Is there much more sitting around flatbed

The only time our flatbeds sit is when they're waiting in line to load or unload. If we run out of our normal operating area we make sure they have a backload before they get to their destination.
Sometimes it's cheaper in the long run to run the truck home empty than to wait around for a low paying and time consuming backhaul.
Our vans used to sit a lot, same with our reefers. Way too much time waiting for a door to load or unload. That's one of many reasons we don't have them any more.
The best thing we have as far as no delay are the dry bulk and petroleum tankers.

 

"Dry Van is where it is at" - WTF.

Dry van is just a reefer with only some of your customers being lumper humping lazy #####.

If your sitting with a flatbed you need to change companies. ASAP.

 

I’m sitting right now. The shipper is a lumber yard and there is 16 trucks ahead of me. That’s what happen the first dry clear day after historic snow and cold.. This load will get me 4+ hours of detention pay and I will likely still deliver on time. This situation is rare. But cha-ching the sitting isn’t bothering me.

 

Time sitting is entirely dependent upon the company, and more importantly the load planners and dispatchers at the company. If they wait until you're empty before they start looking to book your next load, you'll sit...a lot. If they are anticipating when you'll be ready for the next load and have a pretty good idea what you'll be under next, you'll sit a lot less. It really doesn't matter what type of trailer you're dragging, if the support staff is lagging, you'll sit.

 

^^^ While that is 100% true.

The reefer, and dry van to a lesser extent, segment of the industry has taking the support staff ### dragging to heart. They fear no reprisals from lazy trucking company office staff. They don't give a crap about detention, because they refuse to pay it. They demand all their loads by appointments in which they promptly themselves ignore.

In the case of reefer, and some cases dry van, office staff would rather neglect managing customers or running tight planning. It is cheaper and easier sit out drivers so appointments are sure to be made.

 

Sierra Pacific?

 

There shouldn't be much sitting around. That being said most places that receive flatbed run bankers hours or stop receiving at 14:00 and aren't open on the weekends. Fairly predicable, so if you are sitting, it would be a "dispatch" problem not looking ahead.

Flatbed for a large carrier on mileage pay probably isn't worth what it pays.

 

Georgia Pacific
4.5 hours and still in line lol

 

If you want to run flatbed go to a flatbed only company to start . The only loads they book are flatbed. Therefore less waiting. I started with TMC and never waited more than an hour for a load. Most 90% of the time I had my next load within 10 minutes of sending my empty macro. good luck to you in your new career and keep that license clean

 

Sometimes you can sit and twiddle your thumbs at a customer. Example: today in AR, Sat around for close to three hours due to not one but TWO drivers who could not secure and tarp their loads in under 2.5 hours.

Both drivers ran for a distinct flatbed carrier with shiny black Peterbilts.