I'm a 65 year old retired truck driver thinking about coming back out after being local for 20 years (it's been 10 years off of flatbed) Anybody have any suggestions to get started up again?
Old guys and Flatbeds
Discussion in 'Flatbed Trucking Forum' started by Misplaced, Nov 22, 2021.
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I'm 65 and I've never pulled anything other than flat ,stepdeck, rgn.
For the last 30 plus years, did some tank and refer before that.
I haul a lot of equipment that mostly I load and secure. I don't
tarp anything, haul lots of trees, but these loads are either pre loaded
or live loaded but they do it all .
I'm not as quick as I used to be but can still get it done.
I could probably tarp low loads or coils but don't want to.
You'll be fine , just find a job that's not so demanding of tarping.
I've been driving trucks since 1974 , still enjoy it , about to get the hang of it. -
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Just a rookie here, I am 60, most people think I am much younger. Maybe it’s the 25 years of a daily workout?
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I’m 60 and been doing skateboarding most of my trucking life(41 years plus). I know individuals that are 70 and 73 that are still skateboarding. Like @Espressolane said, skateboarding don’t make you look your age . It keeps you in shape, no gym membership required
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I mean, it’s not really a test in my opinion, a lot of times you gotta pull yourself up on top of a load ie plywood, them units are 34 inches tall, and they stack them two tall. I’m not gonna say that you can’t do the job, but if you’re going somewhere that you will have to tarp quite a bit it’s pretty likely to be an issue at some point if that isn’t something easily achievable. -
I never had any major trouble with getting onto loads stacked to 13.5 ft for tarping.
I moved back to bulk hauling at the age of 58 and considered it my retirement job.D.Tibbitt, Tug Toy, Speed_Drums and 2 others Thank this. -
Give it a shot. If you're in good shape it probably won't be much of an issue. I have a friend that lost his left leg from the knee down and his left arm from the elbow from a motorcycle accident. You can find ways to adapt. My friend can pretty much do anything just a little bit slower and careful planning.
Pamela1990, D.Tibbitt, Tug Toy and 2 others Thank this. -
65 1/2 years old and still flatbeddin". I was out of it for about 8 years, but I was able to jump back in without missing a beat!
Now..........if you've never hauled flat before and are looking to jump in at a later age, it could be real tough! You learn a lot of tricks of the trade that help you in your "golden years"! Having to learn flatbed when your physical attributes have deteriorated with age could be real tough! It's not impossible though. We have a hand working with us, part time, still getting after it at 82 years young!
As far as tarping..............we very,very, rarely have to tarp! In 4 years I've only tarped 4 loads. Everything else is pre-tarped if it needs to be tarped. If you go with a company that sends you to shippers that expect you to tarp without proper fall protection, run, don't walk, away!
As far as winter.............it sucks more and more every year!
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