Lumber Tarps: Work Smarter, Not Harder

After more than 20 years hauling flatbed across this country, I've thrown just about every kind of tarp you can imagine. Steel tarps. Lumber tarps. Machinery tarps. Smoke tarps.

And if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's this: a tarp doesn't protect freight by itself. What's underneath that tarp is just as important as the tarp itself. That's something I wish somebody had explained to me when I first started.

Know the differenceThe Difference Between a Steel Tarp and a Lumber Tarp

A lot of new drivers think a tarp is just a tarp. It isn't.

Steel tarps are smaller, heavier-duty covers designed for dense freight like steel plate, coils, or machinery. Lumber tarps are larger, with long side drops and one feature that really sets them apart: the end flap.

That flap folds over the front or rear of a load to keep rain, snow, and road spray from getting inside. It might not seem like a big deal until you're hauling lumber, plywood, wallboard, or another product that has to stay dry. That flap earns its keep in a hurry.

(If you haven't read it yet, I go deep on steel tarps in a separate article — and the weight difference between the two is a big deal, which I'll get to below.)

The freightWhat I Hauled Under Lumber Tarps

Over the years, I used lumber tarps on all kinds of freight:

• Dimensional lumber
• Plywood
• Building materials
• Finished wood products
• Drywall
• Crated freight
• Long machinery loads
• Anything that needed full weather protection

If the customer wanted the load completely covered from end to end, the lumber tarps came out.

The setupMy Tarp Setup

On a 53-foot flatbed, I always ran a full lumber tarp set.

Here's a piece of real-world advice that'll save you a headache: check what length the set is built for. Years ago, the standard 3-piece sets were sized shorter, and on my 53-footer I always had to buy an extra middle piece to close the gap. These days you can buy 3-piece lumber tarp sets built specifically for a 48- or 53-foot trailer — which solves the problem I used to have. So when you buy, make sure the set is sized for YOUR trailer length, not just labeled "3-piece."

I preferred the three-piece setup for a reason that ties into everything else in this article: splitting the coverage across three tarps makes each piece lighter and easier to throw up on the load. One giant tarp is a back-breaker. Three manageable pieces are a whole lot kinder to your body, load after load.

And carry spares. I always kept four or five extra tarps on the trailer, because some loads you have to tarp twice. Drywall is the classic example — if drywall gets wet, it's ruined, no good to anybody. So on a load like that, you double-tarp it for insurance. That's not being over-cautious; that's the difference between delivering a load and eating one. The extra tarps pay for themselves the first time they save a drywall load.

The weight question18-Ounce or 14-Ounce?

This is where my opinion changed over the years.

When I was younger, I figured heavier had to be better. The heavier the tarp, the tougher it must be. That sounds good until you've carried that extra weight for twenty years.

Today, if I were buying a new set, I'd go with quality 14-ounce lumber tarps for most of the freight I hauled — and as it happens, 14oz is the standard material for lumber tarp sets anyway. Here's why that's the right call, and why it's DIFFERENT from my steel tarp advice.

On steel, I tell people to run 18oz and skip the 14oz, because steel is dense, sharp, and punishing — it'll chew up a lighter tarp. Lumber is a different animal. It's more forgiving, so a quality 14oz tarp holds up fine. And the tarp's survival isn't really about the ounces anyway — it's about your edge protectors, moving blankets, and corner protection. If you've done a good job protecting the tarp from sharp edges, a lighter 14oz tarp will serve you extremely well — and your back will thank you every single time you throw it over a load.

So: 18oz on steel, 14oz on lumber. Same driver, two different answers, because they're two different jobs.

The real enemyThe Sun Is Tougher Than Most Loads

People think steel tears tarps. Sometimes it does. But in my experience, the biggest enemy of any tarp is something you can't avoid: the sun.

Day after day, month after month, year after year, ultraviolet light slowly dries the material out. Eventually the tarp loses its flexibility. It gets stiff. It starts cracking. Then one day, it tears.

That's just part of owning tarps. No matter how much you paid for them, every tarp has a lifespan.

Wear pointsWhere Lumber Tarps Usually Wear Out

I've noticed the same places wearing out over and over again:

• Fold lines where the tarp is stored
• Corners that drag across freight
• Grommets under constant tension
• The end flap from repeated folding and tightening
• Places where someone skipped using a blanket or edge protector

Most tarp failures don't happen because the tarp was poor quality. They happen because the same high-stress areas take abuse load after load. That's why I inspect mine every time I fold them — and why, when one finally goes, I replace it rather than nurse it along.

Cheap insuranceProtect the Tarp, Not Just the Freight

Right tool, right jobSteel Tarps or Lumber Tarps?

People ask me which one I like better. Honestly, they're made for different jobs.

If I'm hauling steel plate or steel coils, I'm reaching for my steel tarps. If I'm hauling lumber, building materials, or anything that needs complete weather protection, it's lumber tarps every time.

It's not about which tarp is better. It's about using the right tarp for the freight.

The bottom lineWhat I'd Buy Today

If I were outfitting a trailer today, I'd still buy quality tarps. That's one thing I wouldn't compromise on. But I'd buy lighter ones than I did years ago — a quality 14oz lumber set sized for my trailer, with a good 8-foot drop for tall loads.

I've learned that protecting the tarp with blankets and edge protectors makes far more difference than adding a few extra ounces of vinyl. Your body pays for every pound you lift. After thousands of loads, those pounds add up. I'd rather let my blankets do the protecting than ask my back to do the extra lifting.