Belly wrap

Well as far as termanology, depends on the driver, for my barn its a little different, i always have enough straps over the whole load to cover the wll req. Idont count belly straps (inbetween layers but still conected to both sides of trailer) if i can help it. If a choke goes from pass side, over pipe, then under pipe to pass side, than back over to driver side, covering the whole load it counts to agg.

What he calls a belly, i call a choke, what he calls a gut, if its over the top its just a strap, if its between layers i call it a belly, and what he calls a choke, just wraping pipe with no conection to trailer, i call a banding strap... sorry lost myself there

 

The little green bible can help with securment standards

 

Its on the coffee table as we speak to keep going through.

I didn't know truckers were given homework

 

Only flatbedders have homework. Remedial door slaming at 10 for those who fail securment at 9.....

 

Mind you when it comes to securing equip, better to ask hurst or one of the others, i only haul pipe. Pvc, steel, cast iron, and crates/pallets of random crap to go with said pipe...

 

I would think some of your knowledge would cross over guite nicely. I picked up 35 steel billets (6'x6"x10') from a steel mill. The trucker in front of me laid two chains on the deck before getting loaded. I got out to watch and learn, and helped throw lumber for him and whatnot. He said they were to wrap the load, then he would throw chains over after to secure the load. So, monkey see, monkey do, thats what I did. I thought that was called belly chaining, like you guys would do with pipe. I hadn't heard of a choke.

After the steel I went to pick up some lumber, and was asked by the forklift guy if I wanted to belly strap the load. I did look in the book and learned I only had to belly strap when its three lifts high, not two.

Hence the confusion on what terms to use when. Thanks!

 

See thats a belly to me, a strap between lifts. Nothing saying you cant belly a 2 lift if you want, or if its heavy, i tend to belly for the first 2 lifts, (enough to agg what the straps are touching) then over top strap for agg of entire load. Normaly by the time im happy that nothings moving, the overs are well above total load agg, and bellys are for legal/personal prefrance for stoping movment.

 

Yes, I think with the steel I "choked" the load. With the lumber I think I "belly strapped" the load.
I understand that the green bible is the minimum needed. I also understand that adhering to the minimum is probably not the best way to go.
I spoke with dispatch/trainers after the steel load, asking if I should've tightened the choke chains first. It was hindsight. They said I shouldn't have to choke a load, just chain it and go. So I don't think I will follow that advice.
In the future I think if I need to choke, I will tighten the choke chains first, then the securement chains. And I agree, more securement is better than less. I didn't have one leftover winch on the lumber load. Did it move? Nope. Was it more straps to roll up and put away? Yep. Do I care? Nope. The load was secured.

Thank you for the advice, and taking the time, street beater,

 

Yep tighten the belly and chokes first cause the will squeeze the load together. If you do them last then all your over the top straps may loosen up.

 

Reviving a dead thread. I’m picking up some ductile pipe in Utah in the morning. Not sure how much of how they will want to load it, but when it comes to pipe, structural steel or coils, the proper amount of securement is doubled. For ductile pipe, for instance, I put 1 strap/chain per 4 feet of pipe, with 1 cinch per section. Add a ghost strap and a minimum of one belly/gut strap per layer of pipe. And I do mean minimum. I’m carrying 22 4 inch straps and 10 chains, 10 binders. If the pipe is in more than one section, I ghost strap every section of pipe as well. Every time I hear of some flatbedder being killed, it’s always pipe, steel beams or coils. My company also requires a minimum of 1 strap per stake pocket regardless of the weight of the load. It could be a single 48’ 2x4 and there would be 14 straps on it at a minimum. 12, plus ghost, plus company strap.

I was wondering why around the terminal I never heard of a load shifting or coming off of the trailer. Company policy and common sense dictate that if there is any doubt, throw everything you’ve got at the load. If still in doubt, they’ll send another driver with more securement for the load. Don’t move.