Will I be properly trained ?

A few reasonable starter companies

Maverick. They take new flatbed drivers, have a good training program.

May want to look into the Daseke companies.

They are starter companies. Then you may find they fit your needs. After a year with one of them, you can choose to move.

 

Im a new CDL at my 2nd regional flatbed job. Neither place did any form of training whatsoever, on anything. Youtube, google, securement handbook and other drivers are how ive learned.

Pay attention to every load you see going by and how its secured. Chat up other flatbedders at the pumps and ask questions, theyll get you sorted out, especially ask what DOT in the state your in has pet peeves about. For instance NC dot has a peeve for belly strapped lumber that TN doesnt seem too concerned with. You get that sort of info by chatting. The loader operators at the shipper are usually decent too. When they ask me where i want the load on the trailer, i say however all the other drivers with 48 spreads have you do it. Havent been over on any weights yet and probably wouldve if id done it my own way.

I say im a new driver all the time to get info but you never want the appearance of your load to say it for you. Wanna learn how to tarp? Ask another driver if you can help him to learn. Guarantee he says sure, grab that corner.

 

I know right

 

I started with Maverick and they have a very thorough securement training. It is 8 full days covering just about every type of loads they do. They also will allow you to go out with a trainer for real world experience on securing loads. Going out with a trainer is optional if you have at least 6 months recent truck driving experience. Also they have a 24 hour securement hotline you can call if you get a load you are unsure how to secure.

Currently I work for Britton Transport in their flatbed division. They do not have a securement class but do have a trainer with over 25 years of flatbed experience that you can go out with to get real world experience. In fact, he is on this forum. It is @MrEd.

 

When my SIL decided he wanted to be a trucker, I made a deal with him, run OTR the road with me for a year and if he still thought that was what he wanted to do, I would put him in a truck.
Unless you happen to be hauling the same products all the time, it would be near impossible to train someone in a week or so. I had him walk around the truckstops when we were shutdown at times and look to see how different loads were tied, it is not rocket science to see if one is tied down right or not, but it does pay to pay attention.

 

Short answer is no.

Long answer is yes, you will have training, but it won't be very good. Flatbed is on the job training for the majority; sure, they'll teach you the legal requirements, as far as how to actually get down the road safely, they won't. They'll teach you how to use a binder, but they probably won't teach you where to put it, they'll teach you how to crank down a strap but not how tight and which direction. Partly because they don't have every kind of load you can pick up there to teach you, partly because they don't know how to do every kind of load, and partly because there are multiple ways to do things.

Flatbedding is part science, and part finesse. Watch other people do their loads, ask the loaders when in doubt, do the legal minimum first then expand until you feel like you're not going to die or kill someone else, and always remember that if it doesn't look right, it probably isn't.