Diary of a current Swift flatbed driver

Best ladder to have, right there. I used a drill ad die set to install some eye bolts which allowed me to stash it behind the headache rack. Took a little longer to get it out and put it away, but it kept it out of the way. Unfortunately, having it take up any space in front of the headache rack wasn't an option, as the east coast flatbedders had to carry 20 chains and binders (for the five chassis loads to Utilimaster), and we pretty much needed every inch of that headache rack to accommodate that.

 

I wish I could get it behind my headache rack, my truck is a Columbia with a 58" sleeper and fairings (why?), I can barely get my head wedged between the fairing and the outside edge of the rack.

I can carry 20 chains on my headache rack, the binders I keep under the left side of the bunk, get to them from the outside door.

 

Currently have this on a tandem stepdeck. It's a coiler, as in steel coils. Was told it's 1/2 of a machine used to handle 90,000 steel coils. Stands nearly 9' high and weighs 22,400 lbs. Very top heavy and prone to tipping forward. I have 5 chains on it, 3 over the top (2 pulling to the rear, one forward) as well as two through the middle of it horseshoe style. Will try to remember to take another photo when I T-call it in Laredo.

 

Flying from Laredo to Phoenix today...but Swift cancelled the flatbed class. So I get to spend an extra week in Phoenix unexpectedly. If anyone happens to come through the terminal, holler at me and save me from boredom

 

This is when I wonder if I should re-do the guest room and offer a private room and bath, laundry and a home to the occasional person stuck at PHX terminal which is nice but not that nice. It's nice to hit a store get things, have TV, internet, room to move around etc. to yourself--- Steve's Wife

 

Well, I don't know about others, but I would take advantage of it and pay you for it.

 

They're making the west coast drivers carry all that, too? ####. Used to be, east coast flatbedders (Greer and Eden) had to carry 20 for the Utilimaster loads to Wakarusa, while the Gary, Shoals, and Phoenix drivers would carry 12. The first truck I had with them was an International... 9200 or 9400.. don't remember exactly.. with the 51" midroof. Cramped as all hell. I was disappointed and relieved both when they put me in a Columbia with the 70" condo.

See if they'll let you take one of the company vans into the city there. Phoenix has stuff to do, it's just that none of it's located there on S. 75th Street. I know they let me do it when I was down in Decatur after throwing an injector, so maybe someone can work something out for you in that regard.

 

Any body out there a Swift mentor?? I'm sittin on my duff in Apache Junction waitin for a flatbed mentor. Just got my CDL,finished tiedown class Friday. I'm a nonsmoker 60 yrs young, in reasonable shape. I don't want to run team for you, I want to learn the business. If your interested in teachin an old dog new tricks get back to me here. Oh yea AJ is outside Phoenix. Hour and a half in traffic to the terminal. This morning they told me if I don't hear from them by Wed. to call back!!! Just lookin for a reasonably clean non smoker. I don't mind gettin dirty or being dirty ( I've worked in shipyards) I just don't want to STAY dirty. Thanks

 

Swift only requires 16 chains & binders. I had 20 on my first truck but only 16 on my current truck.

 

At some point it was mentioned (by the original poster) that (to a flatbedder) vans suck! I found out first hand why!

I deliver a load of chassis in Sturgis, MI @ 2:00 pm Friday afternoon. Since I had not gotten a preplan I headed to the Pilot in Fremont, IN. Of course 20 minutes after I get to the Pilot I get a message telling me to deadhead to the terminal in Gary, IN. Since I only had 30 minutes left on my 14 I spent the night at the Pilot.

After spending Saturday in Gary I get a preplan Sunday for a van load to Grand Blanc, MI followed by another van load from Warren, MI to Duncan, SC. I burn my entire 14 playing "the empty trailer shell game" in the greater Chicago area and getting my first load to Grand Blanc. I spent my 10 hour break in a rest area the proceed to Warren in order to load in the morning.

Long story short, I tagged a iron pole while trying to do a 90 degree back on a narrow street. Tore the corner off my right front fender/hood. Ended up in Columbus, OH where I leave the truck to be repaired and take a bus to Council Bluffs, IA to retreive a flatbed truck abondoned by a driver (who quit) at a shop after a breakdown. Problem is said truck has almost no flatbed equipment so I'm stuck hauling vans. First I get a cryptic message telling me where to find an empty in Omaha, NE. Then I'm off to Cedar Rapids, IA where I pick up a prepacked trailer at General Mills headed for Fontana.

I unload in Fontana a day early only to spend the next 22 hours at the Fontana terminal waiting for a preplan. When it comes it's for a load appointment in Yuma, AZ. My appointment (in Yuma) is for 10:00 pm to midnight, I do not get loaded until 4:00 am and end up taking my 10 on a deserted street near the Yuma airport. After my 10 it's back to Ontario to do another drop & hook then back to the Fontana terminal.

I did get another preplan prompty the next morning which got me back to Phoenix for hometime.

What I learned from my journey to the dark side: I prefer flatbed to van. In flatbed we rarely have to deal with "finding a trailer". I once had the same flatbed with me for 2 weeks. If I need a different type of open deck trailer I head to the nearest terminal. I've only done flatbed "drop & hook" at Lowes warehouses. In van the longest I had a trailer was 3 days.

Flatbed-most loads and offloads are done Mon-Fri during daylight hours with shippers/receivers who are glad to see you. Van-load/unload 24/7 with shippers/receivers who treat you like ####.

I could go on, but I won't. It's like someone heard my whining/######## about flatbed kicking my ### and decided to show me what it was like to haul vans for a while.