Thinking about goin flatbed. any advice appreciated .

Being down in Florida I would say look into my old company Roehl transport they hire out of FL and or MS and will train you for flatbed and hell if u decide that flatbedding isn't for you they also have dryvan and reefer divisions you could transfer to if its not for you their a good company the only reason I left was I bought my own truck

 

I'm almost done with Cypress' orientation if you have any questions let me know.

 

My first post is for
Armyguy
I live in the Jackson,Ms. area and just started flatbedding with Holmes Company of Jackson. The owners are 2 brothers that started out as truck drivers themselves and have grown to approx 100 (late model)tractors. Jack and Martin are involved in every aspect of the business. (Hell, they even sit side by side at desks in the dispatch office.) There's no official securement training but Jimmy, the recruiter/safety guy, will help you with tarping and securement questions. Jack even said I could call him direct if I had any questions. I just hauled my first two loads Thursday and Saturday. Thursday was bundles of flat steel(tarped) and Saturday was 100 pieces of 42 ft 4" pipe. In both cases they had drivers getting loads at the same place dispatch sent me and had the drivers wait a few minutes to show me how to secure my load.
The best part is they get you home every weekend( if at all possible) so you get your 34 hr restart at home. Holmes runs 48 states so there may be times you won't make it home on the weekend. A couple drivers told me they like driving for Holmes because they send you on your way and then leave you alone.
You don't have to live in Jackson but I think they want you within about 50 miles of the office.

Holmestruck.net if you're interested.
Good luck

 

The satisfaction of doing a job in adverse conditions cannot be understood by someone who has not been there. At the end of the day, you either do the job or you cave. I may be a COB, but anyone... who can do the job is A-OK

 

Hell Yeah, If you enjoy a challenge, then this is the place to be. Everyday it seems something comes up. There are easy runs, and then there are the some that will just be a PITA all day long. Today is an easy bag load day, but it's also a two drop run so tomorrow morning will be a bit of a hustle to cover half a load back up then down the road an hour for #2. Once you do it you'll understand more.