Is there much less backing running flatbed?

Just curious. It seems with the nature of the freight your not going to be backing all that much at shippers/receivers. I'm a newbie and yes backing was a struggle at times in CDL school but I know it will take time to learn. It seems a benefit to flatbed might be less backing or am I wrong? Thanks!

 

Yes and no.. you get to some job sites and you have crazy backing. Then other places you hear pull up here and then loop around to get out

 

Shipper and rec are not the only places you will need to back up in. It's a skill be patient you'll get it.

 

In a word, no. But your techniques will be different with a spread axle trailer. I've backed into steel mills with inches of clearance on either side from bright sunlight into pitch black darkness....but by no means claim to have even touched the experience of some of the skateboarders on this forum.

 

Just keep practice in empty lot with cones. You will get better.

 

And some times there is mud.

 

Thank you. In CDL school I got the offset, straight, and alley dock but that was with set points showing me exactly how to set up. Doing it on the fly, i.e. pulling up to any dock, parking space, etc, seems very challenging at this point. But I guess the only way to learn is to do right? I'm sure I will embarrass myself just starting out but oh well.

On another note is it a bad idea for me with no road experience to start out in flatbed? I know load securement is the key, but is there any reason a newbie shouldn't start in flatbed? Thanks for your advice and/or patience.

 

Backing a flatbed with spread axle is harder then a van trailer with tandems. You will have to back up in flatbed, and it will be difficult, expectually in a truck stop.

Flatbed do hit docks too like van. Pallets, machinery, buckets, etc.

 

Its a mixed bag with flatbed.

There are times where you just pull up,.. they load you. Strap/tarp and go.

Then there are places where you get into a tight small lot and need to bang a loading ramp thats off at an angle in the corner with boom lifts, generators, skid steers and all kinds of other ish that can not be hit while you figure out how to maneuver inside the lot,.. or worse,.. if you have to blind side in off a busy street (Because there is no room to turn around inside the lot) with traffic that has zero mercy for what you need to do. All they care about is that you are about to create a 5 - 10 seconds of wait time for them,.. and that is simply unacceptable.

Then there are places in the wilderness. Could be a small country road that leads to an even more narrow country driveway that goes up a 9% incline,.. all the while you need to dodge trees with low branches, big tire and wheel destroying rocks, an embankment that could mean certain death,.. then once at the top,.. there is a postage stamp sized area that they want you to turn around and back into a small bay that has a gantry crane so they can load you.

This is what you can expect with flatbed. Every day is different. Its not always crazy or as bad as I described. But understand,.. that it could be and you need to be on top of your game.

Flatbed requires a driver to be able to make responsible decisions that can mean the difference between getting the job done, or damaging equipment/loads and getting black listed in this segment of trucking.

I would suggest getting in with a good training company. Get your feet wet to see if you can even handle flatbed. Its not for everyone. Besides needing to have some common sense,.. this is not drop n hook,. or banging loading docks. There is an element of labor involved. You will never see a good flatbed driver inside his cab while he is being loaded or unloaded. Common sense and the fortitude to step up to the plate when needed means you can not allow the shipper or receiver to dictate how your trailer gets loaded if you see something you dont like. Thats your license and someone elses life on the line if they do it wrong.

The rewards are self gratitude,.. respect. Flat bedders always look at other flatbedders and pass silent judgment on each others loads. You can tell inside of 5 seconds if you are dealing with a professional or a slack-###.

Hurst