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

One of our customers is a steel processing plant, and they have company drivers. All conestogas, and all they haul are steel plate. Easy work. They way they strap down is they put edge protectors onto a broomstick and guide it up the straps from the ground onto the plates. Winch em down, done deal. Never even climb onto the trailer. That's a very specific deal obviously but easy low company flatbed work is out there.

 

That yard jockey for nissan for close to 20 a hour sounds really good. I know I would be there myself to take it. But I wont. Ive enough issues here in Arkansas repairing a body. You would want regular time off to do anything that has nothing to do with big rigs to ease your mind and recharge your morale.

 

i have a death fear of heights myself, which is why i pull dry vans....and up to this very day, i have NOT been told to climb the top and shovel off any snow.....

i know how to "tell someone off", in a heartbeat.....

at one time, i had pulled tankers, and i can assure you that job didn't last very long, having to walk that SKINNY catwalk 13 feet high....!!!!!!!!

 

theres very few places that even allow u on top of the trailer without a harness.. the tallest loads i usually run are lumber or hunter panels... hunter panels they wont let u on top cuz its foam and will destroy it.. lumber yards u have to get on top but u got to wear a safety harness...when u start out u got to be a baby flatbedder crawling across the tarp on hands and knees.. then eventually u will work up to standing up and walking, then it wont freak u out after a while u will just be ready to tarp this SOB and get down the road... most the times i still crawl on hands and knees once i got a tarp over it cuz u cant see where ur walking one wrong step and down ya go 13ft to the pavement hope u got ya hard hat on tight

 

Here's one you can note for future reference; after you gain 12 mos. experience.
German company with plant in Montgomery. Think they pull flatbed & tankers. Some ThyssenKrupp plants also have dry vans.

 

I didn’t read everything here, so I apologize if it’s been touched on.

It doesn’t rule you out at all. If you have to be on top of the load the majority of places have fall protection of some sort. I’m not a fan of being on top of loads either but being in a harness made it bearable for me. And there are many places now that don’t allow you to be off the ground at all. They either don’t get tarps or they have a machine that will lift your tarps up and over the load.

 

Everyone of those rollovers is caused by piss poor decision making skills. Basically absolutely zero brain power from the driver. If they had used the common sense of a five year old they would have slowed down and stayed upright.

While hauling steel is inherently more dangerous than say a load of plywood, all of that danger can be eliminated by having just slightly more brain function than the average chimpanzee. Seriously it isnt that hard. Load and secure it properly, then drive with some basic common sense.