Those who left flatbed , why did you do it?

Mainly too old I believe. I would be one of them. Now a Covered Wagon is not difficult at all even in bad wind. Just a routine.

Now fighting say a 130 pound canvas tarp trying to escape you in a nor'easter with ice etc it can tear you up. Thats a young man's game.

 

Quit tarping, don't have one on the truck.

 

Man I did that coil haul from Kentucky back here to Virginia 1 time and that was enough for me. Climbing through the mountains of West Virginia 13 mph was enough. Lol, I've never been there to Busch in Williamsburg but I hear that it has tons of problems

 

And tarping doesn't pay any better than to get a load that doesn't need a tarp. Hell, if anything the material being tarped is subject to being damaged by wind or rain costing you money

 

Yes it does. The first tanker job I had was after a flatbed gig where I'd haul...and tarp...four or five loads a day.
I thought I'd died and gone to trucker heaven. Plus, I was making more money in ten hours on tankers than I made in sixteen on lumber.
I've never seriously considered a flatbed job since.

 

I have less than a year total as a flatbedder after doing various dry van work for several years, but I never want to do anything else. It came very natural to me. I tried getting out of it to do tanker work (better benefits) but I only lasted a couple weeks with the tanks. It just wasn’t for me, I felt way out of my element. It’s hard to explain but flatbedding is just where my passion is. I love it, I love the challenge, I love the physical work, I love being out in the weather throwing straps. Then I get to show off my work driving down the road.

 

I left flatbed because the vacation was getting old. I went to food service and started working and making money.

 

Took a break from flat because its winter time and I needed a break from frozen tarp jobs.

I'd like to give end dump a try in the future as an owner op.

Opendeck is a brotherhood that I have not seen as much of in the other divisions of trucking, imo.

Just an observation.