Flatbed Question

I started at McElroy right after CDL school. They'll train you on what you need to know to secure various loads properly. There'll be a week of load securement training before you go out with a trainer for four weeks. Unless the trainer's satisfied you know what you're doing at the end of the four weeks, you won't be issued your own truck. Speaking from personal experience, their training program is a good one. Also, starting out as a flatbedder served me well. If it's what you want to do, no point driving dry vans first.
As for the pay, it seemed like you said McElroy starts new drivers at 37cpm. I don't think that's correct. I believe it's 43cpm now. Or maybe you meant Maverick starts at 37. Of course, take this into consideration when comparing the two: with MTL, the 43cpm includes tarp pay. With Maverick & other flatbed companies tarp pay is added to mileage pay.

 

Starting out flatbed is fine as long as you have common sense and willing to do it exactly how they show you. Patience is a good trait because you might be a little slow at first, but it gets better.
With Maverick, you do start out at .33, but you move up quickly: .36 @ 3 months, then .42 after 6 months. Also, a pay for performance program adds to that. This is based on fuel, miles per day, out of route percentage, and several other things. It's not terribly difficult to add between .01-.06 to your cpm. They also pay tarp pay separately only for the loads you tarp.

You'll always do your own securing. From my experience, most loads are loaded while you wait, but sometimes you get a pre-loaded trailer that you still have to secure because you'll always use your own chains and straps.
Tarping: a lot of places let you stay inside to tarp in bad weather. If you're tarping it just to protect it from rain, they're not going to want it to get wet. Some loads in the winter are tarped to protect it from salt and other ice melt substances. You might tarp those outside because they might be loaded outside. Many places up north are good to provide sheltered tarping stations with all the snow they get.
In the grand scheme of things, more often than not you won't be be tarping in torrential downpours or blizzards all that often unless you do local where you have long periods of that sort of weather. Otherwise, sometimes perhaps, but not that much. A bigger problem is extreme heat or cold. Heat is tough to work in, cold makes it more difficult to roll tarps.

 

Also, the load is YOUR responsibility and you do not want someone else to secure it. This makes you complacent and could cause issues 5-5000 miles down the road.

 

Keep in mind, of course, that if it's a preloaded trailer your DM will be convinced it should only take you 5 minutes to strap it and tarp it and get down the road... maybe 10 minutes if you're slow.

 

I just started out flatbedding. This next week will be my first full week driving alone, I will shadow (follow another guy for a while) I will just tell you what I have experienced so far. Securement is the most important thing to me, and the most difficult to get. Every load is different. I take a lot of pic to use for reference. YOU are responsible for your load, even if its a pick. Loads settle after some driving. IF that load is not tight and have the right amount of straps / chains & binders it can easily KILL someone or you. Remember that e v e r y t i m e you get in the truck. I (so far) always double check and every pee stop.. well every stop. I have added a strap, undone some straps and retightened some things I just wasnt comfortable with when hooking a load. Doesnt matter who loads it. ITs yours. When at a shipper try to be ready for when they are ready to load you. SEt some straps and dunnage where it goes before they have to wait on you. We haul a lot of poles, steal, and long lam beams. NEVER be in a hurry when securing, thats when you miss stuff. ALWAYS ask questions. I will take a pic and text it to a trainer or other driver. IF nothing else I dont have to worry. I figure better too many straps or chains than not enough. Im just learning so thats all I can tell you for now. Good luck

 

The simple answer is if you think you want to go flat then do it. Its not right for all people tho, i know a few drivers that started flats and less then 2 months in moved to door slamming as they were under threat of either walking away or being fired. But as van drivers they are great, it takes a certin mindset to run flat and open and some people just dont have it. 30 straps in the wrong place wont stop a load from shifting. But 6 in the right place will. Give yourself time to acclimate to the process of placement and straping. To take a line from another here (skateboardman i think) i for one will never choose to pull anything with doors again. Nothing wrong with it, just like my flatbed.

 

Strapping MUST be an art. Driving my car from IN to MI a few weeks ago I saw a flatbedder ahead dragging a loose strap on the freeway all along the side of his trailer. He was going too fast and it was dark so I couldn't alert him. Hope a trucker got on his CB and told him.

Then Thurs. during rush hour on M40 near Holland MI a small truck lost several drywall panels that were tarped and strapped, but obviously not very well. I think they missed the other vehicles, but barely, Glad I wasn't right behind him!

 

The thing you really have to look at, as some others have said, is 'is this what I want to pursue in my driving career'.
Learning how to properly, legally, and safely secure loads. The next most difficult skill to master is tarping. I've been doing open deck of one type or another for most of my driving career, but due to the fact that I've never pulled many tarped loads, there are more than a couple TMC newbies who can do a more effective, better looking tarp job than I.

You really, really have to consider if you have the work ethic and desire though. Physically open deck work isn't always easy, but its far from strenuous, too. You WILL ALWAYS, one way or another, be outside working when loading/unloading. The simple fact is you will get cold, wet, dirty, hot, sweaty,and greasy doing this. I've gotten mild frostbite loading drill mud in -20 degree weather in a snow storm, tarping alone after dark on the side of the road because you're not allowed on your trailer on customers property, then sweat like a pig unloading it in 80 degree, 90% humidity in Houston. You need to make sure you are mentally and physically willing to be in those kind of situations.

All that being said, don't think I'm trying to turn you off of it. I personally would never go back to even a regular skateboard, let alone a box trailer unless I had literally zero other options.

 

Some companies pay $10 to tarp, some pay $40 or $50. Some just say it's included in the mileage pay.

Here's some more with weekend home programs and both hire new CDL grads. Keep in mind, if you're sitting at home, you're not turning the miles and in some cases it won't be practical to get you home every single weekend with every company.

Builders Transportation Company
Jordan Carriers