How to transport steel coils

Suicide coils are the easiest and safest way to transport those things. I always hate having to secure one on its side.

 

right way.
Most common way now, laziness

 

Suicide-shotgun? It's a preference. I don't like hauling big coils suicide because I can't secure them properly. All the j-hook stops are broken off in the center of my trailer. Smaller ones are ok.

Shotgun? 2 chains, 4 binders, 5 minutes! This was a light coil.

 

Yeah, we’re gonna need you to tarp that.

 

I've seen this "style" too many times. Guys pulling doubles up in Toledo usually get 2 big coils, slap 2 chains a piece and close up their covered wagon kits. Sorry, I just couldn't do it.

 

Shotgun is the best way if the shipper/receiver will let you.

 

Wish i coulda taken a picture, sadly it was icy and i wasnt about to pull out my phone. but i saw one a couple days ago with a ratchet strap. No chains. No binders. Just a single lonely yellow cloth ratchet strap.

 

In all my years, I thought transporting coils they way they do, is the most unsafe way of transporting something. It's an accident, and a biggie, just waiting to happen. I don't care how many chains you have, if you just look at it, the mass secured by these tiny chains, well, let's just say I had an opportunity to do that out of Chicago. One trip with their driver, who obviously had enough, I said, no thanks. From then on, my trucking jobs always involved things I didn't have to chain down or tarp. I never thought it paid any better than 22 pallets of toilet paper in a van trailer.

 

I used to pull reffer and then flats with a roll tarp. Made lot better money and less stress with the flat. I've hauled many of coils. If you secure them right. By right I mean use more then whats required. I have never had an issue. They were not that bad.