Did you choose flatbed? Or did it choose you..

I used to be one of those drivers that had to be on the go too, until....

got stuck on a job site in Ft Saskatchewan,AB. The weather went to hell. They put a hold on the job for 10 days. The detention pay was $1500 a day to the truck. Topped the fuel tanks off, and let the truck idle for 10 days while I sat in a motel. $15000 for sitting in a motel for a week and a half? Would you believe some guys got pissed and bobtailed back to the States? So I had to stack a trailer and bring it back...pays better than those CASE loads out of Saskatoon.

Now, I can sit and wait with the best of them.

 

I have to say flatbed chose me. I went and worked for western Express cause I goofed as a newbie. Went there and fell in love with skateboarding. Even tried to go back to a "##### box," but taking it in the rear just isn't for me. Got plenty of exercise and took major pride in the fact I secured my load and I know its done right instead of some lumper just throwing it in and not caring how its loaded.


"Dock Bumpers take it in the rear and love it"

 

I've done everything else, so this was just the next step in progression. Glad I chose to take the chance and so far I enjoy it more than pulling the van/reefer. Wish I had more hometime and a steady run lined up, but that's all in good time

 

The company I started with put me with a flatbed trainer until a van trainer was available. He brainwashed me into believing flatbedders were cooler than box haulers. He did a good job too because 5 years later, I still believe him.

I tried pulling vans over the summer for 3 months, gained about 25 lbs and hated it. There are days when I cuss and curse my tarps when it's windy or something, but I wouldn't trade it.


Joe

 

I chose flatbedding because when my dad taught me to drive, age 19 at the time, he pulled a flatbed trailer. No one would hire me till I was 22 and had went thru a trucking school, even though I had 6 months experience driving with my dad. A little Flatbed outfit hired me because I had been taught how to tarp and chain.

 

Any trucking is an honest hard-earned buck IMO..

Dad was line-haul for over 35 years pulling wobble wagons for Big R. 30 of those years was the same route. (!) For the Farm Bureau it was B-model Macks, no interstates, not much else. Wow do we have it good.

He tried to tell me 'it's no kind of life', of course I didn't listen and had to try it. Went straight into flats. I miss it, I don't miss it, Love it, Hate it.. you know the drill

It's in my genetics. I got it honest.

 

Key word, to the truck. As a company driver, I'd never see that...so my patience get's a little tempered at the rate I'd get.

I did a load out of Colorado Springs Fort Carson 1.5 years ago....the brokers still called me even though I was company....says he's going to get me about $350 dollars for an overnight detention....told him, that's the company money....I wouldn't be getting that.

That tends to temper your patience for detention.

 

I grew up around a lot of log trucks and dump trucks and my dad drove both. Everytime I would see a truck hauling a piece of equipment (as a kid) I got excited and I really dig running pieces of equipment. I should be working for a small construction company really but somewhere down the line the long haul bug got to me and my first class A job (had class B for many years before class A) was for a heavy haul flatbed company, I loved it and have tried to drive van but its not as interesting to me and doesnt look as cool and besides I haul pieces of equipment on my stepdeck so I get to have fun doing that too. One day maybe I will step up and go RGN or local lowboy operator where my true passion is.

 

Being a "Dock Bumper" isn't all about being fat and lazy either. Lumper services don't load my trailer, they only occasionally unload it. I personally secure all of my loads, whether that means nailing down dunnage for stop blocks or load straps (I don't use load bars). I have plenty of tricky loads as well, its not all easy light toilet paper. Have you ever hauled hi capacity liquid totes across Maryland and W Virginia with placards in the snow? Have you ever unloaded your own trailer? Doubtful on a flatbed. Try doing a driver unload on a tire load sometime and tell me that there is little physical aspect to dry vanning. Or my favorite yet....hand unloading air conditioning units at a construction site with no forklift and no ramp or dock. That was fun. Keep in mind also that while you are sitting comfortably in a pickle park or truck sleeping peacefully at 0100, I'm sitting in a grocery warehouse holding area waiting for a dock door assignment for a 2200 appt that came and went. Then I get to wait another 3 hours for the lumpers to unload and count, then another 30 minutes for receiving to get around to signing my bills, then I get booted off the property and get to try and figure out where I'm going to park to finish my 10 that started when I checked in.

I did flatbedding, lowboys, and step deck freight in Iraq. Not trying to dog skateboarders but I had my fun dragging chains, climbing on top of loads, dragging tarps in sandstorms, and often winch loading disabled vehicles while under fire. To each their own. Just because you have a robo chubby over flatbedding, doesn't mean that us van drivers are less of a trucker than you.

 

love flatbedding been doing it for years,you get to show off you securment skills and tarp jobs.plus it keeps you in shape