The Truckers’ Report flatbed Hall of Shame.

I used to be surprised when i started hauling brick, that the plants were so cheap as to make banded packs with zero pallet. Yes thats a 46k load of bricks that are just rubber banded together with nothing under them, for those who dont haul brick.. And yes they fall apart all the time. I bet its rare to see an intact cube hit a job site after 3 handlings.

Naturally the brick plant doesnt care who it kills off property, the savings on pallets will justify that life. Insurance, "safety guidelines" and legal teams will insulate the board from wrongdoing. Even though its still pretty wrong.. Im tired of pick up bricks when a band pops off every other time. Their savings cost MY time.

But im looking at those hockey pucks thinking man those mills are A holes. Anything to save a buck. I cannot believe that those are not stacked and banded on a pallet or crate. Or skewered onto some custom rotisserie jig thats anchored to the trailer, as an industry standard. Pallets and air nailers are pretty cheap compared to human life. No wonder the insurance agents first question is always "will you be hauling steel?" I see it now.

 

I bet my life and others life on securement. I see plenty of aero plastic open deck rigs that grab coils as back hauls. Scares the heck out of me. First they are taking a gig that used to pay great and low ball it for a "back haul" sheeting on guys that its thier primary haul. So many open deck guys take along time because they need a search warrant to locate there coil equipment. They have no idea about placement for weight distribution of it's not a "full trailer". They either have not enough chain or too much on one thinking that just because they went over the WLL with chain protects them in other shortages. Most leave on square cut heat treated timbers setting at a 90° to floor, which ain't hard lumber with no rubber between. Never have the right amount of coil racks per coil weight. Most I see are 2 under that rag of a tarp going down the road. Trust me I watch you guys as much or more as anyone else.

Unless I missed it, no one has identified what I consider the biggest fail in that picture.

Study the picture more.

 

What’s the difference between bricks banded as a cube and bricks banded as a cube but put on a pallet? They should be stretch wrapped or hauled with brick screens. But you know drivers always trying to save a buck and not haveOmg the proper equipment. To many’s guys grabbing loads of bricks as backhauls. Kind of ironic.

 

Ct has a brick securement law they must be covered (whether brick mats or tarps) to within 1.5” (if I recall correctly, I don’t haul bricks) of the deck so none jump out on the road.
Pallets or not I don’t see the difference. Tight is tight, loose is loose.

 

must resist temptation.....argh.

That's what she said.

 

stolen from reddit.

 

You taking about his coil racks?

I'm wondering if this was one of those situations where a receiver had the guy remove most of the securement before moving into the unloading area and this was the result of the trip in.

 

I do not know anymore about this than seeing the pic either.

But he had a good amount of securement on that load. Might have even been hog tied. Just looking at the chains. However he had all of his chains on it, with only two binders left in the nose of the trailer. He ran out of chain and is under experienced. Notice the shinny black painted coil racks? Notice the square cut 4x4 lumber in the racks? That creates very limited surface area contact. Looks like there is no rubber under the coils too? Allows the bottom to walk out during a hard turn and they tip over. Now I would question if he had been doing required chain checks, and if one went out the front of the trailer since curtain is completely torn open.

But this is only my opinion. And just like arseholes everyone has one.

 

Sorry i missed this quote.

The footprint of the pallet is bigger than the footprint of the brick. The loader has an 8 fork sideshuttle mast he cant see thru, skewering 4 packs at a time he cant see around or over so they load by feel [same as me in my one light loader putting palletized flagstone on my trailer at 9pm out in the woods. Cant see sheet]

Lot of times the loader goes in high so he can see under the packs, then snags one pack against its neighbor while lowering, and busts a band. When you go to unload, 30 bricks stay on the trailer. Or worse.. The hole for the fork now has a brick blocking it and the fork cant go through. No other way to unload but one at a time when that happens. On pallets you can bump them together without ever snagging bricks and even if bands broke your pallet will lift it all and never close up a fork hole.

Banded only, get to a jobsite drop and they got pallet forks on a telehandler. You cant unload banded block with pallet forks unless on a pallet.

So on a pallet, youre scoopin your puppy up under his butt. With banded, youre lifting by the scruff of the neck and hoping his head stays on.

I used to tarp but now run screens. The tarp will keep em in, just barely.



Note the balsa wood that maintains the holes. It breaks all the time. Some use plastic sheet!

 

There is always one guy. Cough cough tmc . I got held up one time at big steel warehouse . 3 different bays to chose from. Tmc was 3 wide and 3 deep.

Said to myself "Oh boy this is gonna be a long day" and sure enough 6 hours later i got my coil , put a chain on it and rolled outside to let the guy behind me load. Tmc chains it down and tarps it inside , holding everybody up. Company policy or something. Common courtesy goes along ways , especially when its a line of truck behind ya . We all got places to be.