Starting out flat bedding?

I started in flatbedding and I will die in flatbedding. I've done dry van, refers, thermal bottles, all for a short period and ended back in flatbedding.

 

That's kind of the way I'm looking at it!

 

Or is it ,YOU started out on flatbed and failed ?
Ive seen many fail,none Ive ever trained failed
The only ones that fail at flatbed are the ones that fail at life
They are lazy,middle aged and never a work ethic bone in their body
Far to many are scared off due to rumors of assumption and hear-say.

I dont brag on flatbed like its the end all of all,it is in fact a better
life as a whole in this crap shoot business called Trucking.

Life with the low rent folks that pull nothing but wall board and sticks
is pretty tuff at times,experienced hands get to move to better class freight as they acquire experience.

Flatbed'rs dont sit on a porch, They Haul It!

 

I started pulling grain, then flatbed.
Went to reefer and vans. Back to flatbedding.
Then moved to oversize.
Flatbedding is work, but you also work your brain about lding it in the right spot and tarping if needed. Plus securing it right.
Would rather be a Wallmart greeter than pull a reefer again..

 

I never said van didnt have more freight claims, but I have had 2 inspections in the last 3 weeks that I have been back on the road. Most of the roadside or scale inspections I have seen are being conducted on flatbeds.
I don't mind the "work", actually I enjoy it. It's the only excercise I really get on a daily basis.

 

post #10 was perfectly clear Sir

 

I started out in flatbeds. I suppose it really depends on the person. If it's going to overwhelm you to try learning both how to drive the truck in the first place, and do load securement on top of that, you'd be better off to get some experience under your belt first. But there are plenty of people who've started off on flatbeds, and do just fine at it.

 

If you can hook up with a good flatbed outfit and an experienced, patient and understanding trainer, you'll be fine. Pulling a flat requires the driver to keep an eye on the load as well as the road. You'll be babysitting that load with frequent stops to check and re-secure your load. Remember, your chains and straps may be tighter than a Virgins.... but once you get rolling and that load is bouncing and settling, you'll have to stop a few times in your first 50 miles to re-secure your load. When stopping for fuel or for any other reason, always do a walk around, physically checking your chains and straps.
Flat-bedding is physical work. Yes, in the Summer, you'll get hot and sweaty and as a beginner, you'll look more like a grease monkey than a truck driver after strapping/chaining and tarping a load but as with anything else, you'll become more proficient as you put in the time.
If pulling a flatbed is what you really want to do, then go for it. Don't waste your time pulling a box/van trailer. Learn the techniques of pulling a flat now. It'll put you ahead of the others in driving skills and techniques that you'll never experience pulling a box/van trailer. The only other type of trailer I find just as, if not more challenging than pulling a flat is pulling a loaded tanker but that discussion is for another thread.
Good luck and be safe.

 

Already tarped is somewhat misleading. One good example, there's a steel outfit in Ghent, Ky. that has "pre-tarped" coil loads. You have to re-do EVERYTHING they did because the people that do it are in a hurry to get the loads out onto the drop yard. Loose chains and a slapped on tarp and barely enough bungies to make it moveable on their yard muchless on the highway. Not a good idea ANYTIME. Even just on their yard in my opinion. Coils are top heavy and dangerous. If you get into flatbedding don't ever take it lightly. Do your securement right the FIRST time and check it everytime you stop. Not to mention in the winter you have to get a hammer and bust all the ice off the trailer before you can even get started doing it the way it was supposed to be done. Not trying to overstate things. Ask around and you'll get the same advice. God bless and be safe.

 

.....is the BEST way to start out IMHO. Better starting pay, more home time, and more respect from shippers and recievers from what I've heard and read. Of course I'm biased because flatbedding is all I have ever done in trucking