"Do not ever drive flatbed"

I think you could have used your choice of words alittle better rather then calling them lazy POS.Flatbedders do work hard,especially the ones that tarp using steel and lumber tarps.Companies do not pay the drivers anywhere near enough to tarp.It's worth much more then $25.00.Companies get $125.00 from the customer an only give the driver a low fraction of that.They say they use the rest of the money for supplies but yet i've heard sometimes they still charge the driver.Then companies don't pay to untarp,how come?You haul covered wagon,is'nt that a wagon with a roll up tarp that's connected to the wagon?That's not that much work is it?Once the wagon is loaded you roll the tarp.Stepdeck you only have a foot to climp and you're on the trl.I don't doubt thats just as hard to tarp then a regular flat bed but you're not climbing on top of the load like some monkey trying to get the tarp over the load,you can do it from the ground..Yes you do work harder then us van ppl,but why work harder when we all get paid close to the sameFlatbeding is'nt for everyone,I hated it and it had nothing to do with being lazy.The tarp pay was enough to make me go to vans/reefer.Companies do not pay enough to do anymore work then I absolutely positively have to.

 

One thing I like I'd our company hardly has freight to tarp. Though in the past at roehl, I had a step deck and still had a 13'6" load of treated lumber for cabinets that needed to be tarped. It was 20*F outside with a windchill of 7*F. Walking across the top of an unstable load of different sizes and shapes of wood SUCKS. Though I still love flatbedding

 

I remember sitting at a pipe yard talking to another driver about how I don't miss going to Walmart all the time, then BAM! We both get a load to Walmart LOL.... Granted, it was hauling part of their roof, but Walmart none the less

 

I have tarped in the freezing cold and wind sure did'nt help matters any.You flatbedders work hard,real hard with some loads and deserve much for tarping and miles.

 

What gets me is the that folks will pull a dry van with pallets just touching the nose and sides, no load locks, no dunnage or bracing, and run down the road and feel 100% safe. But put that crap on an open deck with some straps over it and OMG IT'S GONNA FLY ALL OVER AHHHHHH.

Also, GOOD drivers who pull van and reefer do work hard on occasion to help save some money for the company, whether it's doing a full unload to avoid a crappy lumper service, or restacking a tumbled pallet (ya, it happens, even to good drivers.) I had a full load of Christmas trees that had 3 stops in New Jersey one time. Over 160 trees, all of them 8' tall or less. I had to tailgate every one of them suckers over a day and a half. Nice thing was they were strapped so it was easier to handle them and they fit in the box really well. Also, I didn't need any air fresheners for a couple days in the truck.

 

both van and flatbed have there pro and cons i've done both. i do van now but i miss flatbed here and there but none the less i rather pull a van

 

well you know what the women say flatbedders do it with chains and straps the best

 

orange vans thats like the guy who gets his salsa from new york city..lol

 

Good van/reefer drivers that unload for free needs their head examined.You pay me what a lumper charges or the trl does'nt get touched.Companies don't wanna pay lumpers then stay away from a lumper customer.Drivers save companies millions a yr,the pay we receive proves that.When it comes to restacking a pallet,chances are that's the drivers fault making sharp turns or sudden stops and they should restack.But if its the shippers fault for sloppy loading then they're going to restack it.

 

Another thing about flats is I've never had to deal with lumpers. So far every customer I go to they unload it because its something they need or I can't unload myself.

Even when I had to bump a dock with my flatbed I haven't had a lumper charge yet lol. If they wanna charge a lumper fee ill just take all my chains and straps off and do donuts in the lot until everything has fallen off....... Okay, maybe I wouldn't do that lol