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Corner protectors, vee boards, and other edge protectors that are used in the trucking industry are designed to prolong the life of your straps or chains, avoid crushing edges of your cargo.
They are also meant to ensure that your straps, chains, covers, and tarps won’t get damaged on sharp edges during transit.
At Trison Tarps, we stock several types of corner protectors, vee boards, and other edge protectors so your chains, straps, and tarps are well protected and you get maximum duration of service out of all your equipment.
Disclaimer: Please consult a legal expert; the content on this page is not to be construed as legal advice.
In short, regulations by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) require the protection of sharp corners and securement of cargo to avoid shifting that could result in an accident.
If you are in an accident and the cause is failure to use corner and edge protectors, you – the truck driver – may be penalized.
In more detail: Truckers and other drivers of commercial vehicles need to adhere to the cargo securement rules published on September 27, 2002, and enforceable since January 1, 2004.
These regulations state that:
The FMCSA regulations have specific requirements for securing certain loads:
These loads generally pose a higher risk to your winch straps; therefore, corner protectors are needed.
But that isn’t to say you can forego protectors when carrying other types of loads.
Use edge protectors to maintain the safety of your load and prevent damage to your tarps, straps, and chains.
Truckers have a duty to deliver correct and undamaged loads, whether the load is drywall, steel sheeting, oddly shaped and fragile items, bricks, or other cargo.
There are always various risks involved when carrying a load. One of the last things you want or need is delivering a damaged load or dealing with a torn tarp because you didn’t use corner protectors.
Corner protectors go by a few names: vee boards, tie down strap protectors, strap protectors, and tarp protectors.
When choosing the best corner protectors, keep in mind these various factors:
Corner protectors come in 3 main shapes:
V-shaped corner protectors are suitable for most loads.
Coil edge protectors are designed to protect metal coils and other curved cargo.
Corner shaped tarp protectors are meant to be placed on sharp, outside corners like the outside of a box corner.
The most common materials used to make corner protectors for flatbeds are:
Steel is the most popular material for edge protectors.
Plastic corner protectors are made from high-density and crack-resistant polyethylene.
This material ensures the protectors are flexible so they can conform to fit your cargo.
When a load is delivered, the plastic corner protectors return to their original shape for easy storage.
Rubber or rubber-hybrid corner protectors are also available so you can protect your cargo and tie downs.
Here are a few different types of corner protectors that you can use:
Rubber edge protectors are ideal for loads that are not square or have 90-degree angles.
These are suitable for oddly-shaped cargo.
Rubber edge protectors are versatile since they ensure extra security as the webbing strap can loop through.
It’s not recommended to use rubber edge protectors with chains.
Plastic corner protectors are also called V boards, vee boards, or web protectors.
They are lightweight, weather resistant, flexible, cost-efficient, easy to use, and stackable, and thus, the most common type of corner or edge protector.
Vee boards look like the letter “V” as two flat plastic surfaces are joined at a 90-degree angle to protect straps and cargo.
Truckers usually use vee boards with winch straps or ratchet straps since the raised edges of the protectors help keep the strap in place.
They help protect the strap’s “web” design.
While you can use plastic corner protectors with a variety of cargo, they are commonly used to protect:
Some vee boards even have a rounded center, making them perfect to use with tarps. The tarp curves around rather than being pulled tight.
Steel corner protectors, or metal edge protectors, are ideal for heavy-duty uses such as when you transport large and heavy coils. Steel edge protectors, made from durable and galvanized steel, have a slot, divot, channel, or groove so the webbing strap or chain remains in place.
Some metal edge protectors have a rubber lining, which ensures extra cargo protection.
Cardboard strap guards, also called cardboard edge boards, are suitable for protecting the corners and edges of fragile loads. Use cardboard strap guards to stabilize pallet loads and prevent movement.
These protectors are cost-efficient, easy to use, and lightweight, although typically only for a single use.
