Going to Boyd Brothers

Good week at orientation in Cincinnati....


Cool PEEPS here at Boyd.....just stay away from the HOTDOGS!!!! PUHAHAHAA

 

yes the hot dogs can be very dangerous

 

Home for the weekend!! OK just a heads up... I dont know how many people have to do this when they are hired, but all of us that finished securement last week had to go to cinci to pick up a truck (that was not ours) and bring it back to Bham. THEN take the van back to cinci again to get our assigned truck. I was upset since i was dying to get home! When i asked what the pay was (assuming it was mileage pay) they said you get $100 for the ordeal. A guy in the class raised a big stink about it right when they told us and they sent him home. So if they tell you to go, you have 2 choices - do it, or go home. I didnt like it and I did not want to waste my weekend for $100 but I finished it so I could get my truck... and Im glad I did. I got a pro star with a diesel apu, left out of cinci monday at about 2, got sent back to Bham tuesday to sit half a day in the shop to fix the GPS locator on my truck, and the picked up 2 more loads since then. Max downtime between sending my unloaded message and getting assigned a new load - 38 min. All I can say is im glad I told them I wanted paper logs or I wouldnt get much done. Im slowwwwww strapping and tarping so I need all the time I can get to drive. Im glad I feel about 99% sure I made the right choice running that cinci trade truck bs all weekend. As far as OTR companies goes, this one has got their stuff together.
BTW- I got home thursday night at 11pm and Im not leaving until monday morning. And I seriously needed this time off! havent seen my wife in a month!

Oh yea... and I didnt think flatbedding could possibly be that much work, but I was wrong! Its hard freaking work. But I definitely like it alot! I just have one question for the guys with experience... How does a guy who is deathly afraid of heights tarp a lumber load? I picked up a short lumber load (about 5 feet tall) and I was scared to Death on that thing spreading the combo tarps. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack!! how tall do lumber loads get? And how in the world do you even get on top to tarp it? and is there a way to tarp it without getting on top? I seriously dont think i could get on top of anything 13 ft high without falling

 

I have not tarped personally myself but when I worked at Louisiana Pacific at their OSB plant, I watched the flatbeds being loaded and the drivers tarping them got up there with a ladder. Unless you are magic and can make those tarps roll themselves out and flop over the sides you are going to have to get up there and just do it. Not sure how high the OSB was stacked but if memory serves me I would say around 8' off the flatbed itself?

The more you do it the less you will be afraid.

 

FYI on tall loads.....make sure ur foot us planted solid before u shift ur weight to it. I hate heights myself. Yet I will climb on too of a load in a sec to tarp it. It's my job. Like rubberducky said, more u do it more u can handle it. Lumber loads don't tend to get 13 feet up. Tallest I've hauled was just over cab. Get a load of hey or somethin like that n ur lookin at 13'6" n u can feel it sway in the wind. Talk about terrifying. But again, u will get use to it. Just keep ur head up about it n have confidence in urself.

 

Hay loads i did 1 and hated every second from IA to KY. I was lucky not having to tarp it but the give and sway was awful.. you guys know what I mean. And your right the more you do it the more comfortable you get. I hate heights to but got a job to do after awhile it all comes together

 

I think if you just take your time you will get comfortable and use to it.Im not to big on heights myself ,the load i did in the picture below was high and the tubing was oily and slippery and my lumber tarps were folded up where i couldnt just roll it out like a ball,i wrestled with that for hours,next time will be quicker though.i make sure my footing is firm before i let go of what im holding with my hands.

 

Sharp lookin tarp job there M2K.

 

especially on that high step. I always managed 2 have a bunch on a step :\ lol