As much time as I've spent on the road, all I've ever pulled is reefer and dry box. I'm inbetween jobs right now and I just got hired by a flatbed outfit. I've never hauled flatbed before and don't know much about it, any info and advice from flatbed drivers that have been doing it for a while would be greatly appreciated.

get ready to start workin and usein your head on securement

If you dont mind a little hard work you will love it. No backing to docks or driving into city centers. Shippers/Receivers that load/unload as fast as they can. Welcome to the best job a driver can have.

That's good...but everything has a good side and a bad side...someone coming from the flat bed division to reefer or dry van might have a hard time because are not use to the backing and dock bumping or going thru the city...but everything has a good and bad thing...

Flatbed is great for miles. I made way more miles as a flatbeder. The deadheads tend to be longer. No waiting around at grocery DC's . You will get dirtier, sweatier and have to tarp in some crappy weather. My favorite is tarping in 50mph winds in Albuquerque winds strong enough to pick you and your tarp up and launch you off your load. Flatbeding is a different breed, you either hate it or you love it. Not much in between.

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Prisoner Of The Highway, currently lending my hands to another line of work, but my heart is still behind the wheel. Going back to the road on 12/1/08. Had to go to the worst trucking company in the world. Only ones that are hiring/will hire me.

I've never been a fan of docks. I can bump docks all day long but that doesn't mean I like doing it. As far as work goes, dirt and sweat are just part of the game to me. That's what truck stop showers are for. I'm in it for the cash. Whether it's flatbed, tanker, reefer, dry box, it doesn't make any difference if the money's right. Mind you, I will NOT miss all the waiting. I owe every drop of patience I have in my body to hauling reefer loads for a living.

No more backing into docks from busy city streets? You mean it?!

I won't miss that either. Especially when you can't even see the dock.

Mind if I ask who you chose to go with? Not that it matters, just curious. As far as the backing goes, you may not have grocery warehouses, but if you look around here you will hear tales of some pretty interesting "docks". And spread axle trailers can be, umh, interesting at times. In all seriousness, look, listen and ask! Look at every flatbed load you see. Ask other drivers when you dont know, and listen to their advice. You wont use everything you are told or see, but it WILL help you. And there are no two loads alike!

You said it. Work and securement. I ran bale cotton out of the MS, LA,AR, and MO Bootheel for two years. Young then and didn't mind the work. Our tarps then were one piece, full load size. 34 ft long ,trailer width and flaps side, front, and rear that came below the rails on a squared up load.
Interesting point: The cotton compress companies where we loaded were ususally old wooden floor, tin sided ragged buildings with just good roofs and a big fire hose. Some one hit the idea for taking off some tin, skilsaw into the floor for 36 feet back and 104 inches wide to make a back in ground level "pit". Could load from sides and back then. Worked good when the saw op was sober and could saw straight. Better still if the ground under the cut out was solid and the gravel/slag they threw in it was kinda level. Could get seasick backing in with the trailer rising on one side and nearly touching the other side, then a foot further back in it leveled or swapped situations. Were very good later when they poured some concrete sides straight, with a level concrete floor.
Everybody on the payroll stopped and watched a driver back in for the
first few months.
I had a used forklift sales and repair shop from 79 to 94. Went to auctions and bought, traded around with other buyers after the sale, then went home. Rented a rig later and go back and pick up what we had wound up with. Forklifts, tow tractors, gas driven welder, etc. A mixed load of this stuff will try your chaining... Some won't run, no brakes, or just whopsided from damage.

See what is to load. Plan where and how to place it. Load it up and chain-chain-chain it down... TIGHT.
Pull away from load site, shake it gently, stop solid, GO BACK and rechain,
tighten, then go. I rolled one over in Henderson, TN in 1954 and never lost a bale. Two wreckers set it up, stuck another tractor under and went on to New Orleans with it. Was high density cotton and ground/ditch was soft from rain.
A capable driver can haul anything on a flatbed....
Driver in EL Paso. Needs load back east. Broker tells him only thing he has is cattle, pays good, needs to go now...
Driver takes it. Lines the cows up 4 wide, head to tail on trailer, nails the hooves to the floor, puts wraparound sunglasses on the front four for eye protection and blares ### to feedlot in Joplin, MO. Collects, saves nails and glasses for future business. A capable driver....

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Bye Y'all

Oh yeah my favorite is when they want the trailer an inch from a side dock and you have to parallel park it in. Those are always fun. The hay haulers out here always make me nervous no where near the amount of straps they should have and you always see them loosing their loads.

__________________
Prisoner Of The Highway, currently lending my hands to another line of work, but my heart is still behind the wheel. Going back to the road on 12/1/08. Had to go to the worst trucking company in the world. Only ones that are hiring/will hire me.

What makes you think flatbeds don't go to city centers ? How do you think construction materials for new building construction get there ?