Criticism/comments please - load securement

yeah I need to get to my friends machine shop one of these days...1/8 inch sheet metal, 8 inches wide, 8 feet long. Bend in half, you got yourself some #### nice 8' vee boards. stack em, toss em under the landing gear...good to go. I figure 12 will do the job...or maybe 10 and four 4 footers...

 

Im a rookie myself but learning as I go... The fact that the posters here say the load looks pretty good should make you feel confident enough to get to your destination. Ill just add one thing that I noticed. While overall the load looks good but could use an extra strap or two I think your biggest problem is not having any back up straps should something happen along the way. You are maxed out so if a strap breaks you are not going to be able to continue. Id grab a couple straps at the truck stop or somewhere and turn in the reciept so you at least have a couple extras for the ride. Although you might already be at the receiver by the time I read this thread. lol...

The feedback on this forum is awesome. Im learning something new everytime I read a thread. By the time I get my own truck Im going to have a PhD in flatbed freight and securement. Now that PhD could either mean a Doctorate degree or it could also mean "Piled Higer and Deeper" just not sure yet

 

For a beginner, Crackinwise is spot on.

One of these really helps, too: http://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Pocket-Portable-49716-10-PortaWinch/dp/B0028ODBZ2

Wouldn't be caught without one. Goes into a stake pocket, really helpful especially for right above the tractor drive wheels. You don't want your fixed/sliding winches digging into your tires.

You can find decent quality 4" x 30' straps for a little over $10 a piece online. Get at least two more than the total amount of winches you have.

 

Does that mean that tie down materials and tarps stay with the driver? What about if receiver or your company wants you to just drop the trailer? It is my understanding that alot of the time, the driver keeps the same trailer. Is that the case?

Also, if you are doing a relay or whatever it's called, does all of that get taken off and replaced by the other driver?

 

Most times you drop trailers at receivers, you will pull off your securement. If you do it at a company yard--when we drop at a yard, we will either pull the securement off, or just get a 1 for 1 replacement for whatever we had on the load. there are also a few shippers we go to that preload and pre secure the load...same thing, just count what they put on, and leave the same amount.

If you relay a load from another driver, that would be up to the two drivers to either swap or pull off and resecure. Most times we just swap.

 

Thanks Noggin, my tablet went dead and it took a day to find a replacement charger.

Just check what you get as replacements, you pretty much know the wear and tear on the stuff you had, nothing like finding a huge tear in a tarp, that the other driver forgot about, when you need it. I'm not saying the other driver did in onpurpose, could have, but more than likely he really forgot. Bungees specially in cold weather, you really don't want one snapping on you.

Which is why I say become a packrat, no need to jerry-rig something when you can just grap that extra you picked up. Fix or re-purpose the worn/torn stuff.

 

BUT lexmark...some companies leave straps and stuff on each trailer. which is fine as well, however, you'll get drivers that change out bad straps and such with trailers they are dropping and take the good ones with the new trailer, so you always have to check your equipment anytime you do a swap

 

I would never pull a load that someone else secured. Even tho I inspected, something in my mind would have me doubting it the entire trip. Just how I'm wired..... Heck, I second guess myself all the time and recheck things a few times thru out my trip.

 

most of our presecured loads are coils...usually 3 or 4 chains per coil. not hard to inspect and feel secure about it, but also not hard to re-secure if not comfortable with either.