I need opinions!

Till you get tired of the sweating. The hassles of tarps. Not every load maintains a nice tarp job. Then you've got loads that sweat and pray you make it to destination to unload. Throw in the sizzling heat and the north pole.I could go on and on.

Go tankers. Flatbedding isn't for the weak. AND, flatbeddeers get fat too. Tankers pay better. And there are tons of tanker jobs that have you home every night. Can't get that with flatbedding.

 

Opinions are like Ar$holes......... Everyone's got one...

Just do what ever makes YOU Comfortable....

 

This turned into a long post however here's my take.
Switched from being a company driver pulling a Refer for Food Manufacture, to O/O pulling Steps with Landstar in 1995, left in 2002 - Medical Reason, Okay Now - here's my take.
Caveats, things may have changed since I left, however, if your owner can get one, start out with a 3 axle SD, preferably with 17.5 tires, that will give you a greater flexibility to haul. A 40' bottom deck may also be an option to consider.
Also, spend the extra to install an electronic weight system on each axle, the system I put on mine was within 100 lbs of any scale, Cat or DOT, shippers love them, especially at job sites when dealing with cranes. Plus it gives you the added advantage to be able know exactly how much more weight you can place on the truck and where. An extra $500 - $1000 for a 10' / 1,500 lb. item that adds 100 miles and few extra hours time to a trip adds up.
Find a couple of Agents to stay in regular contact with is your best chance to stay moving. The less they have to worry about you, the more they can get done. I personally hauled a lot of John Deere, Caterpillar, into CA and Concrete Bldg, out CA., and just about anything that looked interesting off the board. Stayed away from big Steel Mills etc, if it had 10 loads listed for the same place on the same day, that generally meant show up and wait in line, NO Thank You.
Personally, I would not buy Tarps, I'd go with shrink wrap, more initial work sometimes however, any flat-bedder will tell you at some point, on some load, that tarp is coming loose; and it's usually at the worst time and place - Murphy loves hanging around. Tarps also have to be repaired on a constant basis, and rolling up a tarp on cold, frigid, windy day is no picnic. The only items that I'm aware of that will not allow shrink wrap are jet engines, but that's another game unto itself.
I ran two ComData accounts with Landstar; one for fuel, tires, wages, etc., the other was rainy day funds. Started out taking 5% slowing worked it up to 20% of every load was taken off the top and went into that account. That was the best decision I ever made, if you take it out first, you'll never miss it.
Flatbed work is a different game, 99 times out of 100 when you show up they are glad to see you, they either really want what you have, or want to move it. Remember each shipper/receiver is different, but the goal is always the same, move the product out/in. You'll be dealing with forklift drivers, crane and rigging guys, and a whole slew of other individuals, so patience is the key. I generally worked pretty solid, a few days off here and there strung together randomly until Thanksgiving, then shut down until mid January/February.

Side note on forklift drivers, some can be in little to much of a hurry, the wife had "This is not a ####ing forklift brake" with quotes hand painted on the side-rails of the trailer due to the incidences of inconsiderate loaders. Now, I don't recommend you try the following for obvious reasons however, for humorousness this is a true story.
Only happened once and he will probably never live it down. The wife was standing near by when one individual ignored the written warning, she hit the cage of the forklift so hard with the wrench bar it rang like the Liberty bell had just been struck. She very distinctly said, "The next time you hit My trailer like that it will be your head that stops this bar." To say he was startled would be an understatement, he started to respond negatively, looked around, saw all his coworkers grinning like Cheshire Cats, then quietly said "Yes Mam, I'll be more careful."
Last note, if keeping is shape in really what you want, it does not matter what trailer you have behind.
1) Most expensive; something like Powerblocks, a bench, and a High Quality Jump Rope.
2) Buy the Book "Your Are Your Own Gym" by Mark Lauren.
I've done both #1 when I was on the road, #2 found an old copy of the book couple of years ago.
Trust me, if you follow the rules in #2 you will get in shape; be warned if you have not worked out you will have sore muscles.
Now having said all that, all the exercise in the world will not counter act a terrible diet.