trailer...NOT load protection.

 

I can think of a flatbed load that might be ticketed for "unsecured load" if not tarped ... scrap paper or cardboard. Some of these can shed quite a bit in the first part of the trip. Otherwise, like was mentioned this is mainly a call made by the shipper or buyer as they will pay a tarp charge in addition to the haul rate charge if they want/need the load to be tarped.

 

If stuff is flying out (i.e. a cloud of dust bellowing off of a pneumatic tank or a dump truck sandblasting the car behind it) you will get an "unsecured load" ticket same as you would if you only had a pair of 5/16" chains holding a 30 ton machine to your deck. DOT doesn't want your load on their roads.