# Do you cover your Load while it's on the truck?



## Jpocket (Nov 7, 2005)

I've been thinking...I see some guys who run around with a tarp over there load of slat to keep it dry.

I have never done it as we use under tailgate spreaders, and I have never had a huge problem spreading bulk salt. We always just get loaded, and off we go, I nver really worried about the salt getting wet while plowing.

My question is do you cover your bulk salt or sand while it's on the truck? and if so does it spread better?


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## Superior L & L (Oct 6, 2006)

Its more about DOT pulling you over. Anything in the back of your truck has to be covered.


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

i never had to cover our treated salt while on the truck. it usually is out in the weather for about 30-45 minutes, never had any troubles yet.


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## vis (Nov 20, 2004)

paphillips;346770 said:


> Its more about DOT pulling you over. Anything in the back of your truck has to be covered.


ever see a city or town truck with a tarp over their v-box?


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## elmo1537 (Aug 31, 2005)

does a bear sh#@ in the wood? Getting wet isnt really the issue. Last year dot was all over our area. If you didnt have your load covered they pulled you over and you were awarded a $100 ticket. If you didnt have anything in the truck to cover it with then they red tagged your truck and you werent allowed to move it until it was properly covered. One guy had his truck impounded for the night because it wasnt covered and he was 200 pounds over the limit than his truck was registered for. Could you imagine losing a truck for a night during an event.


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## Jpocket (Nov 7, 2005)

Oh thats why. I didn't know that salt/sand apllied to the rule. I know everything else needs to be tarped, b/c we haul Mulch, Stone, and debris all spring & Summer. I just see a "few "guys here with a tarp, and the majority especially dumps like mine with under tailgate salters with no tarp.

You are right though I have NEVER seen a DOT, TOWNSHIP, or County truck with tarp during a snow storm.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Jpocket;347082 said:


> Oh thats why. I didn't know that salt/sand apllied to the rule. I know everything else needs to be tarped, b/c we haul Mulch, Stone, and debris all spring & Summer. I just see a "few "guys here with a tarp, and the majority especially dumps like mine with under tailgate salters with no tarp.
> 
> You are right though I have NEVER seen a DOT, TOWNSHIP, or County truck with tarp during a snow storm.


That's because the 'law' doesn't apply to them. :realmad: How this, the work hour regulations and the weight limits don't apply to them is just beyond me. :angry:

No, we don't cover our loads. If they are going to be such a-holes that I get a ticket for a little bit of salt blowing off my v-box or dump truck that will melt the snow on the road, then so be it.


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## Jpocket (Nov 7, 2005)

Mark Oomkes;347085 said:


> That's because the 'law' doesn't apply to them. :realmad: How this, the work hour regulations and the weight limits don't apply to them is just beyond me. :angry:
> 
> No, we don't cover our loads. If they are going to be such a-holes that I get a ticket for a little bit of salt blowing off my v-box or dump truck that will melt the snow on the road, then so be it.


It's funny you say that. Come to think Of it thats why you never see a state,DOT, Or County truck that is a Tri-Axle or Quad. No matter what they are hauling it's either a six or Ten-wheeler. I would bet that some of those State 10-wheelers wiegh 80,000lbs. If you or I ran a 10-wheeler it would only be able to carry 60,000 lbs. Thats funny.


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## Jay brown (Dec 26, 2005)

everything we salt is in town anyway. so the DOT can't really do much on city streets. around here they stick to the highways.


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## HighwayDept. (Feb 7, 2005)

We never cover the loads on the salters, plus if you don't freight up the v-box spreaders all of the material is not visible from the ground, but we are required to tarp any other materials we haul. i remember once a state trooper started harassing us one day when we were out cold patching with the 550 because the cold patch wasn't tarped and the tailgate was down. Imagine if we had to tarp/untarp and lower/raise tailgate at one pothole and then do it again 20ft down the road.


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## elmo1537 (Aug 31, 2005)

Jay brown;347269 said:


> everything we salt is in town anyway. so the DOT can't really do much on city streets. around here they stick to the highways.


Be careful. More and more police agencies are joining the dot crew.

The city we are from has four or five specifically dot officers. All they do all day is drive around and do dot inspections.

Think about it dot inspections can be a huge income if you are policing your own street with your own cops


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## Grader4me (Jan 4, 2006)

*tarping a load*

I work for the DOT here in N.B. We don't have to cover our loads while speading salt but the law requires that we tarp the load if we are hauling the salt. Good example would be hauling salt from one maintance depot to another. We are not excempt from this law.
We have the inner side dumps so it would impossible to tarp while salting.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Around here, the most popular styly truck is a 6-wheeler. The load it up with a dump box, v-box, underbody scraper, and front plow mount which puts them right at or above the GVW before they ever load salt in it.


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## Earthscapes (Feb 2, 2001)

Yep I cover my salter and always have. The salt dogg comes with it's own cover and I used to use a canvas tarp on my old v-box.


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## RSK (Nov 24, 2005)

Jpocket;346715 said:


> I've been thinking...I see some guys who run around with a tarp over there load of slat to keep it dry.
> 
> I have never done it as we use under tailgate spreaders, and I have never had a huge problem spreading bulk salt. We always just get loaded, and off we go, I nver really worried about the salt getting wet while plowing.
> 
> My question is do you cover your bulk salt or sand while it's on the truck? and if so does it spread better?


