Not every state in the U.
S.
has a mandatory truck tarp law for hauling product such as asphalt, sand and aggregate, but every state does have littering laws which requires haulers of refuse to cover their loads in order to prevent garbage from littering the roadways.
Also, upon entering landfills throughout the country, signs are normally posted that require all loads to be covered with a tarp upon entering and exiting the landfill.
There are also requirements at many landfills and transfer stations for drivers of vehicles to stay on the ground and often remain in their vehicles when dumping their loads.
Operators are therefore restricted from climbing on their vehicles to tarp and untarp their loads.
In these cases, an automated truck tarping system is required on the vehicle to cover and uncover the load from ground level or from inside the cab of the vehicle.
The purpose of this article is to identify the need to tarp refuse loads and the three categories of roll off tarping systems to choose from:

1. Fully Automatic Tarp System
2. Semi-Automatic Tarp System
3. Manual Hand Tarp

The Fully Automatic System is an electric or hydraulic operated system in which the operator controls buttons or levers to cover and uncover the load from the ground.
A Semi-Automatic System is a tower that raises high above the load between the cab and the container, and a rope is pulled by the operator standing in back of the vehicle to pull the tarp over the load.
The rope is tied off to the back of the container to secure the tarp.
To uncover, the operator reverses the process and the tarp is retracted like a window shade.
A Manual Hand Tarp is simply a rectangular tarp that is thrown over the load by the operator and secured manually with rubber straps to hooks around the container.
These three categories of Truck Covers satisfy the requirements of the law to contain a refuse load and prevent garbage from littering the roadways, as well as any state tarp law.