Damage claims on road freight are rarely caused by a tarpaulin failing outright. They are caused by a sheet that was the wrong size, tied loosely, or already worn at the creases before the trip started. All three are avoidable.

Before the trip

  • Inspect the sheet flat. Open it fully and look along the fold lines. Cracked lamination at a crease will split at highway speed.
  • Check every eyelet. A single pulled eyelet becomes a flapping corner within an hour of driving.
  • Confirm the overhang. You want at least 300 mm of sheet below the top edge of the load on every side, more if the load is light and can shift.

Sheeting the load

  • Load high in the centre so water runs off rather than pooling. A pool of standing water is heavy enough to tear a sheet and will find any pinhole.
  • Cover front to back so the leading edge sits on top. Wind should press the sheet down, not lift it.
  • Tension diagonally from the corners first, then fill in the intermediate ropes. Tightening in sequence along one edge leaves slack that will flap.
  • Protect sharp corners with padding or edge protectors. Abrasion at a corner will wear through any grade of sheet.
  • Tie off rope ends properly. A loose end will whip against the sheet for the whole journey.

On the road

Check the sheet at the first stop, about thirty minutes in. Ropes settle and loads shift slightly once moving, and this is when most slack appears. After that, a check at each break is enough.

After the trip

Let the sheet dry before folding it. Folding a wet tarpaulin traps moisture against the coating and, on canvas, will cause mildew within days. Fold along different lines each time so the same creases are not stressed repeatedly, and store off the ground.

Choosing a transport grade

For regular highway use we recommend a minimum of 150 GSM, reinforced hems, and eyelets at one metre spacing or closer. Fleets covering long routes usually settle on 200 GSM because the replacement interval more than covers the difference in price.