CDL in hand... Now What ? Decision time, that's what...

There are more threads about flatbedding in the Roehl section of the forum. Look for one by TheTank called something like 'Adventures of a flatbedder at Roehl"

Good luck to you

 

I have no personal experience with either company. However, I think another driver on this forum, skyviper73, went through CR England training a few years ago and had a positive experience.

 

Back in Gary, IN at the terminal. Delivered two large aluminum coils to Chicago today. Difficult to get in there for sure. Drove nearly 500 miles, straight shot from the shipper in Russellville, KY. The consignee unloaded the coils and put them into a metal shipping containers that seemed to be going perhaps by rail to California. My first peek into intermodal operations.

I was concerned about getting out of the city before running out of hours, but they unloaded me fairly quickly and I got a preplan before sending the empty call. So with 2 hours left on my clock I fought Friday afternoon Chicago traffic and made it to the terminal with 30 minutes to spare.

Tomorrow morning at 10:00 I pick up a different coil in East Chicago, IN and deliver it to a car manufacturer in Kentucky by Monday morning first thing.

Truck and trailer are washed, tarp boxes are reorganized. Shower and laundry also completed. Things are working out nicely; I should have a easy run this weekend.


Here are some steel coils destined to become car bodies:




And here are the two "eyes to the sky" aluminum coils under wraps in the early morning light at a rest area in Kentucky. I am pretty happy with this tarp job.

 

Arrived this evening at the smaller of the two Pilot truck stops off I-75 in Georgetown, KY, which is very close to the consignee. Being 1.5 days early, I might as well take a 34 hour reset right here to refresh my 70 hours. The truck is already well-organized but surely there is always room for improvement.

Here is the ~38000 pound steel coil I picked up this morning in East Chicago, IN:



The material is 2mm thick and rolled into a big coil. For transport, the coil is sitting on thick rubber pads, which are in turn sitting on hardwood dunnage which is in turn being held toward the center with coil racks. The coil is secured with 4 chains and 4 straps... again, more than the minimum requirement... it certainly wasn't going anywhere without the trailer