Best flatbed starter company

Good group in this forum. They can get you through. Phenix City...that's by Columbus, right? You're less than 100 miles from ATL. Every load between the Carolinas and Houston will be coming through your area. There is no reason why you cant find a gig that can get you to the house.

You can skip the starter companies if you want to.

EDIT: BTW, Mr @Broke Down 69 just made the transition that you are wanting to go to. Check out his thread. And Mr @Lepton1 made the jump a couple years ago.

Luck in battle.

 

What !!!!! ...No "Kitchen sink" ?

 

I started out as a bedbugger in '77, codriving with my brother. That was an on and off thing for a few years.

I got back into trucking as a dock banging door swinger five years ago. May of last year I switched to flatbed cold turkey.

Orientation was half an hour going over paperwork and two unpaid "ride alongs" with a driver. As luck would have it both those ride alongs were pipe loads. My first solo load was bottom tools and I didn't have a clue how to secure it and took so much time the customer banned me! But later I got back in their good graces.

Securement will be your biggest challenge. Overcome that by memorizing the Bible and reading through the threads in the flatbed forum.
I had advantages in my transition. The dispatchers all had experience with oil field freight and my brother also worked for the same company. At any time I could take a picture and send it to somebody for advice.

That first solo load when I was slow? Most of that was because I hadn't had time or experience to organize the trailer side boxes to be efficient. You have to have a system for organization and procedure, just as you do when figuring out how to organize your pads and straps and how to load boxes in and around pianos and refrigerators.

Once you have your system it becomes easier. But then there will be that load that makes you scratch your head and go, "Wait, WHAT!!!???"

If you are an owner operator then go with Landstar. They provide a load securement class. Blairandgretchen has an excellent thread on transitioning to flatbed with them.

If you are looking to be a company driver, then the companies already noted in this thread are good options. I see you are in Alabama. If you were in Louisiana I would recommend ACME Truck Line, the company I am leased to (I bought a truck last month). They are the biggest expedited service to the oil industry for flatbed loads.

 

I been at this along time, 33 years in skateboarding alone, and I still get loads once in awhile that I will be scratching my head on how to secure it. Usually those loads are from companies that are moving and just pile on the stuff. Anyways, I learn through out the years, "if you have the will, there is a way". Just another load. "Get it done"

 

First don't think about where you want to start, think about where you want to end up. If you know where you want to finish it helps you decide how you want to get there. Do you want to haul sticks and bricks your entire life or do you want to move up to oversize/ heavy haul?

 

Had an experience today perfect for this thread. Loaded slinky coils out of Pueblo co. A prime driver loading next to me asks me if I've ever hauled them before. Told him yep a couple times. He then starts asking me a bunch of questions and I find out all he really hauled with his mega training company was onions and pvc.

I know that you're not going to see every load with a trainer but you should have a solid enough understanding that you can figure the stuff out. If I was training every day me and the trainee would be walking the truck stop so I could show him other loads. Slinkies are one I'd be looking for in particular.

Kudos to the guy for asking questions. I made sure he knew about the securement manual and this forum so hopefully we'll hear from him soon.

 

Try McElroy in Cuba, Alabama....

 

I went to boyd bros right after school (6yrs ago) and they were a great starter company but I heard they've changed alot since the old man died. You'll get more than enough experience tarping,loading coils, and oh yea, tarping!!

 

I do. Do they hire green horns?