Securing and Tarping

Each load placed on a flatbed is secured by the driver with either 4” canvas straps or 25’ long 5/16” chains with dull hooks on the ends. Generally, steel, in coils or rods or angle irons or flat sheets, is secured with chains. Lumber and shingles are secured with straps. The number of chains or straps is determined by the size, placement, and weight of the load, most especially the weight. This is relatively straightforward, though attention must be paid because the negative consequences are severe. During training we were shown a picture of a steel coil that had been lost from a trailer taking a curve too quickly. Steel coils are thin (1/32”?) sheets of steel, about 4’ wide, rolled into a really big coil weighing anywhere from 8,000 to 48,000 lbs. When this pictured coil dumped, it unrolled down the slope of a field and into the far woods a quarter of a mile away. It looked like a silver road laid down by aliens. When this happens, the driver feels really bad, so all of us are very careful about securing the load.

Nearly all loads on Maverick flatbed trucks are covered with tarpaulins. We have 2 vinyl tarps for steel (26’ X 16’), 2 vinyl tarps for lumber (26’ X 24’) and 3 smaller canvas tarps. The lumber tarps are the heavy ones, weighing about 80 lbs. each. They cover particle board or plywood generally, and are initially rolled up and placed on top of the load by the forklift drivers, which is a really good thing because the load can be 8’ high by 8’ wide by 48’ long. Steel tarps weigh less, and the loads are generally smaller, so we place them ourselves. We then unroll the tarps, one or two per load depending on size of the load, and center and spread them out so the entire load is covered. Then we attach the tarp by stretching rubber bungee cords to D-rings on the tarps and a metal railing along the side of the trailer.

Securing and tarping a load can take 45 minutes to two hours, depending. If the weather is wet, we often tarp under cover, otherwise we do this part outside of the warehouse. Black vinyl tarps, 90 degree weather, or below freezing - this can be challenging work. I’ve lost weight driving a truck for this reason alone, as I load and unload the truck on average once a day. It is an important skill for us economically too, as we generally earn more money rolling than tarping, so faster is better. Maverick culture fosters pride in safety and the “tight” appearance of a load, so precise and fast is the way to go.

Some of you know that I “received the precepts” in a Soto Zen Buddhist ceremony this past March. It is a lot like taking vows to live in accordance with Buddhist views on morality and compassion. Part of the ceremony is receiving a name from our teacher, which is inscribed on the back of a garment called a Rakusu that we wear when practicing meditation at the Zendo or temple. We sew the Rakusu, which is a roughly square foot of cloth hanging from our neck that covers a portion of our midsection and is made of several sections of cloth sewn together. The sewing of the garment, sometimes called “Buddha’s Robe”, is a big part of preparing to receive the precepts. It took me more than a year. While sewing, we silently chant “Namu Kie Butsu” or, in English rather than Japanese, “I take refuge in Buddha; I take refuge in Dharma; I take refuge in Sangha”. Place the needle in the cloth on Namu, push it through on Kie and pull the thread through on Butsu.

This became more relevant for me recently because I have had a difficult time maintaining a meditation practice while being an over-the-road truck driver. I spoke recently with my teacher Taitaku and she suggested several different ways I could practice other than strictly sitting meditation. While placing the bungee cords on the tarp the other day, it came to me that this was a lot like sewing the Rakusu. So now, when I place the first hook of the bungee cord, I silently say either “Namu” or “I take refuge in Buddha”. As I place the other end through the railing, I silently say “Kie” or “I take refuge in Dharma”. As I pull the bungee cord taut and hook it to the rail, I silently say “Butsu” or “I take refuge in Sangha”. This is a wonderful practice and helps me to pay attention and to work briskly without haste.

The name I received from Taitaku is Kamon Genka. It means Fire Gate, Inconceivable Transformation. I received the precepts in March, a month before the idea of driving a truck for a living occurred to me. The experience has been like a crucible for me, transforming me in unimagined ways, so I named my truck Fire Gate.