List of Items to Make a Flatbed Drivers Life Easier:

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by dcedlr, Sep 23, 2007.

What is your personal freight preference?

  1. *

    Dry van

    15.6%
  2. *

    Reefer

    7.1%
  3. *

    Flatbed

    73.0%
  4. *

    Tanker

    8.5%
  5. *

    Doubles/Triples

    2.8%
  6. *

    Other

    6.4%
  1. JolliRoger

    JolliRoger Road Train Member

    11,290
    82,649
    May 8, 2007
    Mississippi
    0
    If the CDL mills apprenticed their trainees to some company like Sysco or U S Food Service when the backing chapter came up in school; for say a week, with a route driver makeing 30-40 stops a day, we would have some serious backers uppers. 32 ft single axle and manual steering really sets a handicap.
    I pedaled meat products for Bryan Foods in 53 in Greenville, MS. One stop was an Uptown Market. You came down the street, turned left into an alley, went in a rig length, turned right into a parking lot (cars on both sides against wall) open strip in middle. Stopped straight and backed out across the alley to get the tlr door up near his back door. First problem was his side hole was short, so the tractor blocked the alley you came in on. You wiggled in, opened the trailer door and started unloading his sides of beef down to 6 lb boxes of sliced ham.
    Somewhere in here the Second problem arose. The main alley was the cut across entrance to the rear of the Greenville Police Dept.
    You are moving meat, a siren growls. You close the tlr doors, crawl in and crank and pull straight across in to the parking lot. Wait till he passes, back across again and resume delivery. Finish up, pull across, back out some toward the police station, wiggle forward, then back it fully into the alley, and head out the way you came. Unwritten law, you coming out, police car sails up and in. If he is just a car length inside, he would back out for you to leave... If you had just got straight to come out, and he sailed in, you continued to back down the alley till he could come up to you and turn off into their parking lot. Then you were free to go on out.

    In a year of running that sequence I never spoke to an officer or had one speak to me. Seemed like the original driver and the police set it up and everyone later inherited the method. Further, I never knew where the main alley came out on the other side, nor ever considered trying to back up opposite and go out the other way.
    This is not an example of the hardest back any one ever did or will do or can conceive. It does show the any driver needs to have "hand on-trailer behind" experience to get along in the driving world.
     
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  3. RickG

    RickG Road Train Member

    12,812
    6,135
    Jul 22, 2008
    Owensboro , KY
    0
    The only problem with flatbedding is it seems to be the sector of the industry hardest hit by the economy , particularly the housing and construction slump . There's quite an increase of building apartment units around here though . All those people having their mortgages foreclosed have to go somewhere .
     
  4. CMoore2004

    CMoore2004 Road Train Member

    1,119
    110
    Nov 2, 2007
    OTR
    0
    Interestingly enough it's our van fleet that is suffering and they said they were trying to expand the flatbed fleet by 50 drivers. They also raised the mile, tarp, and shorthaul pay.
     
  5. Peanut Butter

    Peanut Butter Road Train Member

    1,343
    417
    Nov 24, 2007
    PO Dunk Idaho
    0
    Flat bedding is not always using chains and binders, you also use straps to secure your loads, you get the straps as tight as you can, then recheck before you leave, then stop a few miles down the road and recheck straps just as you would with chains, altho with loads like styrofoam you cant tighten real tight or you will break the styrofoam, you also use v boards with loads like that as well as sharp edge loads like crushed cars or other metal. If you haul hay the right way you dont lose it, but making sure straps are placed right and not leaving bales unstrapped make the difference or making sure bales are not hanging so far over the end of the trailer it falls off no matter how tight the straps are. ive seen some pretty scary loads of hay being hauled and yes seen bales that have fallen off a truck due to not being loaded properly. I have also had the miss pleasure of trying to tarp in the wind with rain pouring down, the wind taking tarp and myself off the trailer just like a sail, im glad it was a soft landing, other than that flat bedding is great not waiting at docks to load or unload for hours on end or middle of the night and then paying the lumpers. its hard work in good and bad weather sometimes but still good,, Hope you have fun and good luck.
     
