Light is not the same as secure
A foam board can weigh less than the strap you put on it, and it will still fly if air gets under an edge. Lay sheets flat, as low as they go, and put the first strap over a board or a strip of plywood so the strap cannot sink through the foam and loosen. Better, bag broken pieces entirely and strap the bags. A loose crumb in the bed will be at the tailgate by the end of the ramp. Foil-faced boards are slicker than plain foam. They slide on each other even when the stack looks neat. A net over the whole stack, hooked at all four corners, beats one strap in the portrait middle. Do not stand sheets on edge above the rails. You have built a sail.
The cover has to be tied, not draped
A tarp laid over foam will balloon and take the foam with it unless the tarp is strapped down to anchors, not just tucked. Tuck is decoration at highway speed. If you do not have a tarp, the net has to do the whole job, and every sheet has to be under it, including the corner you think is pinched by the toolbox. Check the hitch. Foam offcuts like to sit on the bumper and depart later. Solvent-soaked foam is a household hazardous waste problem and should not be in this load at all. Ordinary wall offcuts are the ones you are tying down. Keep them out of the exhaust path of a vertical stack. A hot muffler and a dangling sheet are a bad pair.
Look back before the ramp
Highway ramps are where foam loads fail, because the wind shifts as you turn and accelerate. Use a parking area before the ramp and walk the stack. If a corner is up, the rest is about to follow. Reset it. At the site, unstrap on the downwind side with a hand on the sheets. A released stack will slide off the bed in a cross breeze before you grab it. Bag anything that broke in transit. Do not let beads blow across the scale into the organics pile. A broom and a bag are part of this haul, not an optional cleanup.
Before you go
- Lay foam flat below the rails, or bag the pieces, so air cannot get under an edge.
- Strap over a board or use a four-corner net so the tie does not slice through the foam.
- Tie any cover to anchors, and check the bumper for loose offcuts.
- Stop before highway speed and reset any corner that has lifted.
A tarp draped over foam sheets and tucked, with no strap, at the start of a highway ramp.
Questions people ask
Can I put foam under heavier boards so the weight holds it?
Yes, if the heavier boards cover every sheet and are strapped themselves. A heavy item on half the foam leaves the other half free to fly.
Do closed tailgates stop foam?
A closed tailgate stops a sheet from sliding straight back, and it does nothing for a sheet that lifts up and over. You still need a net or straps.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.