Starting flatbed for the first time

Careful, snakes like to hide in freight they put on flatbeds.

 

I would say try to put the weight in the center of the trailer so you "carry" it rather than "pull it".

Sure you can load heavy on the rear of a spread axle but you pay the price for it as the trailer becomes really pigish.

I tend to load a bit forward of center usually a foot or two, sometimes 3'. I would start with just centering the load on the trailer and go from there.

 

When I mean the "center" of the trailer I mean the center between the kingpin and the rear trailer axles. Some times trailer axles are all the way back and some are set forward a bit.

 

This is a split load.

I wanted these 20k pound coils spread out more but that’s as far forward as their crane would go. I guess nobody ever wanted them split because they had to tarp them.

 

How do u go about getting ur weights right with a split load? Ive always wanted to try it

 

Hey now i am just a truck driver not an english major

 

On a tandem axle trailer we would start by loading half on the front starting at the front of the trailer. Then Center the last row over the rear trailer axle if we had an even number of pallets.

You can work out from the center with a spread axle. That’s what I did with the coils, I placed the front one as far forward as they could put it, then put the rear one an equal distance from the center line. Those Utility brand trailers have a white line painted 2’ in front of the light, that’s the center when the rear axle is slid forward.

 

Hopefully this isn't a stupid question, but why do that? Easier on the trailer? Does it pull better?