Stepdeck it is

To be successful in flatbed requires a bit more common sense than other segments of trucking. Some have it and learn quickly. Others lack it and find themselves in trouble.

Being thrown to the wolves so to speak will bring out the strengths and weaknesses of a man. He will either figure it out, learn and master his craft or throw his hands up and quit.

The one thing that I see and still see in Flatbed is that we still look out for our own. If you see someone struggling or not doing something right,.. I will step up and help out. If they want my help great. If not,.. well I wont lose sleep because I tried.

Hurst

 

I did some flatbed work some time ago, but not for long enough to be competent. Never ever did I have 100% certainty that the staff I secured was secured indeed. Although it might have been mental...you know just like some people are never sure if they turned off their stove after they left for work. Two times and two times in Gary, IN I saw smashed by steel coils cabins too. I can't imagine someone who has never been trained to secure flatbed loads to be ready to operate this equipment straight out of school. But there is not any formal requirement. Putting aside all the business aspect. I would not jump to a heavy haul from a van/reefer without seeing how to use those chains. There is a great deal of videos on YouTube but that's superficial. And after all, what do they require tanker and double/triple endorsements for?

 

Rule is green book plus one more. If you read and understand that book then you will be good. Well that and common sense. That is how I had to learn. I know now that the first piece of equipment was NOT secured properly.

 

Yep that darn green book. Answer to everything.???
Anyone who gets a CDL, now days, is most likely going to work for some one/company.
They should be trained to do the job at hand. When you go to get a new/different load, look around and see how others secure their loads.
It's not brain surgery. Put all your chains or straps on the load.
I had no idea when I started using a stepdeck. I hauled power only for years. Many miles. Never secured a load.
No one trained me. I just bought a trailer and started doing it. That is how I learned. Green book and watched others and when I had a question, I asked. (More than one person).
Knowledge= learning from your mistakes
Wisdom= learning from other's mistakes
No I don't encourage or want mistake happen that will harm or hurt people. We as a society can not legislate common sense. Sooner, I hope, than later Americans will realize this.

 

The government - agreed GET them out

But

The problem is we don't have a lot of bright people on the road hauling stuff on a flat bed or step deck. So we can't teach common sense but we can at least provide to force them to learn how to secure things right.

How about this for common sense

I work as a temp driver (right now on extended vacation due to a hand injury) and I have to deal with other contract drivers who cover gaps for moving dies.

One day this guy comes in with a beat up kw straight truck, this thing has holes on the deck, beat up cab and falling apart. He puts on raw castings on this deck to move to the machine shop, amazingly nothing has fallen through the holes. On his deck on wood is a 16,000 lb rough raw casting and a small 9,000 lb price. This guy has no chains, just straps. And at that 2 inch straps. So I'm watching him strap this down, he uses two straps on the 16,000 lb piece and one on the 9,000 lb piece.

No common sense at all. I'm waiting for some news report with a 10,000 lb piece sitting on top of a car because he did have common sense.

This is why we have these stupid regulations.

 

Reviews?

No not reviews but truth, you asked or stated something and we are telling you what many of us see as a problem.

See you are another one that sees this just as a money making while we see it as a career and one thing many of us hate, discourage and further try to stop is thinking this is just something anyone can do on a whim.

I'm outspoken because I see real problems with this industry and while many accept it, and the failures that happen because of the problems, I don't and try to convince people to think about it first. It is not always about money.

Brokers are one part of the problem, I would like to see the bond raised to $150,000 and no ability to just disappear when debts are due, but have direct personal liability to the carrier that hauls freight for them.

And plus something that the carriers have to deal with, disclosures as the carriers have to do on freight bills when leasing to owners, the brokers should be at least be forced to give full disclosure on where the freight originated from and the brokers cut of that if they are not the primary source of the freight.

 

Then training will become a business and rookie entrepreneurs will jump into that. Government programs never work out as intended, mainly because they are designed by people with law degrees and no clients.