Thinking about Flatbed

The extra pay isn't worth it as a company driver for these large outfits. You might make more but it's not worth what you do for it. The most bang for the buck is going to be dry van.

Flatbed would be good if you think you'd like that kind of thing or want to get into other open deck areas in the future.

 

Winter is coming. Frozen tarps below zero Temps
Bone chilling winds.

 

What would make extra pay not worth it?

 

Depends.. if you like to get some exercise and move around flatbed is a good way to go. Once you get 6 months to a year in it a lot of flatbed places will hire you and pay a whole lot better. Typically flatbed jobs are higher paying especially on the oversized and heavy haul side. A lot of flatbed outfits will get you home for part of the weekend. I know of a dedicated account in mn that hires with 6 months exp, home weekends,and pays 1200 to 1400 a week.

 

Well, let's see....

1. You might break a nail
2. You will get your sweatpants dirty.
3. I had a friend who tried flatbedding. He had to tarp! Shudder, the horrors.
4. It's so much easier to back up to the docks and wait.
5. Oh, and I heard that most flatbed operations were solo. Imagine, those people actually expect you to drive a truck by yourself!
6. And those flatbed guys are just plain crude. I had a friend who drove into a truckstop drive through a fuel island in 5th gear, went and parked, and a flatbedder drove up and called my friend stupid to his face, and in a very impolite way invited him to get out of his truck. What a knuckledraggers!

So the extra money isn't worth having to all of that extra work, the wear and tear on your hands, and having to hang out with such mean people!

 

Either way go flats. The experience will pay for itself the day you decide to leave the mega and get a better paying job pulling open deck in your area. Also if a door slammer company offer you a better paying gig then it won't take much to get the hang of me bumping a dock other then shippers and recievers who can't stand truck drivers. If one person can do it then you can. Rain, snow, wind, heat it's just part of the job. "So easy a caveman can do it"

 

T-Six, yer goin to scare them all away!!

 

Flatbed is deff. more work. I think it's worth it, even if van/reefer is less work or a bit more money to start out.

I pulled flats for Prime and for the most of it, had a blast. The most difficult part was situations where I had little/no experience - my first solo coil load, my first PVC load, my first tractor load, first NYC/Long Island load, first load over Eisenhower/Vail, first load over Donner... Once I experienced those things for the first time, it wasn't so bad...

 

One thing to consider is does the company have enough flatbed freight to keep you busy through the winter?

Reefer runs steady year round.

Dry van will be slowing down after December.

By the time you get done with school, snow will be a fallin, and so will the number of available loads.

Difficult time to learn everything you need to know, as well.

Me, given the choice, if I knew I could make it through the first winter, I'd choose flatbedding for the doors it will open up for you later on.

All the above posters have given very sage advice, btw.