Exp. Flatbedders!

Sooo, after reading "So, you wanna be a skateboarder?".....all 21 pages of it.

Yes, yes i do want to be a skateboarder!

I also would love to sit down and buy G/MAN, BLACKW900, NOTARPS4ME, REDD, and a few others cups of coffee in exhange to hear their stories/adventures of flatbedding!

 

I don't get it?

 

Oh... I get it now. I had a duh moment.

So BigBama what is going on with you now, you have not posted in a while?

 

All you have to do is catch me....

That's no easy task because I move fast!

 

Been flatbedding for 4 years now. I am a company driver working for a small company with only 5 trucks. Get paid percentage and the money is great. Least I have taken home for 2 weeks was $1650 and I only worked 7 days. The weather is one down side if you're not pulling a curtain side. Rack and tarps suck in the winter if you live somewhere with road salt. Chains or straps depend on load. Chains always for most steel. I pull a load a few times a week of steel tube that I strap. I only tarp when I really have too. Even if it says too most of my stuff is local so I usually just say f it. Here is Ontario overweight multi axle steel flat bedding is the way of the money. I used to run like crazy but could no problem bing close to $2500 home twice a month.

 

It's a hell of a job but I enjoyed it for the most part when I pulled a regular spread. Some of the tarp jobs would make you seriously consider washing your mouth out with a revolver but that's just life.

Anymore, I only pull either a step or a low boy and haul dozers and ho's so no more tarps for me, just big ##### chains and heavy loads. Much simpler to secure a trackhoe than to secure a log cabin kit . You do have to watch out for mail boxes though hahaha.

 

They are only stories with the other yard birds....

 

I just switched from reefer to Flatbed last week. Have a few loads in so far. One thing I found out long before I switched was, your going to catch hell from everyone for wanting to do flatbed, even other flatbedders. Most think THEY are the only ones who can do it, and you cant. I read the first part of the first post of the link. No Im not afraid to drive in the dark, its what Im accustomed to. No Im not afraid of back roads, anyone been down US-550 in Colorado? I have. Speed limit is 25mph, some turns drop to 10mph goin through Red Mtn Pass. I enjoyed it. Its hard work, no doubt, but some people still enjoy hard work. Will I enjoy every minute, #@#)* no!! But I will get through it. Ive driven reefer trailers since May, got them into some interesting docks. Now I will learn how to meneuver a spread axle. I will figure as much as I can out on my own. Not becuase I think I know it all. But because most people dont want to help someone learn, they only want to run the person down because they are new. There is a book out on securing loads, I bought it. Will read through it to get a basic idea on securement. Most knowledge will come from my trainer, the ONLY person who has been supportive.

 

$5 bill in my wallet says 99% of those people who want to "run you down" will start looking less hostile when you lose that over dimensional chip you're hauling on your shoulder

 

Not from what Ive seen