newbie for flatbed no training

I wish I had advice for ya, except, follow your dream... I always wanted to try otr myself, and, now that I retired, I doing that. I'm in CDL school and hope to be on the road by July

 

TV

Had a guy I met a few years back when he was coming through orientation call me up to tell me about some load he was to pick up in Las Vegas going somewheres to the northeast. It was 11 PM pacific. I asked him what he was doing and he told me, "Watching TV in Fontana, Ca." The load was 13'6 wide. I asked him if he had gotten in touch with a pilot car, and he did...in fact, the pilot car was sitting in Vegas. That irritated the hell out of me. How can you sit and watch TV when there's a load waiting? I asked him if he were sitting at our Fontana terminal and he said that he was actually 20 miles away. "Do you have a trailer yet?" No. "What the heck are you doing? Why haven't you left yet?" He was doing a restart. "But they're not going to start permits until you tell them a trailer number. You do know that if you don't make it out of there by a certain time, you're stuck til Monday, don't you?" Monday?

"Yea, Monday. Enjoy your TV program."

Not knocking TV watching, it's just that I see drivers watching TV late at night when they should be asleep. If you have to pick up an oversized load in Las Vegas and its going to Michigan, and you are in Fontana, and it's Thursday night, 11 PM local, you don't have a lot of time. They're going to route you up 15 to Salt Lake City, and all the way across 80. Haven't checked, but I will be there are city curfews for Las Vegas, especially for a load wider than 12 ft, and you can't run through Arizona on the weekend. And in the 3 and a half hour drive from Fontana, and you have the makings of an extremely long and stressful day.

Speaking of 34 restarts, if I had been sitting for more than 24 hours, and had to grab an oversized on a Friday, I would run against the recap hours. He got the load 3 PM central. I would have been sitting in Vegas at 7pm, take my 10, and would be at the shippers gate waiting fully charged.

I watch TV, I just can't do it under a load. Business before pleasure.

(End if Rant)

Advice? Time management. Want to make money in OTR trucking? Time is more important than money. The Feds give you the rules. You have 168 hours in a week. You have 70 hours to work. Do your TV watching, your laundry, your trashing around AFTER you do your 70.

if you are working, and bouncing off of your 70, a restart would do you well. If you are dong OSOW on the east coast, you should be able to get your restart on the weekend. If you are doing OSOW out west, in any other places other than Arizona and New Mexico, the weekend is when you can put down the most miles (no metro curfews, no school curfews...well, you do have that goofy Nebraska football curfew! But that's only for their home games). Thing is, you'd better have your permits by Friday BEFORE the state officejocks go home. If you have a load to pick up, why are you sitting, waiting for a restart? Go get the load!

My buddy was in no rush to get the load, because he said that the company set his delivery appointment for the following Thursday. So you take a restart, slack and put your weekend in jeopardy? What's the point of finishing a restart on Thursday and Friday when you may be stuck on the weekend? Run the recap and get the load. Theres only TWO safe places for a load:1. The shipper 2. The receiver. If you have a crane appointment on Thursday, don't fiddle fart around and show up Wednesday afternoon when you can be there Tuesday. Run the recaps get there Tuesday and park the load at the receiver. THEN take your restart.

dont slack with a permitted load. You never can tell what the weather is going to do. When under load, it's full go. Slack when you're empty.

 

Their is no such thing as to many gloves in flatbedding. As was said time management is very important. A good set of rain gear. A really good set of warm water resistant winter gear. Don't forget the extra pair of boots, haveing wet feet really sucks. Everyone will have their own idea of what one needs, just don't buy cheap, you get what you pay for. On sale is one thing, "cheap" is another.

It's going on summer, so rain gear and cool clothing, nothing really loose as that can get caught on stuff. Save now for those insulated overalls, good ones aren't real cheap. Overalls, winter or summer will save your clothing.

Drink lots of water winter and summer. Sports drinks are ok also, keep some kinda snack food in the truck, you use alot of calories sometimes.

Haveing a TV is ok, its part of your time management, we have spent 4 and 5 hrs just waiting to get loaded, hurrah for you if you can go back to sleep for that time, but we both found it hard to sleep after just getting up, driveing less than an hr to get to the shipper. Tv, PC, or a good book, your choice.

Each to their own on that. If you have to buy anything work related for the truck or to do the job and the company doesn't pay you back for it, keep the receipt and claim it on taxes next yr.

 

Quick rule of thumb for securement:

if your load is palletized, stacked together and touching, two straps over the first and last rows, a single strap over the rest.

4 points of securement for a wheeled vehicle over 10000 lbs.

steel, securement every 8 feet, wood, strap every 4 ft.

There is no shame in asking the shipper how to secure a load. The shame comes in if you get an improper load securement ticket.Be cautious of any local drivers in day cabs. They just throw on enough securement to make it a couple blocks down the road. You secure for safety.

 

You may, but probably from other drivers. Follow the regs, but use some common sense also. Do not let anyone tell you that " I do it this way and have never had a problem" if it's not regulation, it's wrong and your behind in a sling. Sure you may get away with it this time or for the next 20 yrs OR you could kill someone cause you skimpt on chains, being lazy or a fool.

My best advise, if you don't want the hard work, go dryvan or refer. If you decide its to much work, change companies.

 

Oh. . . . Their is NO such thing as to many chains or straps.