Question & answer
Can You Drive With a Roll-Up Cover Open?
Yes, fully rolled and strapped. Not partly open. Gator's sheet is the clearest we read: tall cargo means the cover is fully rolled and fastened with both retainer straps, and you never drive with the cover partly open. Check your own sheet for your own cover.
The short answer
Yes, if the cover is fully rolled up and fastened with its straps. Gator's sheet says tall cargo means fully rolled open and fastened with both retainer straps, and never to drive partly open. It also warns not to roll the cover into the rear cab window or stow it against the cab. Follow your own cover's sheet.
What the sheet says
Gator's soft roll-up sheet gives these rules:
- Tall cargo: the cover has to be fully rolled open and fastened with both retainer straps.
- Never drive with the cover partly open.
- Cargo must not contact the tarp.
- Do not roll the cover into the rear cab window, or stow it against the cab.
- Periodically re-roll a cover left open for a long time.
Tyger's sheets have a matching habit, though they say less. Open by rolling toward the cab, then hook the safety straps. Rough Country's hard roll-up box has two security straps.
Before you pull away
Run through this quick check when the cover is open:
- Is it rolled all the way, with nothing flapping?
- Are both straps fastened?
- Does it clear your rear window? On a truck with a sliding or opening rear window, this deserves a real look.
- Is the load below the cab, or tied down so it cannot shift into the roll?
If you cannot do all that, close the cover or take a second trip. We have no document that tells you how much wind a loose cover can take, so we are not going to guess.
Partly open for a long load?
This is the tempting one: lumber sticking out, cover half rolled over the front of the load. Gator's sheet rules it out for its cover, and we read no maker's sheet that allows it. If you do this often, a different setup may suit you better than any roll-up.
Closed covers have their own rule
Gator's sheet warns there is no manual release from inside the bed, and says never to let anyone in the bed with the cover closed. That applies to children and pets as much as anyone. It is the one rule on this page that is about safety rather than the cover's life.
For the rest of what the sheet says, see the Gator page.
When it is safer to close it
If you are not hauling anything tall, close it. A closed, latched cover has fewer ways to come loose than an open one with a strap you forgot. If you are hauling something tall on a long drive, stop after a few miles and check that the straps are still fastened. That is our own advice and not from a sheet, but it takes a minute.
What owners ask
Why not partly open?
Gator's sheet gives the rule, not the physics. The obvious worry is that a loose, partly rolled cover has nothing holding it against the wind. Treat that reason as our reading, and treat the rule itself as the maker's.
Do hard roll-ups have straps too?
Rough Country's parts list has two security straps for its hard roll-up. Tyger's soft cover sheets say to roll toward the cab and hook the safety straps. Check that yours are fastened before you drive.
How long can I leave it rolled up?
Gator says to periodically re-roll a cover left open for a long time. It does not give a set number of days. If yours stays open for a season, check it from time to time.
Sources
Where to next
- BrandGatorWhat Gator's soft roll-up sheet states: a limited 2-year warranty, care rules, no release from inside the bed, and which trucks have Gator titles, as worded.
- How-toInstall a roll-up coverHow a soft roll-up tonneau cover goes on, from the Tyger and Gator sheets: tools, rail placement, clamps, crossbars, tension, and the checks most people skip.
- Buying guideSoft roll-upWhat a soft roll-up tonneau cover is, what the sheets ask of you, where it falls short, and which cover to start with on each truck. No test claims, just documents.
- OverviewQuestionsPlain answers on leaks, weight, drilling, snow, security and fit, each taken from maker documents, with the gaps stated. No hands-on claims and no guessing.
Who is behind this
rolluptonneaucover.com Editorial Team
Truck fit and buying advice
We are the editorial team at rolluptonneaucover.com. We read listing titles, maker install sheets and truck makers' own bed specifications and sort them truck by truck, with sources on every page. Nobody here has bolted these covers to a truck, and nothing was measured in a lab. We say so plainly.
- Listing titles and maker sheets read
- Sources on every page
- No installs and no lab work
- Publisher details in the imprint