It comes to my attention that some flat bed drivers have the mentality of "well, at least it's tarped" and off they go down the road, tarp flapping, rips and gouges all the way down the road, looking like a shredded parachute.
Here's my thoughts on this. I will take the extra time to ensure the extra padding is on and the tarp is nice and tight before leaving the shippers. I'm not a big fan of sitting on the shoulder trying to fix a tarp falling apart cuz I didn't take the extra time in the first place to do it right.
A loose tarp will shorten it's life span by wind making it flap in the breeze, causing it to rip and flap. It will also cost you money for new tarps and freight claims when the elements are exposed to your load and the tarp beats your load. I haul a lot of high end machinery for major companies. Think about the price of that load when that nicely painted machine gets the life beaten out of it.
Another excuse I hear a lot is "they're not my tarps, they're company tarps. The company will give me new tarps." I'm sure they will, but at what cost? Better equipment or pay raises being forsaked because they had to replace your tarps? Food for thought.
My final point is this. A well tarped load will help with fuel mileage compared to the parachute tarp, which is catching wind the entire time you're going down the road. Also, it saves you a lot of time at the end. You don't have to tarp, fix the tarp 10 times going down the road, and then spend a minimal hour patching the tarp.
I will say it one last time, it falls under pride in your ride. If you were the shipper/consignee/broker, would you want your load on a well-tarped truck or a "at least it's tarped truck." And remember, your load, and your tarping job, is on display for the whole world to see. It reflects on you, your company, and the customer.
Here's my thoughts on this. I will take the extra time to ensure the extra padding is on and the tarp is nice and tight before leaving the shippers. I'm not a big fan of sitting on the shoulder trying to fix a tarp falling apart cuz I didn't take the extra time in the first place to do it right.
A loose tarp will shorten it's life span by wind making it flap in the breeze, causing it to rip and flap. It will also cost you money for new tarps and freight claims when the elements are exposed to your load and the tarp beats your load. I haul a lot of high end machinery for major companies. Think about the price of that load when that nicely painted machine gets the life beaten out of it.
Another excuse I hear a lot is "they're not my tarps, they're company tarps. The company will give me new tarps." I'm sure they will, but at what cost? Better equipment or pay raises being forsaked because they had to replace your tarps? Food for thought.
My final point is this. A well tarped load will help with fuel mileage compared to the parachute tarp, which is catching wind the entire time you're going down the road. Also, it saves you a lot of time at the end. You don't have to tarp, fix the tarp 10 times going down the road, and then spend a minimal hour patching the tarp.
I will say it one last time, it falls under pride in your ride. If you were the shipper/consignee/broker, would you want your load on a well-tarped truck or a "at least it's tarped truck." And remember, your load, and your tarping job, is on display for the whole world to see. It reflects on you, your company, and the customer.
Good tarping......done by me
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