Newbie Prime question, flatbed

ironpony · Sep 22, 2014

justink58 said: ↑

That is exactly what I'm after, thanks Dan. The fact that you get a little exercise at the beginning/end of your haul is appealing to me. I think it would be fun to tarp and strap down loads, at times at least. Driving a reefer around doesn't seem as appealing, but really it comes down to miles. The recruiter said that flatbed is in demand right now and I might have a little better luck getting more miles in the flatbed division. Is that your experience as well?
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"Miles" aren't really a problem for any segment of the industry right now, and the scare stories of waiting days in a truck at a reefer dock, are just that. Scare stories, unless you have a totally incompetent FM. When the economy goes belly up, what do people buy? New houses or food?? You'll do well in any division you end up at, in the present industry situation. The ex-flatbed guy I ran across last year who fell off a trailer and broke his back while tarpin' in a howlin' wind was quite happy to be swinging doors...

Danfromwindsor · Sep 22, 2014

Freight is great right now but as weather cools so do flats. We still stay running but miles drop in the cooler months because construction slows down. Dont discount what IP said either. Few years ago flatbedders were struggling due to the economy. Something to think about. That being said,Ive done this 20yrs and absolutely love flats. Cheers

CactusJay · Sep 22, 2014

Thank you for the advice! I believe they want me to come in and obtain a hazmat endorsement for both flat and reefer.. The way the recruiter described it, if I wanted to switch over from one to the other it wouldn't be TOO difficult? If I do a good job for Prime after while, hopefully they would be willing to change me over to reefer if the miles start to get too slim.

skellr · Sep 22, 2014

n3ss said: ↑

I've had a few 49k lumber loads.. You can have those, skellr.

Theres nothing more fun than crawling across the mountains of I90 with a 48-49k load.
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Funny how much harder pulling gets with an extra ton on. None for me.

Danfromwindsor said: ↑

Yes a lw is possible but rare. However I caution against going flats simply to avoid a lw truck. Flatbedding is work that most cant hack due to all the extreme weather we work in. Nothing like sweating your backside off in 110degree heat or pulling tarps off a load caked in ice and snow. If you can hack the work and weather its a rewarding division that gives you a real pride in doing what most wont.
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Yeah, I'm glad it's cooling off but I still feel cold from last winter.

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