Light debris needs a lid
A cargo net rental pickup setup is for bags, branches, and cushions that want to become litter. The net or a tarp holds them in the bed. It does not raise the payload and it does not make an overfilled stack legal. Keep the load below the rails, then cover it. Clip or tie to the truck's own points. Do not drill, screw, or cut a hole for a hook. A hole is damage. A strap through a lamp housing is damage and a dark light. Walk around and tug the cover once. If a corner lifts in your hand, it will lift in the wind. Redo it before you leave.
Take it off at the site, on purpose
When you unload, remove the net completely. Do not leave it on the ground beside the tipping area. Shake ordinary dry leaves and grit into a bag for the disposal site, not into a storm drain. If the net is snarled with nails or glass, gloves on, and put those pieces in the trash bag. The net goes back in the cab for the ride home if it is yours. A rental net, if the company issued one, goes back with the truck in the condition the contract describes. Photograph the bed after the net is off so you can see the empty floor, not a lump under mesh you hoped was nothing.
What a net does not solve
A net will not hold a layer of concrete, a loose propane cylinder, or a can of solvent. Propane cylinders are not ordinary trash. Transport them upright with the valve closed only if you are taking them to a place that accepts them, and do not hide a tank under the net. Gasoline, solvents, and pool chemicals go to household hazardous waste. Do not dump or evaporate them under a tarp. Call the disposal site about rental pickups and open trailers before you rely on the net. A map pin is not permission. If the site refuses the vehicle, the best knot in town does not matter. Call before you tie the load.
Before you go
- Stack below the rails, then cover with a net or tarp.
- Tie only to the truck's points. Do not make a new hole.
- Tug the corners and check that lamps and the plate are clear.
- Remove the net at the site, bag the debris, and take the net with you.
Screwing a hook into the bed rail, or leaving the net on the ground at the site.
Questions people ask
Tarp or net?
A tarp sheds rain and holds fine dust better. A net holds bulky light pieces you can still see. Either one has to be tied to real points and removed at the site. Use both only if they do not flap into the tires or cover the lights. The load still has to fit below the rails.
What if the net tears?
Stop and retie or drop the load height. A torn net that streams behind the truck is litter and a strap in the wheel. If it is a rental net, tell the counter. Do not throw the torn pieces in the ditch. Bag them and take them to the disposal site with the rest of the debris.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.