worst thing about flatbeds

I get some of those stalker calls from creepy old men sometimes too now.

 

Great. Someone got Blaire a cell phone.

 

That sucks. How did this happen? Do you have an open headache rack or did the scum bags break into your tool boxes? Yes, there is more responsibilty with open deck.

Pain is a good thing.

 

@rank we use lockers on our trucks I was new and just never thought to lock mine. Where I parked to go home was next to the equipment shed so they could have gotten equipment from there.. all I can assume is the owner ops didn't want to pay for equipment.. I will never again park in a swift terminal to go home though. I do always have them locked now. That entire first month I didn't have a steel tarp I finally had gotten one and they took that too equipment manager felt bad for me cause I always had to use a lumber tarp even for small coils and is currently letting me use a coil tarp till I can find a steel tarp lol..

 

dirty rotten pricks.

 

Well I mean I made a noob mistake trusting other company drivers what I'm so mad about is how much money I lose in the long run 150 a week adds up fast.. all because the truck got stole from in there yard.. I got back on a Friday and equipment couldn't be issued till monday going from platinum to bronze for that service failure my first one for a rookie mistake of not locking my equipment up and thanks to the percentage system it'll take a year to get back to that.. so I basically instantly quit caring now I'm a proud bronze Rollin slow not worried about being on time because by the time I'm platinum again I'll be looking to move to a better company anyhow.. I actually stressed over the times before this now a huge weight is lifted lol.. oh well..

 

You don't want to work for any company that routes you through a terminal to fuel. The only thing you see at terminals is scum, from the drivers to the office peeps to the showers and bathrooms.
So, you were a doorslammer and now you pull flat for a Swift. How much total driving experience do you have now? More than a year, I would jump ship.

 

Okay, I haven't been at this nearly as long as others here and am having trouble wrapping my head around the whole precious metals thing, platinum, bronze etc. I get a sticker for the side of my truck with a fancy engraved plaque to hang on the wall but $2.00 and all that crap will get you a cup of coffee.

My question is what kind of specialized securement equipment are you using that had to wait till Monday to be replaced? Granted I carry some odd stuff in my locker and boxes for some odd stuff I carry on the deck but 99.9% of the odd stuff I carry on the deck can be secured for transport with common off-the-shelf securement equipment available at almost every truckstop/Northern Tool/Tractor Supply etc. Maybe not secured as easily because the biggest reason for having this specialized stuff is the "work smarter not harder" philosophy. So besides wrapping my head around the precious metals thing why would someone sit an entire weekend loosing a years worth of $150 a week in precious metals (that's $7800 btw) instead of hitting the aforementioned outlets for securement equipment and hitting the road??

I'm guessing that to replace everything in my truck used for cargo securement, OD equipment etc would be well north of $10k. About 2/3 of that I own personally, 1/4 belongs to my company and the remainder belongs to my customers. However if everything were stripped from the truck I might loose an hour hitting the aforementioned outlets to grab enough gear to still do my job. That $150 you speak of would buy a full load of straps and a winch bar, next weeks $150 would be a start on chains. Or better yet take that crisp Ulysses S Grant and Benjamin Franklin you made last week in precious metals, walk the terminal and offer it to the guy abandoning his truck for all his securement equipment. Maybe, just maybe your company would give you extra precious metals for saving the gear he would have otherwise hawked at the Flying J.

At the very least getting on here and ranting about someone stealing your gear would likely get you enough to get going. Most every open-deck driver could care less what color your truck is or the name on the door, most of us have been there and most of us would do what we can to get a fellow open-deck truck moving.

For someone to just throw their hands up on Friday and go back home for the weekend, well.....................

 

Well, to play devil's advocate........Being a driver for Swift, maybe he didn't have the cash in his pocket or the credit to buy the replacement equipment. I know there was a time in my career that I was in that shape.

 

I don't have a year driving flat yet I do plan to leave with experience. @Catalina flyer I needed a couple binders and chain protectors I didn't throw my hands up and go home I slept in my truck at the yard waiting for equipment manager.. I could have gotten my coil Friday night but I would have f'd it up without the chain protectors so yah I'd rather take the loss than be the moron fing up a coil either way like I said I'm over it I'm a proud stress free dirt bag now lol and you act like I have enough money to buy equipment for swift but actually just last saturday I sent a message requesting a 25 dollar cash advance I Sunday I called wondering where it was because I was flat bed I kept getting transfered to a number that wouldn't answer because the person only delt with van on the phone i needed a flatbed division person.. I still haven't gotten that advance I went Sunday and Monday not eating Tuesday I got paid... I'm not buying this company equipment nore should I be punished for someone else's thievery I live 2 states away I can't afford to throw my hands up and go home when I feel like it.. I stay out 1 to 2 months due to money so for someone to tell me I did something I didn't and how to spend my lack of money well........... bottom line I was pointing out the #### that wouldn't have happened if I just stayed van..