Loose debris in an open bed does not stay put
Bagged trash still leaks paper. Brush sheds twigs. A mattress edge flaps. Sites you call may refuse an untarped open load or send you back to cover it. Ask that site before you leave, because the rule is local. Dumpmapper can help you find candidate sites, and then you call. A map pin is not a promise that an open trailer is welcome, and it is not a promise about tarps. Cover the load so nothing can leave the bed between home and the gate. Tie the tarp to the truck's own points. Do not drill holes for new hooks. A tarp that is only tucked under a bag will peel off at highway speed.
Tie it so it cannot become litter
Pull the tarp tight enough that it does not balloon, and tight enough that you can still untie it at the bay. Loose corners crack like a flag and tear. Use knots you can undo with cold hands. Keep the tarp off the lamps and the license plate. A covered plate is a stop you do not need. If the load pokes a hole through the tarp, patch the plan by lowering the pile, not by adding another loose cover on top of a sail. At the site, untie before you climb in. A taut tarp over a shifting load is a snap waiting for your face. Stand to the side when you release the last corner.
The tarp goes home with you
Shake ordinary dust and leaves off the tarp into the disposal bay, then fold it and put it in the cab. Do not leave it in the bed, on the roof, or in the site's pile unless it is ruined and the attendant told you that material is accepted as trash. A flapping tarp on the ride back is litter and a strap that will shred. Do not shake a tarp that is wet with paint, oil, or an unknown liquid over the ground or a storm drain. Bag what you can as ordinary dry debris only when it is ordinary and dry. If the tarp itself is contaminated with a chemical, ask the hazardous-waste program what to do, and tell the rental counter if the truck bed was stained.
Before you go
- Call the site and ask whether an open load must be tarped.
- Tie the tarp to the truck's own points, clear of the plate and lamps.
- Release it from the side at the bay, not while standing in front of it.
- Shake ordinary debris into the bay, then take the tarp home in the cab.
Tucking a tarp under one bag and losing it on the highway.
Questions people ask
The site said I do not need a tarp. Should I still use one?
If the load can blow or leak, cover it anyway. The site's answer is about their gate, not about the road between your driveway and that gate. A covered load also keeps rain off drywall and cardboard. Take the tarp back with you when you unload.
My tarp tore in half. Can I throw it in the truck bed and leave it?
No. A torn tarp in the bed is still cargo, and it can blow out on the way to the rental lot. If the disposal site accepts it as trash, put it in the bay. If you are not sure, take it home and ask. Do not leave it on the ground.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.