One week securement training enough?

1 week is enough. You don't need to ride with a trainer if you have the driving part down. You won't know everything in a week, then again, you won't know everything in 10 tears. Get the basic formulas down and go apply at the nearest stick and brick hauler.

 

1 week is enough. Hell, you could teach a competent student with less time than that.

 

1 Week is enough like triplesix said, you get the basics and then you use your head out on the road. If you are not sure ask another driver at the shipper, most flatbed drivers will help. And if no one is there to help, you call the safety at your company.

 

Yeah they KNOW a lot about load securement!

 

A lot of it is just common sense. You'll develop your own routine soon enough. The rest is just understanding what DOT will look for and expect to see.

If you can properly secure a mattress and box spring to the roof of your car and not lose them at 70 mph you can do flat bed.

Hurst

 

Wait a minute. There's training for this? I thought everyone was handed a set of keys and told to hurry up.

 

A week is more than enough. I got my securement training knocked out in about 7 hours.
The best advice comes from the guys who are loading you or other drivers securing their loads. Flatbedders seem to show more comradery than the general driving community. Several times already I've had an experienced driving walk by me and take 10-15 minutes to show me a much faster or easier way of doing something.
You'll be fine, just use common sense. You can never over-secure a load.

 

The bottomfeeders will have training on securement and tarping. All others will throw you to the wolves. They may have classes on certain trailer configurations and whatnot, but no securement training.
The problem comes in when the guys at Prime, Melton, Maverick, TMC, Swift and Western, been driving for a year, go to the companies that doesn't train rookies, get a 5 minute securement test, and thrown to the wolves. A lot of them don't make it.

Remember the thread about loading your trailer evenly? You drive a 5 axle rig. There are certain states that will allow you higher axle weights to the point of grossing 100k on 5 axles on a permitted load. In order for you to do it, you have to load the piece absolutely perfect. On a 5 axle rig, to load 94000 or more, you have to know every trick in the book. You're not going to have to do that at a bottomfeeder, but at the other companies, you may.

 

A week is enough as long as coils are a point of emphasis during the week. If they don't explain anything about coils then we have a issue whether the company hauls them or not.