Best way to REALLY learn flatbed?

Go with an irregular route flatbed company. This way, you're hauling different types of freight in all weather/all terrain. Melton Truck Lines is a good one for that. System Transport is another one.

 

Central Oregon Truck Company. If you have a year OTR, they will train you and the company is ####ing amazing.

 

Nothing will ever give you experience with everything, but anything that ships more than simple stick and steel loads will help you learn the principles, and once you've gotten the hang of the principles you should be able to do anything.

 

Maverick has excellent training. You will spend a full week in securement training and have the option to go out with a trainer if you want but that part would be optional since you have experience. They also have a number you can call for help if you run into a load you are unsure how to secure it.

 

Jones Bros. Trucking in Missoula, Montana is another good one for irregular route flatbedding.

 

If a company could train you for "every load" you'd be in training for months. Part of flatbedding is being able to look at freight and then plan.

For example every mixed lumber load is different with "holes" and varying lengths changing your strap position. You might have to have the load reworked if they put all the hardwood flooring on one side and light pine moulding on the other leaving you leaning.

Melton, Maverick, and TMC are all well regarded flatbed starter companies that run a wide variety of freight and train well. They'll teach you the common loads, how to use equipment, and it'll be up to you to develop a problem solving/prevention mindset.

 

Good question. BUT remember you will ALWAYS run into a load that makes you scratch your head and go, "Wait, WHAAATTT!!!! You want to put WHAT one my deck!!???"

In flatbed there's ALWAYS the opportunity to prove you are a rookie every day. Once you have the basics of load securement you apply that to every load. BUT there will ALWAYS be challenges at your next pick up. Think it through. Be prepared to refuse a load if you must. But THINK IT THROUGH.

 

I learned a LOT about tarping from their series on YouTube. It seems like they have their #### together.

 

Lol I just picked up a load yesterday and the dude didn’t load it the way I told him it needed to be loaded. Told him I’m not touching it until he loads it how he was asked. He replied by waving a piece of paper at me showing exactly what is supposed to be on this particular load. And I explained to him that was for him to know what to put on each trailer but the driver was the one who makes the final determination of how and where... and if it comes down to it, WHAT goes on the trailer. He just kept on loading and finished loading. Came back 3 hours later and I was taking a nap in the sleeper. He banged on my door and asked what I was doing... “getting paid to take a nap. I told you I’m not touching that #### until you load it correctly.” He called the company, who told him to load it the way the driver is asking to load it. Of course, it’s different height pallets of random sized boxes, shrink wrapped and then there are some random boxes of trim. A few pallets of bags of spackle... it looks pretty #### weird now that it’s tarped... but it’s also evenly distributed. Not ####ing up my fuel bonus for that punk kid lol