I don't cover my salt it's not in the truck that long it would just be a wast of time for me to cover it. you know what they say time is payup so the faster you get your jobs done more money you will make


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## Jpocket (Nov 7, 2005)

RSK;347626 said:


> I don't cover my salt it's not in the truck that long it would just be a wast of time for me to cover it. you know what they say time is payup so the faster you get your jobs done more money you will make


Thats what I have always done, and we travel ALL of the major routes in our town. Just can't see DOT stopping you at 5:00AM in a snow storm lol. It obvoius what we are doing.


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## go plow (Dec 14, 2004)

elmo1537;347024 said:


> does a bear sh#@ in the wood? Getting wet isnt really the issue. Last year dot was all over our area. If you didnt have your load covered they pulled you over and you were awarded a $100 ticket. If you didnt have anything in the truck to cover it with then they red tagged your truck and you werent allowed to move it until it was properly covered. One guy had his truck impounded for the night because it wasnt covered and he was 200 pounds over the limit than his truck was registered for. Could you imagine losing a truck for a night during an event.


you nailed it ! i myself always overload the spreader just to be able to get a extra driveway out of it, and not having the load covered is all it takes for them to stop you and check your truck over! a friend of mine got stoped for a stupid thing, next thing you know he was headed off to the scales .they got him for being over weight, tires, no load cover and he had soil on his hitch from when he got loaded, it ended up costing him just about a grand


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## lawncare18 (Nov 30, 2005)

elmo1357.. where in upstate ny are you.. I live seing the highway trucks wiht no tarps or anything.. takle a corner and a lot flals of in the road...


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

In NH there is a law that specifically states that the tarp law does not pertain to trucks used by the state, county or any municipality or town. However it also states that the tarp need not be used if travelling at less than 30 mph. So just don't get caught in a 40 zone. 
I recently attended a class put on by NH Highway Enforcement. I was a little discouraged to learn that most of the commercial truck laws are federal and we as local police are not authorized to ticket people for many of the violations. We are allowed to weigh them, check for equipment violations and load securement, but stupid things that are Federal Motor Carrier regs only, like driver's medical card, we can't write for unless we get federally certified.
One reason the DOT cops are so harsh is they raise a ton of money writing tickets, that money goes back to their unit for training and equipment, whereas if I write a ticket it goes to general fund for the state. And obviously the more they raise the more that they get. It's actually a pretty cool gig, I wouldn't mind doing it, if only so I could drive a Tahoe instead of this POS Crown Vic.


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## elmo1537 (Aug 31, 2005)

lawncare18;347859 said:


> elmo1357.. where in upstate ny are you.. I live seing the highway trucks wiht no tarps or anything.. takle a corner and a lot flals of in the road...


I live in ithaca. it is right at the bottom of cayuga lake.


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## Grader4me (Jan 4, 2006)

Detroitdan;347869 said:


> In NH there is a law that specifically states that the tarp law does not pertain to trucks used by the state, county or any municipality or town. However it also states that the tarp need not be used if travelling at less than 30 mph. So just don't get caught in a 40 zone.


So any state, county, municipality truck can transport salt (not spreading) and not have to have it covered? 
If a state truck was travelling lets say at 50 miles per hour with an uncovered load of salt and it was blowing/spilling off the box, could you not nail them for an unsecured load?


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## bltp203 (Nov 5, 2006)

Nope......any government body is exempt from motor carrier rules and regulations. The only requirement is that the driver has a CDL (except for those driving fire trucks). However, if that loose load somehow damaged another vehicle, I am sure they would still have to take care of it..........they just can't be ticketed.


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## Grader4me (Jan 4, 2006)

bltp203;348094 said:


> Nope......any government body is exempt from motor carrier rules and regulations. The only requirement is that the driver has a CDL (except for those driving fire trucks). However, if that loose load somehow damaged another vehicle, I am sure they would still have to take care of it..........they just can't be ticketed.


Wow! I can see why you guys that are in the business of snow removal and salt/sanding would be a little pi$$ed off at that. Rules like that could and most likely would be taken advantage of.
We are excempt from overweight, as it stands to reason with all the plow equipment on we wouldn't be able to haul much of a load if not excempt. Again our operators are aware that they can be ticketed for an unsafe/unstable load
Also keep in mind that this excemption only applies during snow removal and salting/sanding. If we are hauling material for any other reason during the winter this rule does not apply. 
We are also excempt from hours worked, but have strict in house policies on what the conditions/limitations are.
Yes as previously stated we are required by law to tarp our loads if there is a danger of any spillage etc.


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## crazymike (Oct 22, 2004)

hell no. I don't even like getting out of the truck to sign my salt ticket. No shot at getting out to tarp the thing 3-4 times a night.

If I'm leaving salt in the dump box for a few days I tip the bed and tarp it, but only if it's calling for rain. Salt it isn't cheap, but neither is time. And for what most of us bill for salt, I can afford a bit of it to get washed away.


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