At the speeds you would be traveling on a freeway the material in the bed of the pickup would be sucked out by the wind and distributed along the paths you traveled. You might have some left when you got to your destination but a large amount would be gone. I have used a tarp (4 x 8) held in place with bungee cords hooked to the truck frame to hold the tarp, and the material, in place.

This is why trucks that haul gravel, dirt, trash, etc, are required to have covers over the open bed and even then they loose material.

kimmq is kimmsr

I probably should cover to be courteous or avoid potential tickets, but I never do. I have mounded my truck bed to within a foot of he top of the cab and there is minimal blowing. i can see NO visible loss after a 40 mile drive at 60mph. If I only fill to he top of he bed, nothing blows out. the cab, being higher, shields the contents of the bed from most draft.

I was able to cover it efficiently with painter plastic and bricks (many bricks).

FWIW, the delivery trucks from the local soil yard are never covered and they drive all over kingdom come at freeway speeds!! I doubt there is much to be concerned about with the stuff blowing away on the trip home unless it is very dry to begin with.

FWIW, in Michigan there is a law that requires all trucks carrying that type of material, including the delivery trucks from the local soil yards, to be covered and the all have some kind of cover that can be pulled over the load. I have seen the same type of load cover in other states I have traveled in.

In spite of that there are still instances where some of the load from those trucks is thrown off by the wind generated, and even instances when one carrying stone has some of that stone be bumped out. We had a car driver killed recently when a 10 pound piece of concrete was knocked out of one such truck. Denying that loosing part of the load does not happen is like playing hide and seek as an infant.

kimmq is kimmsr

It happened to us. My husband and I were traveling about 25 feet behind a truck carrying a load of rock, when a large rock flew off the truck with great force and broke our windshield. If the windshield had not been made of safety glass, my husband would most likely have been killed. Please cover your load.

good advice, shymil. Once I was well behind a dump truck, knowing that these things happen. The wind caught a large ( probably 4X6) piece of sheet metal, and I realized that I could not brake in time. But the sheet metal turned vertical and fell fast, and I was able to drive on it.

Tarps are a nightmare on the highway. The best and really only way to secure one is to make it tight with no flappy parts. That means elastic straps (bungees). You can't have too many bungees. If you can, tuck in the FRONT part underneath the load. Lay down the edge of the tarp so the load is dumped on top of it, then fold it over the load and secure the back and sides. Some weights like short 2x4s, chunks of firewood, bricks, whatever you have will help to weigh down the center so it can't flap around. Just make sure they can't fall or blow out onto the road.

I borrow the father in laws truck to get the loads of leaf mulch... which is just last years leaves shredded up from a township in my area. The leaves are damp for the most part... but a good amount blow out in the highway for a few miles before it gets down to a layer that does blow out. I don't loose too much after a run home many miles away. A tarp seems like it would be a pain to secure down without a ton of cordage. I wouldn't think compost or wood mulch would do much.

Loose 2 x 4's, chunks of firewood, bricks, on top of the tarp are likely to get knocked off if the truck hits a bump in the road and could harm someone else.

To hold a 4 x 8 tarp securely over a load of material in my pickup bed required 6 bungee cords hooked into the grommets in the tarp and then to the truck frame, not a difficult task and one that kept the material in the truck bed. I not only had a tarp to keep the material in the bed as I drove down the road I had an unloader, a tarp the load sat on and had a crank on the tailgate to make un loading much easier.

http://www.loadhandler.com/

kimmq is kimmsr

How do you like that loadhandler? I've seen a lot of reviews where it just doesn't work if the material is stacked over/behind the wheel well or packed down too tightly.

I've modified a Bagster to line the bed before I load it up. To unload, I just attach the Bagster straps to something that wont move (tree or tracter loader), take off the tailgate and drive off.

I've also thought about keeping a FIBC tote in the truck. I have one with a duffle top and a full bottom dump. I'd just pick it up by the straps with the tractor, carry it where I want it, and open the bottom to dump. I also have one with the spout bottom, so I can dump the mulch/compost more surgically-along the garden row, or whatever. I reckon the duffle top would also provide a great cover.

I have been using a load handler over 20 years. I put a 3/4 pressure treated v box in the back of my truck. Have a bed liner under pressure treated wood. The load handler works great, no clean up in truck bed after using the load handler.. Oh paint the 3/4 inch plywood. I can unload 2 yards of mulch in 2 minutes.

Just want to say a huge thanks that you mention a load handler. I 've never heard about this tool before now. Will go to buy one today.

To hold the tarp over load of manure , I use 2 shovels and a fork, place them on 3 sides. Works fine.

Reminds me of when I was a kid. Dad had a 1950 Ford pickup with tall wood side panels. He would drive to the city and fill it up with leaves from the streets, one driving, two shoveling and stomping them down until full. Always had to cover the load with a tarp and tie it down...Good memories.

The real fun was sitting atop load with wind in your face on the way home. Just a handy tip for those that tarp their loads. Buy shade cloth by the foot and a gromet tool to make a cover that doesn't flap mear as bad as a tarp. Tuck it under load at front then weight sides as suggested by Tox and Kimser. Gawd I miss those guys.