  6. retiredhand

    retiredhand Bobtail Member

    19
    16
    Aug 6, 2008
    sacramento, ca
    0
    Your backing days are far from over. As a flatbedder you'll have more interesting and difficult backs than a warehouse dock. You'll have to back up the side of mountain with lumber or down a rich son of a ####### 200 foot driveway with wallboard. You'll clearside and blindside. Many a jobsite I've said "You want me to back where?" You will back in off the street occasionally. I've had a crane lift my empty trailer and swing it out over the ocean at a pier in San Diego. Flatbeddin is the workin man's truckin job. I enjoyed the hell out of flatbed driving. Even tarping in Fargo North Dakota in January. Allways wear your hard hat when loading, tying down, unloading and untying. I learned that the hard way when my winch bar turned into my head--10 stitches. Allways be aware of whats going on around you. Keep your eye on the forklift drivers and/or crane operators loading and unloading you. I've had them drop loads, damage my trailer and knock a half a load of pipe off my trailer and blow up one of my trailer tires.

    I've driven over 1 million miles. All of it flatbedding without losing any part of any load I tied down with no accidents. I miss the hell out of it. Try to know more about load securement laws than the DOT. That way you'll never get a ticket for an unsecured load.

    Good luck Truckin

    Retiredhand (not retardhand)


    Good Luck n Good Truckin

    Retiredhand
     
  7. rikdev50s

    rikdev50s Medium Load Member

    685
    170
    Aug 12, 2008
    Greer, SC
    0
    Thank you! And oh yeh flatbedders can't back up! First week out pullng a flat I hit four docks, man I thought thoose days were over... Most van drivers would pale at some of the docks we have to hit on a regular basis, and not but a very few even have a clue as to the dynamics involved in backing a flat or a stepdeck. You have to be able to think outside the box to survive in flatbed work. each and evey load is diffrent, so securement is diffrent and you have to be able to adjust to the load plus make sure it is DOT legal.
     
    Drive-a-Mack, Coonass and CANGST Thank this.
  8. CMoore2004

    CMoore2004 Road Train Member

    1,119
    110
    Nov 2, 2007
    OTR
    0
    Will also say I've hit some docks that amazed... well, me. There's more than just docks to back to, though. It's not rare to have someone escort you down a road you shouldn't be on (or driveway) and have to back all the way out. The most challenging places are the ones that don't usually ship with flatbeds, where a LTL daycab struggles to get in with his little pup.
     
  9. doubledrop

    doubledrop Bobtail Member

    40
    4
    May 3, 2008
    Motown
    0
    Most if my deliveries the whole truck has to be backed in to the building to be unloaded by crane, its a lot of fun on sunny days,the inside of the door looks like a black hole. cant see which way the trailers goin, been to many places where I have 2-3 inches on either side of my mirrors going in through the door. its a real hoot. then there are racks and other crap in the lot to wiggle around just to get lined up, thats if theres enough room to line up...most of the places your turning while getting the trailers rump in the door , there are a couple places where we have to back up a CONCRETE RAMP while turning to get into the building !! one of them is a blind side :biggrin_2554:.. a real joy with a spread axle flatbed with an easy roll tarp.

    I also get to contruction sites too, get unloaded outside , not bad except for the mud,ice,snow,scorching heat or bone chilling cold.and dont forget the frozen ratchets and tarps too. flatbedders are a little nuts. lol

    I get to pull a van once in a while. backing to a dock is a real nice change of pace let me tell ya...but kind of boring.....
     
  10. Joetro

    Joetro Road Train Member

    2,416
    2,409
    Aug 23, 2008
    Post Falls, ID
    0
    I hear ya, RH. Most of my career was dragging a flatbed or dropdeck with some tanker and auto transport thrown in for good measure. I dragged a reefer for a bit during a weak moment. I was green, then, what did I know? LOL.
    I miss it dearly. Good advice on the learning the laws. Learn California laws and you will be mostly ahead of the rest of the states, particularly where coils are concerned.
     
  11. buck and a half

    buck and a half Mr. Miles & Miles with Many Smiles

    775
    57
    Aug 11, 2006
    madison,me
    0
    I recetly went back to flatbedding again.Still like it,athough harder on my 61 yr old body.Keeps you in better shape though,than pulling dry vans or reefers.You will be backing into docks and tight spots sometime,blindsiding at construction sites occasionally.I used to load and haul sheetrock out of burlington,nj,where you back into a tight opening with 4 inches on each side,in between concrete where the forklifts load you from back and sides.I have flatbedded for over 30yrs,rest of time with dumps,vans,reefers,rolloffs,trash compacters,rolling floors,log trailers,but overall love flatbedding the most,and dump trailers are fun also,also in my life flatbedders and dump truck drivers have a better comraditty,working together and helping each other more. Just my opinion,of course.
     
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