More questions.

Deadhead is a trucker idiooooot who shouldn't be a trucker. NO, it's when your traveling with no cargo. Let's say you drop off a load at point a, you are dispatched to point b 100 miles away to pick up cargo, you are now deadhead to point b.
Bobtail is when you aren't pulling a trailer, only driving your tractor. Some times you will bobtail to pick up a load. Can be tricky when raining or wet weather, just be careful.

 

I assume by down time you mean time spent waiting to load or or waiting to get empty. It varies so much that there is potentially no difference. It really just depends on the particular shipper and receiver. There are tons of both flatbed and reefer drivers out there who routinely sit for hours waiting get loaded or empty. Then again when I first started driving, I pulled reefers and would sit waiting to get loaded maybe an hour or two a month total. Everywhere we went on that job, they were waiting for us when we got there so very little waiting. Then I switched to flatbeds and I probably averaged 2 hours per day waiting in line to get loaded or empty. But I went on to another flatbed gig where I spent no more than an hour or two a month waiting on average. It just depends.

I will say this though. You generally spend a lot more time doing non-driving work with flatbeds than with reefers or dry vans. What you're paid for that work if you're paid at all depends on who you work for. I say generally because there are exceptions on both sides of that equation. I'm sure there is probably some no-touch flatbed work out there but it seems pretty rare. No-touch van and reefer work is much more common.

Now the common response to this is something along the lines of not being afraid to work and liking the idea of getting exercise from chaining and tarping. My only comment on that is that I've had lots of exercise and I've done lots of chaining and tarping and I've never once been confused as to which was which. If you want exercise, join a gym. Tarping ain't exercise, its work. Its crumby work in all kinds of crumby weather. And I have never once gotten back in the truck after chaining and tarping and thought gee that was a good workout I just got. If you don't believe me, hang out at a truck stop for a while and watch who gets out of the trucks pulling flatbeds. It won't take long to realize that lots of flatbed drivers haven't had anything resembling 'exercise' in a very long time.

 

3. start studying it now.can you get permit before you show up?

 

3. start studying it now.can you get permit before you show up? if you can, get it before you show up. less headache and stress

 

Once upon a time a deadhead was a groupie that followed the Greatfull Dead band to the corners of the universe

 

I resemble that remark !

 

1.What exactly is a deadhead ?
Hualing with a trailer but empty. You want to minimize dead head because when your empty the truck isnt making any money. These can also be called a bounce because your bouncing empty from the receiver (cosignie) to your next shipper. Bob tail is when you drive with no load or trailer, just the cab by itself.
2.How much down time is there in a flatbed compared to a reefer?
I rarely am at a shipper more then a 3 hours. We (flat bedders) spend a lot more time strapping and tarping. We get paid more though, so if we drive less miles we still make more money.
3.how much studying time with the cdl manual will I have once I'm at Prime's orientation?
unknown, i work for tmc

 

I would say that reefer is going to be the least amount of down time out of all. With a reefer you have twice the options for getting loads because you can haul anything dry or refrigerated.