mistbc.org

When you see trucks on the highway carrying different materials in their container or trailer I’m sure you appreciate the fact that what they are carrying doesn’t end up all over your windshield or the highway. Do you ever wonder what those tarps made of ?  No, we aren’t talking about a government bailout, we are discussing a tarpaulin, which is a sheet of heavy waterproof material used as a protective covering. How do we know the truck tarp covering the freight won’t break or come off?   Be assured in the fact that all the tarps you see should be installed according to the manufacturer’s specifications.  They are installed for both quality and safety.

You might assume a cover such as an umbrella would require the most inexpensive grade of covering.  Perhaps a sailboat and roof tarp to be a higher quality and the commercial truck tarp to require the best grade.  Tarps need to be light, flexible, waterproof and be made of a quality grade specific to the task they are used for. Most tarps are made from a material known as polypropylene.  Polypropylene is actually a blend of woven and sheet material.   The different weaves and grades of this material will determine its strength and quality.

A heavy duty mesh tarp is a good choice if the truck is carrying loads of material such as sand and rock.  It has a vinyl open weave that will allow wind to pass through.  This decreases the flapping to a great degree.  If a tarp is needed to carry material such as asphalt then the best truck tarp to use is an asphalt material tarp. It has a special urethane coating that makes both sides slick so the asphalt doesn’t stick.  This is the same principle as a Teflon pan used for cooking or a Teflon coating on any other surface.  If you see a truck carrying asphalt you’ll probably notice they have side flaps in addition to the tarp.  This helps keep in the heat and reduce flapping.

The tarp system used should also determine the best type of tarp to use.  If the container is used for general service applications then an 14 ounce waterproof vinyl fabric is a good truck tarp choice.  It works well with both manual and automatic arm systems as well as cable systems.  For the larger applications it is recommended to use an 18 ounce instead of the 14 ounce for added strength and durability. As with most of the different types of tarps, adding side flaps will help prevent flapping.