This fabric is like nothing I’ve seen. Forty percent of my lumber tarp stock is now lightweight material. My customers like the light weight and the flexibility of this fabric. The tarps fold up smaller even when the temperature drops. It allows older drivers to do the work that they would not be allowed to do and younger drivers appreciate the ease of their job.”
A customer called this morning. He said he was in Albany, NY in temperatures of -14 degrees. He wanted us to know that the Shelter-Lite tarp we made for him handled like it was 80 degrees outside. He really likes the way the material handles in the winter. It is not hard like heavier weight tarp material."
One guy came to me looking for a tarp - workers' compensation replaced his old tarp with a lightweight tarp because of arm issues. Customers tell me that the lightweight tarps are easier on the back and arms. They also comment on the fabric’s strength. It seems to be comparable to an 18 oz. material, but it is a lot more pliable - especially in cold weather. The 13 oz. material is much easier to work with and fold when the tarps aren’t in use.
The 75-inch width of the lightweight material benefits us because it’s wider, making it easier to handle in production. We don’t have to do as much welding to make bigger pieces. My sewers find this material a lot nicer to push or pull through their machines.”
I put a Shelter-Lite tarp from this material into stock to be able to round out our stock tarp inventory. Shelter-Lite is an upgrade in product, and it allows our customers to make a choice between better and best. The customers who have bought these tarps are amazed. They tell us that their drivers always want to use them and will fight over them."
Our customers like the lighter weight and flexibility of Shelter-Lite 13 oz. material, particularly in colder weather. The tarps are easier to store and aren’t as bulky as an 18 oz. polyester tarp.”
It’s tough to tarp in the oil and gas industry. Man-handling the heavier weight tarps is a problem. All my staff is getting older like me. We’ve gotta make a change. Lighter tarps can be moved around more easily.”
We have 40 tractors and we use Shelter-Lite on the entire fleet. We decided to buy Shelter-Lite tarps because we are very weight sensitive. We need to haul heavy payloads and anything we add to the truck adds to our empty weight. Shelter-Lite tarps are good because they are strong, yet light. They are also easier to handle and fit over the load better and they seem to be very resistant to tearing.
Tarping with the lighter weight material saves time. In cold weather it could be upwards of 20 minutes quicker to cover the load.”
Driver turnover is a big issue in this industry. Keeping our drivers happy is extremely important to us. I’ve not had one driver come in and say they want their old tarps back. They like this product.
Plus, these tarps are going to save us in workers' compensation claims. I’ve had claims for torn rotator cuffs and accidents caused by handling heavy, bulky tarps. Anything that is lighter and easier to move around is better for my drivers. There is less chance of pulling a muscle in the back, shoulders and arms."
I know guys that quit hauling flatbeds because they couldn’t handle tarps anymore. I’m 65 and I can handle Shelter-Lite pretty well. I have my own truck and I haul hay from NB, KS and IN. I use the lightweight tarp on every load – about three loads a week. It’s great. I can’t find anything wrong with it – it’s just as good as new. I’ve had problems with heavier tarps cracking. They are big and clumsy and they tend to roll up into a ball and get hard like a rock. These lightweight tarps roll up just fine into a small roll. They’re a lot easier to handle and they are flexible. They don’t take as much space to put away in the winter. I can get two in one box and the heavier tarps only fit one to a box.
Tarping and untarping a load with the lightweight tarps also saves time, which gives me more time to get where I’m going.”
Having lightweight tarps is a huge advantage. These guys have to lift these tarps all the time. We don’t have any teams – one guy has to do it all. We’ve seen shoulder injuries, back injuries, arm injuries. These injuries occur after lifting heavy tarps over time.
Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure if the lightweight tarps would stand up as well as the heavier tarps, but they do. We are working on switching all of our inventory to lighter weight material."
My drivers like these tarps. I’ve got two of them right now and they go looking for them."