Another Physical Demand Thread about Flatbedding. Specifically Height...

You are going to be high up.

Roofing foam, layers of it on the flat bed. You climb ladder up top (roughly 13.6 over concrete plus your height.) and start unrolling tarps and falling them down the sides as you eyeball to be sure it's correct. (Yes you will be looking down)

Now. Most places require you to wear a harness tied to the ceiling for that work. One in particular. Atlas in Camp Hill PA. They ship roofing foam. A long time ago we had a driver go poo pooh on the harness and got up there. Whoopsie daisy he fall down. Head first to the cement. Bounced like a pogo stick as the spine did it's compression on impact from skull down.

They tell stories about him being a vegetable being fed and watered like a tomato plant and having essentially what is brain death while the family squabbled over him.

When you are outside and up top, you don't have a blessed harness at all except a pair of angels wings assigned to you when required. You learn to do things like the crab spreading out on all your limbs while doing the work in high wind. If your load came off with you make sure at all possible you have it below you. Be quick about it too.

Now that I scared you silly don't worry about it so much. If it's your time it's your time. I cannot have you unable to tarp and strap up top high up because you have a little fear.

Being scared is good. The problem is people who get really scared freeze or fail to mentally make decisions and push through that fear. Sometimes that gets them killed as usually what happens then.

By the way what your father did to you and the icebox up top is a form of abuse. It cuts deep. No wonder you are damaged.

One more thing.

Ive been up on single cable above 40 feet tree to tree with just a little clip on a harness should I come off it. It's scary, but after a while it's FUN. You are told that 34 feet is usually the magic number for most humans. They freeze and lockup before that high. Above that height it matters not.

Another way I broke my fear of heights was traveling to Harpers Ferry WVa, two rivers and mountains meet there. 940 feet straight up the rock. There I went with a buddy without anything other than ripstop boots for traction. 30 minutes up and 40 back down and done. No more worry about heights.

Note. I wont be that stupid again if I can help it.

 

Some places have safety harness and line for drivers if they are climbing up on the load. Some places restrict anybody up on the load.

 

You’ll never be 20’ up but 13 or so is likely

 

It's getting so bad, some places won't allow you on the trailer.

 

I had the same fear. I can do ski lifts and flying but being on a ladder more than a couple steps up I start shaking. I can walk on the flatbed fine but don’t feel comfortable near the edge. I still chose to do flatbed. It was difficult at first. 6 months later I’m walking on the load tarping it 13 feet up no problem.

I just started out on my hands and knees and eventually overcame my fear just by doing the job. It still kind of sucks and I worry about it but my brain is just on ‘do’ mode. My tip would be to find a company willing to work with you. I own the truck and rent the trailer so it was all on me.

 

It doesn't but it is a pain in the ### to chain down a coil standing on the ground. Other places were just straps which isn't no big deal.