Wear sleeves protect winch straps from abrasion and cutting since they slip over the straps. Truckers also use wear sleeves to protect chains, cargo, ratchet straps, winch straps, and flatbed tarps. If you are hauling loads that have chrome, paint, or other finishes, then softer padding in the form of wear sleeves can do the job and protect this kind of cargo.
Kindly note that wear sleeves doesn’t increase or decrease the working load limit of the straps.
If you have coil loads, consider friction pads as corner or sharp edge protection. These pads are placed between the tarp and the coil to decrease stress and abrasion.
The other benefit of friction pads is that they increase the life of your steel tarps.
Felt corner protectors, made from industrial-grade felt material, are tear resistant and durable. Use them to protect tie down straps and fragile cargo.
Flatbed truckers generally use these protectors as coil padding and lifting sling pads in addition to edge or corner protection.
Corner and edge protectors come in various sizes:
There are various vee board styles and sizes you can choose from, and best of all, most of these are compatible with 4” wide winch straps.
There are several types of vee boards you can choose from:
Reflective vee boards are used in the same way you’d use regular vee boards. The benefits of using vee boards for flatbeds or trailers that are reflective are that they:
Vee boards are ideal to protect bricks, concrete, and other cargo that has 90-degree edges.
When buying vee boards for brick and concrete block hauling, you can also look for BrickGuard edge protectors that overlap, interlock, and ensure the protection of your load and straps.
Two popular vee board brands are:
Ancra is an industry leader in “load securement innovation.” The company was founded in 1969, so they’ve been in the cargo securement business for more than 50 years.
Ancra Cargo offers plastic tarp protectors, steel protectors, web protectors, nylon sleeves, rubber-coated steel corner protectors, and more.
Here are some of the Ancra products we sell:
Kinedyne has been in the cargo business for more than 5 decades. The company started as a single facility in New Jersey and evolved into an international company that employs more than 500 employees.
As “The Cargo Control People,” Kinedyne believes it can simplify the increasingly complex shipping environment with better cargo securement.
Trison Tarps sells various types of Kinedyne vee boards, such as:
Vee boards for flatbeds come in various lengths:
Tired of climbing on your trailer and straining your back to simply place vee boards, BrickGuards, or other corner and edge protectors on your load?
Make life easy with the help of a corner protector placement tool. It’s extendable, so you can remain on the ground and place the corner protector of your choice on the load.
Plus, you can use the center recessed area to reposition the cargo straps.
The tool is also lightweight, durable, corrosion and rust-free, impact resistant at low and high temperatures, and highly visible with its yellow powder-coated finish.
It’s easy to store at a length of just over 5’.
Follow this step-by-step process to use the corner protector placement tool:
It’s essential that your toolbox contains a variety of edge and corner protectors based on the cargo you transport.
If you need help choosing a vee board or corner protector, contact the Trison Tarps team and we’ll gladly assist.
Corner protectors (also called edge protectors) are designed to provide a layer that helps distribute pressure and reduce pressure and friction points between the tie down and the edge of the cargo.
Corner protectors protect cargo edges and your tarps, straps, and chains, extending the life of these securement devices.
These protectors come in various shapes, materials, and sizes, so you simply need to choose the best corner protectors for your flatbed load.
Using corner protectors benefits truckers in various ways.
Edge and corner protectors protect your straps, chains, and tarps from abrasions and cuts, so you can protect your cargo, save money, and easily stack and store your corner protectors.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has specific regulations when corner protectors need to be used.
Truckers must use edge and corner protectors whenever a tie down can sustain damage and when transporting certain cargo, such as logs, dressed lumber, metal coils, and more since these pose a significant risk to your straps.
However, corner protectors should also be used when they help secure the safety of their loads and straps.
Vee boards, also called V boards, are popular plastic corner or edge protectors made from high-density and crack-resistant polyethylene.
These protectors are lightweight, flexible, stackable, and easy to use with ratchet or winch straps.
Vee boards are commonly used when transporting fragile loads, insulated steel sheeting, and drywall, but truckers can use them for other cargo too.
