Should I?

Do it.

Switched from reefer to flat, your either going to love every minute of it, or quit.

It would be easier to get acclimated in the winter. Throwing lumber tarps in 100+ heat on a tall palletized load is just a barrel of fun.

Long story short, just like RazorRange. I should have been in flatbed from day 1. I was bored with reefer, and a bit burned out. Even if a load is kicking my ###, by the time I get it secured nice a proper and do my final walk-around to make sure it's all tidy and I didn't miss anything, there's some satisfaction that comes with it, that makes it worth it for me.

And tarps in wind are obviously no fun. But the ultimate annoying slap in the face is throwing a strap over the top of a good sized load, only to have a gust come through and blow it towards the end and off (thatll get you opening the sailors thesaurus.)

 

Couple cents.

Flatbedding can be great fun and a complete misery. I run everywhere except the northeast. Have operated rgn,pulled double drop,flat and step. The pros.

Running across Wyoming, flatbeds can run in high wind empty.
Great work out. The tarps 8' drop are a excellent way to stay in shape.
Always changing, Never the same load twice.
No Bloody reefer running, a peaceful night sleep in the middle of nowhere.
Now there is other benefits but those are the best i think.
No load appointments if its untarped they will get you unloaded.
No lumpers.
I get to start my day between 5-6 in the morning.
When the weather is good I can sit and eat lunch on the end of the deck and watch the world go by.
cons

every load is different. I just hauled a load back from cedar bluff va and it was duct work all palleted sort of on skids. took it to salt lake city well the road between is filled with never ending tire swallowing spring busting potholes. i pull a 48' spread the pieces were only 26k but half way through misery one of the pallets started getting loose. ok no biggie. threw a 2" around it and took off. Then another one. oh boy. got to the consignee and he said that they had changed there way of packaging and that the last five trucks were worse then mine. I over strap though and use corner protectors. No sense in buying stuff I don't need. My oldest strap is 2yrs and I have 4 new ones still wrapped. That's because the straps were bought new with the trailer. FYI
Falling off or tarping in the wind. Have almost been pulled off a couple of times. Have fallen off once or twice cant quit remember think I nailed my head once or twice. Its all part of the game.

 

And... here is more.

Load out of I think London KY central at a aluminum plant there, three big coils eye to sky on huge pallets. YOU are shown how to secure them with a nail gun and a cribbing of wood on each pallet corner. Tarp is easy, flip it over once the curtian sides went up with the posts and all. (A Ravens Spread Axle Covered Wagon, one side is usually up along with front bulkhead to hold the giant 60 foot tarp.)

Then once secured, strapped, nailed and loaded your next problem is locating a CAT scale verify the weight and get going to Williamsburg VA with those three coils headed to Busch Brewery down there to be made into aluminum beer cans across the Great Smokies.

I don't know about you, but there are have been a awful lot of Busch Beer consumed by hundreds of coils delivered by me. It's motivating.

 

Same trailer.

Had a chemical plate that is woven with fabric under the trailer at the 5th wheel for the long OTR work.

Local delivery with DM Bowman was home every night a few miles up the road in my own car. It was a day cab job. You show up at 2 AM every morning and be wheels moving by 3 sharp. Always. 5 days a week. Back by 5 or 7 at night every day. You would have secured, tarped and delivered three or four loads a day. There were times we had roofing foam from Camp Hill PA for Richmond and I will simply lie down and sleep up there under the stars with a tarp over me snug as a bug overnight. Hop down and get to work with the pretrip at 2 am.

Trailer OTR had a king pin lock. Like that will ever stop anyone, we bobtailed where we needed and wanted to go any time. Hell, when off it's just me. I bobtailed in 4 states around Maryland burning fuel as we go along for my week off after say 6 months out. Each winter I run pipe east of texas (Houston) and Chain/Cable back from Florida (Jax) to Houston, I don't see the house at all from say October to May of next spring. No snow either no ice. Just rain, and lots of it. And those spread axles back there for 40,000 pounds max makes Louisana's nazi scale people shut up. I always had a problem with them. Something about a Gator that must fit between the axles back there or something.

Later in my career we had a house and some acres of land, stick the truck on that. Let it sit. Or sink into the clay. Gravel was there too. Only about a thousand dollars worth of it dumped under the designated area.

 

You like to work? You like puzzles? You like the cold?

If you answered yes to all these questions, then flatbedding is for you!

 

WOW, just wow! Did anyone mention you gotta truck up-hill both ways in the snow with 60 mph winds and grossing 80,000.