"Do not ever drive flatbed"

Best of luck to you. Be careful out there and be aware of your surroundings. I cannot stress enough, safety first. Don't put your hands under anything being loaded, don't try and stop something that's being loaded from falling and stand clear when they are craning. Remember, you didn't test their ropes, nor their straps.

Get yourself some gloves and watch out for stray wicker on the cables. Knuckle protectors, anti abrasion and puncture resistant gloves work great, especially in the winter when your hand slips. There was a time I would have lost a finger if I didn't have my gloves on. Don't forget a hardhat and safety glasses.

Don't be afraid to double check your chains binders or straps and as others have said, an extra strap or binder doesn't hurt anything. Be mindful of protecting the load as well and don't forget your chaf pads/rubber.

Good luck and keep us posted. I wish you nothing but success.

 

Thanks. I will definitely post how it goes. Starting next Friday. Thanks

 

Good advice.

 

So it finally dawned on me, that one of the reasons I even looked at this thread.

I don’t drive a flatbed, I pull one ( actually a step deck) with a truck/tractor. I drive the truck, the trailer just follows me around.

 

What if you come across the need to have to push it in order to back up? What ever will you do?

 

Geez, everybody knows a flatbed, step deck, or other open deck type trailer NEVER backs up.

 

What? I could have pulled in? 17 trys and 3 spotters. No big deal.

 

You delivered a forklift in a covered wagon. Didn’t even pull the kit. Good deal!

 

Well I got my first load planned today. My first load is lumber. I load in southern VA Thursday afternoon, and deliver Monday morning. I'm am super excited like a kid before Xmas. I bobtailed today to the truck stop for fuel and it felt great!

I got a 2019 KW T680 with a EPU. Anyone have a EPU, instead of a APU? I was worried the EPU won't keep the fridge cold and and the cab cool at night. Anyone have any experience with a EPU?

 

By EPU I'm assuming you're referring to an auxiliary battery pack. I had one in a FL and hated it. Hopefully you'll have better performance than I did.