One more Tarp thread... what and how many do you really carry daily?

1 set of 8 foot drop tarps and 1 48 foot sod tarp...1 coil tarp.

 

Hey just curious, what is a smoke tarp? I've pulled flatbed b4 but never heard that term b 4.

 

Its a small tarp u put on the front of the load. I think the name came from when trucks used to billow out black smoke , id assume the tarp would keep the freight from getting soot all over it ... but dont quote me on that.... With a load of insulation u put it on because once u put that load into the wind those foam panels are liable to fly apart in the wind and next thing u know u got a freight claim on ur hands...

 

You put it in front of the load to keep it away from road grime and smoke coming out of the stacks.

 

Oh i see. I just always used whatever tarps i had to cover the front an the rest of the loads. We're still looking to start pullin flatbed again but I'm waiting on an accident to get cleared up. Had a preventable in August. Hadn't had a preventable since 96 but most places look down on any recent ones in past 3 yrs. It's like all that time safe driving don't matter now. Odd thing is they were supposed to mail me a ticket but it's been 2 months now and nothings came. Even ran my mvr today when i renewed my license an the accident isn't on there.

 

Normally I have two lumber tarps, two steel tarps, 2-3 pad tarps for sharp edges, 1 of the pad tarps covers as a smoke tarp when hauling plastic pipe or insulation etc.

During summer I let the tarps ride on the deck or in the side box. Winter months I may store the steel tarps in the belly of the trailer.

A good tarp to have would be the lightweight net style tarps that are just used to protect the packaging of the product from wind and not necessarily weather.

 

It might not be on your mvr, but I'll bet its on your PSP.

 

Good point on the mesh tarps. I've been looking at them a lot lately, My most common load from home is wood pellets, and they need wind protection only. Mesh would work just fine.

 

That's where mine go. I manage to get them in my 3ft x 18" boxes.

Oh, and don't try to cut corners with plastic boxes. I just learned that lesson the hard way. I stopped to grab a shower and heard a guy at the counter asking if any tarps had been turned in because he thought his might have been stolen. I was in a hurry to leave the messy receiver, so I had my tarps on the deck waiting to be put away. When I got out of the shower, I checked the tarps, still there. Unfortunately, I forgot to look down the side of the trailer. Yup, they needed the plastic box more than me and tore it right off. Lost all my straps and winders. Thankfully, the next load I could use chains on.