Sometimes i feel uncomfortable

I run flatbed for a few years of my time on the road. All good years. Some of the best when expressed on time arrivals in the worst of mountain ice that was too hard to walk on with driving that needed to be invented to solve potential strandings that will require a tow to get me out of... things they don't teach in school.

I see that you are two years in flatbedding and show a fear of your coils.

I say this.

It's good to show fear and respect for your coils. They get loose they are going to kill you, mash you bad or roll off and mash someone or several family someones next to you. Because you were too lazy in throwing chain and strap etc to secure them properly. Ive seen too many coil fall off in the Frederick East Bound exit for 355/ Frederick Truckstop because the driver threw one strap or one chain over the coil out of sheer lazy and that thing broke through the covered wagon, then mash a vehicle behind him once it rolled off. And began to unwrap as well. Threatening to slice humans up in horrible ways as it unwraps rolling along at 30 mph.

I can still hear them to this day PLANK! onto the pavement. Makes me run cold in my blood.

You are showing good fear. Im not insulting you. None of that. If you are afraid of something and yet continue to secure it properly if not throwing everything you own on it (I do... theory is God should pick up coil load, flip my truck upside down coils should stay on deck... or hang from chain...) YOU are the driver I want to hire any time.

You will run 50 years into our future of coils. Being the best you are being a little scared every time. That is good. Very good. I celebrate and salute you.

Me? I don't scare easy with the coils anymore. It's the huge 52,000 pound ship hull 1/2 inch rolled hull plate that gets my goat teetering on that deck tipsy... tippy and tippy.

If you are afraid, or scared and you REFUSE to allow this raw emotion to paralyze you, make you lock up mentally or turn blockhead stupid unable to make decisions needed to follow through and possibly avert a bad wreck by which you will be laughed at in tomorrow's news paper or forum posting, driver wrecked coils... stated his fear of same...

No. I want you to be good scared but not bad scared of them things. That way you will never be lazy. You will always be alive and alert. You will be the best driver out there. Better than me and you and you and you.

I had a couple of loads that I had absolutely no right to get away with once or twice. Im debating sharing them here online. But I choose not to. It's the kind of load that I should have never been given with zero, zip, nyet, nein, nada training on. ZERO training. Period. My dispatch was so stupid. Luckly it was not my stupid non trained butt getting someone chopped up with that pair of loads. I don't know how I got away with it. Blind, stupid luck. Sort of like having a girl in your arms and wondering now what?

 

I got offered a coil the other day and declined it..they scare me and it was el cheapo .

 

When I haul coil, or anything actually on the flatbed, the first 50 and 150 miles I take it slow. Once I see the chain and straps are firmly secure, then I'm more comfortable

 

150 or three hours. check check check. Don't just look at em, put your hands on them. ANY slack needs to be traced out to source and tightened down.

DONT stand over the breaker bar with your tummy and lean over it. *Slaps... that is so you remember it. Get under it reach up with both hands palms up, wrap fists around the bar by your shoulder and pull down just so ready to either plant yourself on ### or have it fly into the sky with that famous POING!!! FORE!!!! scream it #### it... and try to save those about to be hit.

 

Not a wuss. ignorance is bliss

 

It is good you feel that way. I had to back under a 45k load of steel tube between a forklift and concrete barrier at rush hour because the previous driver did not use enough straps and no belly wraps, add onto that a hard brake. Mines road laredo was screwed for hours because that driver had that
relaxed mentality.

Steel regardless of what type, should always be treated with the upmost respect. Too many now a days though just don't care.

 

If you aren't uncomfortable with any load on a flatbed you are too dumb to pull one.