Flatbed Questions

Hi Drivers, hope you can help me out with some answers and advice.

First off Ill mention the 3 companies I have sort of narrowed it down too based on research. [Transport America] [PGT] [TMC] (leaning heavily toward TMC). So feel free to offer specific advice for each company if you like.

So a bit about me ..
After taking a break from the fiasco, that was CR England, I am looking to hit the road again. I have 9months solid Class A, and then 5months Class B (W/Trailer) OTR. Despite CRE driving me from a job I enjoyed, and still arguing with them over money, I do miss it. It was good money, and I took a since of pride in knowing I had a job that required considerable skill at times. While I am content to bump a dock,(lord knows there are places which present challenges) I have been looking at a couple of flatbed companies. Id like to do something out of the truck on occasion, and would like to take on the challenges of flatbeding its self.


So onto the questions..

(1) Are flatbed loads scheduled with common sense?

(With CRE I was pushing my 14 every day, driving 11hours only stopping for fuel, and still had issues. Considering you have to Tarp and secure, do they at least give you a sinceable buffer to do that safely and properly?)


(2) With flatbeding, how much overnight work is there? IE When do you generally load and unload?


(3) What Advice could you give to a future flatbeder?



Thanks for the advice.


EDIT: Put a lil pool at the top to see your opinions as well, thanks again.

 

Normally...not always, but normally...you'll unload in the morning and reload in the afternoon...Alot of the places I have gone to are FCFS, no appt. needed.
I have pulled a box and flatbed. i prefer the flatbed, for normally the load and unload times are alot faster. Now, you may get stuck at a shipper or cons. at times for hours on end. It typically takes less than 1 minute to set a coil on the trailer, or 15 minutes to get a load of lumber. But, the line may take a few hours to get to your turn.
Pulling a box, I have went to alot of warehouses, big warehouses, usually not that hard to get to.
Flatbedding, be prepared to run alot of country roads. usually lumber mills dont sit next to the interstate.
I have had a few 2300 pickups, or 0400 deliveries, but not many. Usually that happens when dealing with large plants.
Most of flatbed loads are live loaded, versus preloads. I prefer the live load because you can usually direct the loader how you want the cargo put on the trailer.
Most loads can be chained/strapped and tarped in an hour or less. (if tarping is required)
As far as your 11/14 hour rule, there is a joke you may here at sometime, "first shift is for unloading, second shift is for reloading, and third shift is for driving"
Flatbed freight drops off in the winter, and runs pretty hard in the spring and summer months.
My personal experience, what I tell others when they ask if the tarping is hard, I always tell them, the weather is the worst part of flatbedding.
Wind is not your friend.lol.
Alot of steel mills require long sleeves, pants, boots, hard hat, gloves, saftey glasses, etc. Even in a Deep southern summer.
And of course trying to roll a tarp, that folds like thick cardboard in a northeastern winter on top of a foot of snow.
Dont let this discourage you, many people pull a flatbed are very happy with it. You will get to be out of the truck for a while, not just stuck in the cab.
Then theres those 60 degree spring days when you get a load of pretreated lumber that doesnt have to be tarped.
Alot of your loads will probably be heavy. Close to 80k gross. Some shippers ship according to weight, not quantity, so they will load all they can.
"Load it like a freight train, fly it like a airplane"

 

Thanks for the reply cruisecontrol

I imagine the wind is not your friend at all rolling up a tarp, but it certainly hasn't put me off of flatbed. As I lived in europe for a few years, I am not against tromping around in snow up to me knees either. I have pretty much decided to give it a go, just looking for tips, advice, etc.

Thanks for the reply


Hope to here from some more flatbeders over the weekend

 

As a female flatbedder, all I can say is I love it! Although I do have to give credit where credit is due...my husband does most of the heavy tarp lifting but I am proud to say that I can secure a load all by myself. I've never driven van or reefer and don't think I want to, we usually offload in the am and reload in the afternoon. Good luck to you.

 

I do flatbedding, but we haul concrete pipe and home every night, and no tarping.

 

Thanks for the info and advice so far guys, and gal of coarse.

Plan to give PGT and TMC a call first thing Monday and see where things go from there.

 

I pull a flatbed as well. I do 75% of my driving at night, I get loaded late afternoon/early evening and I'm usually unloaded within 20 mins of arriving at 7am. 99% of the places I go do not require an appointment. Everything I just mentioned obviously varies to some degree, it all depends on if I am hauling lumber or coils, bridge beams or sheet iron... All in all...there is NO WAY I'd go back to a van or refer!

 

I don't mind driving at night some times, While training that is all I did, so I am comfortable with it if i Must. I do find myself less stressed driving during the day. At night I tend to worry more about not seeing something, or becoming fixated on the lines, or drifting off. I never have, but still stressful.

I do prefer driving during the day, while there is more traffic I have found it to be generally safer, especially in the winter. Plus you do get to see alot of the scenery. At night not so much.

 

Which answer is that?? I was saying thanks to the guy.

 

The choice between PGT and TMC??? Well to be honest that all depends on you as a person. To me right now PGT seems like the better company but only because it's a smaller company only about 900 trucks everyone knows each other. Just continue to do your research TMC is very structured(Strict) with alot of things that in my life experience I don't feel like I have to deal with. Either or I think they both have more positives then negatives. But my choice is PGT as I was going thru the same decision recently and am going to orientation on the 3rd.