Who else gets frustrated with the places that won't allow us on the trailer/load?

Indeed! I always excel at any venture I take on. I'm looking forward to doing some OTR. I'm glad I joined this site. I like the insight and the good and bad things I read on here.

 

their getting pretty bad in Moncure too, can't even get on the deck to spread plastic for the Huntingburg loads without David pulling a tantrum. Thorsby, AL has a new tarp machine too, but luckily most loads there need only smoke tarped, i'd be a major pain in the ### with lumber tarps

I get a kick out of Joanna, SC, they kick you plumb off the property to tarp, you tarp on the road at the entrance to the place as the log trucks blast by you at high speed.....real safe.

 

I did luck out and find a local gig hauling nothing but steel. Monday thru Friday no weekends should make around 50k. Life is good.

 

I have been to a place or two lately that has backed off of this policy. I was in Oxford,Ms at the particle board plant recently and for awhile they had this policy. When asked why they quit enforcing it I was told they listened to the drivers and made an informed decision that it was a hinderance to safety. Drivers were having to walk the edge of the dock trying to roll out their tarps without getting on load and were having more safety issues that way than the ####### who fell off his trailer and sued them. That one driver was the cause of all of the headaches for several months afterward at that plant. I ###### near slip and broke my leg between the dock and trailer trying to tarp that way. Glad they finally saw the light.

 

Sounds like a few aluminum facilities I know of...pulling in between the trailers to tarp....what a joke!

It leaves just enough room to step between them and break your leg...

 

My first time to use one was at the Madison, GA plant. Wasn't too bad, but it was indoors. Since then I've had to use the ones outdoors and when the wind catches the tarp it makes for a pretty messy tarp job. Need to get myself a ladder for the truck and just start heading down the road to tarp.

 

I was in Gladys the other week and the line for the tarping machine had not moved from the time I went in to get loaded. So I strapped down the lumber went to the scale house, sent my leaving shipper and went to a truck stop and tarped. LOL you should have seen the other Maverick drivers looking at me as I shot out of there with no tarps on my load.

Yeah those tarping machines are to big of a pain to fool with.

 

one thing I have to say about this business. Change always change sometime for the better sometimes for the worst. Usually the stupid stuff fades away in the sunset but not always. My three decades of flatbeding I've seen a lot of changes but tarping machines have to be one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. Hopefully the last shorter than disco did LOL

 

It depends on the setup. Ive grown used to them and have discovered how to get the best use out of most however if you have an ####### running the machine all bets are off. I threatened a shipper with removing the load in Spring City,Tn when they were doing a crappy job. I got my way. They redone the tarps.

 

When I drove for Mav. I had to go into a place down south of Louisville Ky. where you had to pull between two concrete walls to tarp. Biggest pain in the butt I've ever seen. You can't do a decent job of tarping when your on your hands and knees trying to pull tarp straps. All because some idiots got hurt and instead of expecting people to work and be responsible for their actions. We have to mandate some ####amamie system so morons don't step off the back of their trailers. I guarantee the pencil pushing college educated idiot that came up with these things never had to use them.