Diary of a current Swift flatbed driver

I Don't care if the flatbedder is female, black or martian. If he/she has hauled the load before I'm going to listen to what he/she says about how they tied it down.

 

Plastic wrapped lumber? Jeez Louise, I'd have taken one look and busted out every strap I had. At least you didnt' have to worry about it walking off the back

 

I've hauled more lumber than I can remember and spent one summer hauling it exclusively for one company and I can't remember ever seeing anyone use either v-boards or corner protectors on it. The problem is the plastic wrap. Bunks that are wrapped with the fabric/plastic stuff is slippery also. I'm not saying do not put the corners on it, haul it as you feel safe to do so. No such thing as too many straps/chains. Never saw a load shift because it had too many securements on it. Also, I always check a load every time I stop which is every 2 hrs unless I stop for other reasons. A quick walk around with the breaker bar tightening everything will save a lot of heartache.

 

Sheetrock, actually. Lumber does not require corner protectors.

 

NO! Go the other way around. You can always switch from a flatbed to a van if you decide to move elsewhere but will require a trainer if you try and go from van to flatbed.

 

not sure if this thread is still going but i have my Cdl through central ref. but have only a month experience with a trainer. after reading this thread today i am def. gonna look into flatbed with swift. what is the rider policy once you have your own truck?

 

You can have a rider over the age of 12

 

Yeah I've talked to my DM and she said that you can have one rider, over 12 years of age, with paperwork filled out and turned in. No minimum driving experience required either from the way she made it sound. Be safe out there!

 

I've been doing weyerhauser dedicated for months now and I've never used v-boards and never used edge protection. Those places you are not allowed on top of load so that equipment is impractical and impossible to use.