When it comes to heavy vehicle road safety, there is always concerns around the possibility of debris from uncovered, or poorly covered loads, becoming dislodged and causing accidents or injury to other drivers or pedestrians.
Therefore, if you are going to be hauling various types of loads from bricks to demolition rubble, soil or sand, you need to know your options when it comes to covering your load. But what is the right kind of cover for what you are hauling?
Your Options
As you can imagine there are a wide variety of choices to cater for varying industries and their needs. Firstly, before we get to the different types of tarps, we need to look at the two most popular types of systems that you can have installed on your truck.
Front to Back Tarp
It is what it says it is, a tarp that operates from front to back. Mounted to the head board of the tipper, one of the most affordable systems around due to being manually operated although most people opt for the electric option as you are not normally allowed out of your truck at the site to cover the load, they are quite easy to mount and can accommodate varying types of tarp material.
Roll-Over Tarp System
This is a simple, heavy duty and effective tarp system. Available in automatic and manual, the system is mounted to the required trailer or tipper according to your specifications. Most systems are constructed from sturdy aluminum with PVC. While there are some roll-over systems that can be bought off-the-shelf, it is strongly recommended that you have each trailer measured so a proper fit can be guaranteed. These types of tarps are common in the agricultural sector.
Once you have chosen the system that is most suitable for what you need, it’s time to choose the correct material for the types of loads that you will be hauling.
Mesh Tarp
This material is ideal for loads that do not require any form of water-proof coverage, which includes materials such as:
- Sand
- Soil
- Gravel
- Excavation materials
- Woodchip
90% PVC Tarp
Ideal for loads that require semi-waterproof coverage, heat retention and high-level dust coverage. Perfect for materials such as:
- Bitumen
- Contaminated excavation materials
- Top soil and mulch
- Sand (as well)
- Sawdust
100% PVC Tarp
This is perfect for when you need to transport any kind of material that needs total protection from the elements. Making it ideal for transporting grains, fertilisers and anything else that may be ruined if it gets wet.
The covering of your load is extremely important, and if not done correctly, can result in you (the driver) being fined and losing demerit points. If you are a driver in NSW, you can view the fines and point loss amounts here.
Borcat specialises in everything tipper and trailer related. Therefore, the next time you are looking at upgrading, replacing or servicing any of your fleet, please feel free to ask us about your options, and we will be more than happy to help.
For further information, or if you have any questions at all regarding our products, please feel free to contact us on 02 9631 9594, or you can fill out our online enquiry form here, and we will respond to you as soon as possible.