Tarping needed or not?

Tarp the load. Just the savings in having to defend yourself from liability in some states (like NY) should make you want to tarp everything, if not twice! An untarped load means that it is more likely for something to fly off the load even if that load is a solid ingot. What it reasonable and rational to every Dick & Jane in this world holds no water in the bizarro world of courts and liability law. An untarped load is tantamount to admitting culpability if you are hit with a liability claim.

 

Had a load of recycled plastics out of Arkansas I think? Don't really remember. Anyway it was going to a trailer manufacturer in PA. My the plan I received on the DriverTech said it was a tarped load, dispatch said it was a tarped load too. Asked the shipper and he was like, why the heck would you have to tarp plastic? I shrugged. After he loaded it I tarped it and away we went. Got to the shipper and dropped it. Few days later I was talking to my dispatcher and he said he got his butt chewed because I dropped it with tarps on it and the receiver had to take the tarps off of it and roll them up and it made em mad. He was covered though since it was in the computer as a tarp load. I'm guessing whoever booked the load at the company messed up entering it, or the broker screwed up. Could care less really, I got my 50 bucks and it was an easy load to tarp.

 

mc goo, if you accept a load and the confirmation says tarp and you accept the rate, you should tarp. if deducting a tarp fee means the loads isn't worth hauling, you aren't doing a good job of picking loads, if you have to skirt things to make it over a 100 to 150 tarp fee, you might need to reassess things


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Also to add to my post before I've tarped loads that didn't require tarping because the plastic rap was coming off and blowing in the wind, sure looked a lot better when it was covered, also DOT not thinking I'm loosing my load

 

I've had some loads that require a tarp that didn't need one. In a few cases I've thrown my mesh tarps on it. Technically a tarp right???

If you've never dealt with mesh tarps they don't catch the wind and take very little to secure.

 

the first company i got to the point of not tarping. i got tired of everyone saying "I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S TARPED".

the second company had no choice. every trip was out and back. (roundtrip). loads going out were always nucor loads. and they NEVER hauled rebar like the first company always did. loads coming back were just about always wood. they were pretty in love with there tarps. and don't pay the drivers.

but i guess when all you haul is cheap crap. tarping and free labor is the only way you can make money. 2 companies in 2 years and all they hauled was wood, sheetrock, steel, rebar, and cars. and cars were the only thing that didn't get tarped.

3rd company. i don't take tarp loads. i'm retired from tarping. and when i get home. the tarps are staying home. they're nothing but dead weight taking up space now.

 

At that rate I'd quit driving and tarp full time.

 

yeah, me too.. Tarp every truck at 250.00 a truck. two or three a day, be doing ok..

 

If the customer requested tarps, I tarped the load.
I always tarped if the load required it. I pulled a booth going to a Exposition and the truck ahead of me loaded his booth without tarps. I threw tarps on mine. The untarped load was a mess but mine was ready for the show. Use common sense. Sometimes I would tell customers that tarps were heavy and damaging to fragile components and the weather was fine so they saved tarp fees..and if anything changed, I stopped and tarped rather than take a chance.
One time I had cardboard boxes of custom shaped cedar shakes, picked up in Florida, delivering in Hollywood Hills Ca. I tarped and strapped them tightly but the cardboard broke down. The tiles kept creeping out from under the tarp. I stopped ..it seemed to me..every other mile to put tiles in the sleeper, the side boxes, or push them back under the tarp. I delivered all of them undamaged. I usually don't accept cargo that is improperly packaged but often the shipper doesn't know or have the right packaging and the shakes were mostly safe under the tarps