First Run w/ new carrier!
- Thread starter Streakn1
- Start date
nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
nice job of tarpin,ypull do great,keep in touch
Great Job! We have always thought if we went to tractor trailers that is the only division we would really be interested in. You guys will do well.
arkjarhead
Veteran Expediter
The tarp job does look good. Just one suggestion. Instead of wasting tape on the extra strap you can put it under the strap before it get real tight. Just a suggestion. Not trying to act like I know it all, but the cost of that tape adds up over time.
nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
Ark i agree with you,but myself,ive always had better luck with the tape,for what that load is paying,and the flat bed loads i haul,we can afford the tape
Instead of tape, we use ball bungees to tie off the loose ends of the straps. They serve two purposes: (1) impress the customer with attention to detail, (2) when used as shown, the strap is secured over the top of the ratchet strap handle, which helps keep the handle from popping loose (though, without ball bungees, we have never had a handle pop loose).
We buy the ball bungees at Home Depot. You can find them in the section where tarp straps and ratchet straps are displayed. Unlike tape, they are reusable. I have not compared prices but I think you can get ten ball bungees for the cost of one or two rolls of duct tape.
At delivery, they are quick and easy to remove, and there is no waste to dispose of as there would be with tape. Ball bungees will work outdoors too, though their life will be shortened by exposure to road spray and such.
I will not disagree with those who call our ball bungee use overkill. But our customers love it, which is why we do it. The pictured load is a piece of expensive medical equipment being moved from one hopital to another. The shipper watched as we secured the load and was favorably impressed.
We generally use the ball bungees only if the customer is watching. In our "indoor" use, they have to do more with marketing than freight securement. But in outdoor use, as with a flatbed, they have the very practical application of keeping the strap ends from flying about in the wind.
We buy the ball bungees at Home Depot. You can find them in the section where tarp straps and ratchet straps are displayed. Unlike tape, they are reusable. I have not compared prices but I think you can get ten ball bungees for the cost of one or two rolls of duct tape.
At delivery, they are quick and easy to remove, and there is no waste to dispose of as there would be with tape. Ball bungees will work outdoors too, though their life will be shortened by exposure to road spray and such.
I will not disagree with those who call our ball bungee use overkill. But our customers love it, which is why we do it. The pictured load is a piece of expensive medical equipment being moved from one hopital to another. The shipper watched as we secured the load and was favorably impressed.
We generally use the ball bungees only if the customer is watching. In our "indoor" use, they have to do more with marketing than freight securement. But in outdoor use, as with a flatbed, they have the very practical application of keeping the strap ends from flying about in the wind.
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Streakn1
Veteran Expediter
That was our first tarp job in more than 25 years! Depending on how much climbing I feel like doing we either tape the excess strap as shown in the photo or we will place the strap as Ark suggested. Oh, did I mention that I have a fear of heights? LOL
The roll of tape was a freebie to!
The roll of tape was a freebie to!
arkjarhead
Veteran Expediter
I wasn't trying to down you on your tarping job. You aren't the only flatbedder afraid of heights. I am to. It seemed it didn't matter how many trucks we had sitting in the Dallas area I was always the one that got choosen for the loads of foam that were 13'6" at the top. Even though I had a harness on and was tied off I still didn't like it. Another thing I hated was the time I loaded hay in Dale,IN and the farmer set me on top of the load with a front end loader and left to go do other chores and forgot about me. I had to call me dispatch, who called the broker, who then called the farmer to come get me down. The whole time the wind was blowing and the trailer was rocking back and forth. I almost wet my overalls before I got down.
