Heading For Little Rock! Maverick

There will be a book in your truck that will explain how to secure a lot of loads. It will have diagrams in it. Study it when you shut down until you get it down. They will also give you 800 #'s to call if you have questions. It just takes time to get it down. Just don't let someone behind you cause you to lose a coil.

 

Butterflies or nervous are good words to use, "I'm new" is a good phrase to use at a customer "I've never hauled this product before." is another good one to use at a customer.

"The Maroon Bible" (maverick notebook) in the pocket of the door of your truck, "load diagrams" section is a good read during down time. the 24 hour number goes to one of the instructors at NLR not a driver on the road. and maverick would rather have you call and do it right, rather than not call, try and haul, and be a name on a wall of drivers lost because they were too proud to call and ask. (no such wall exists that i know of)

The more you haul a product, the easier the securing and tarping gets.

when i haul coils that have to be loaded shotgun (eye to the front) regardless of weight, i always x 4 chains through the eye, have the dean chain (coil block) on the front and 2 straps at least over the top (makes the tarp look better than the one minimum strap DOT reg). That way, i'm good by maverick's securement standards to 48k (remember, the dean chain, coilblock is a trip chain not a securement). only time i'd put more chains through the eye of the coil of course would be if it was over 48k. then 2 more chains would be horseshoed through the eye but in the M-11 battle tank cascadias, its rare to havem that heavy

 

Thanks guys for the information!!! We tarped simulated coils today and it wasn't that bad; just have to remember to do the corners first then the middle, then do the corners again. I think we test either tomorrow (Wednesday) or the next day; then we will be waiting on our driver trainers. My cb handle is Walkerdog in case I see you guys on the road.
If you have ever heard the saying "it's a small world"; well I met one of the guys here at NLR that is on this forum. He is in my class and we were talking the other day about how helpful you guys are and he asked me what forum I was on and my username on here. I told him and he looked at my like I had 10 heads and said no sh**. I was like yep that's me. I just never thought I would meet anyone from this forum, but I was wrong.

 

They (FM's and CSR's) like it when drivers get a restart too...If it were me (and it has been many times) I would call in and explain that I can get the restart if I can deliver later than 10am...without fail they have said "OK...good deal".

I'm tempted to say a few things about how I keep myself on a schedule (always parked by 8pm, at the latest)...but I think its best to let people find their own "thing" that works for them...doing this often costs me a few miles, but it removes a lot of the stress involved with running right up to the last minute...

My days of running hard are over...I came back to Maverick to get away from all that! (1,000 mile days, 126 hour weeks, 2 log books, 2 hour naps...and all that)

 

Ram,

Tarping is an art. Everybody does it differently. You will got out there and have some tarp jobs that you are really ashamed to be pulling down the road.

You just have to get your system down and figure out what works for you.

I hate it (and some days still have some rough looking tarp jobs) when I know what I want it to look like..I have even done it before.. but just can't seem to get it the way I want it.

And don't worry about speed. As you get more used to all the loads you won't even have to think twice. You will roll in somewhere and they say 1 shotgun coil and you have your deck setup and all the necessary equipment out and ready to roll in a matter of minutes. You will even have one end of your chains already hooked because you know exactly where you want that coil set.

I stopped into NLR Thursday evening but just to get some bungees, take a leak and scan some paperwork. I ran into Ed and Mike. I think you guys were on break.

Oh, and about getting out there and forgetting how to do stuff. I think I can speak for any of us on here on this one. We would be glad to give you our number if you need to call with any questions

 

my last load from Moncure pissed me off, I didn't realize how far off center my rear tarp was until i got to the back.....looked like ####.

it happens.

 

Yep, it happens. Or when they load you and you think it is a nice square load and won't be too bad, then they set one right on top in the d*** middle.