Flatbed or dry van

Flatbed will likely open opportunies faster than pulling a van will. There are advantages to pulling a van, you'll likely handle the load yourself less, back up to the dock, they load it, you toss in a couple of load locks and go rolling (it isn't always like this though). You won't have to worry about tarping, either.

Flatbed will be more physically intensive. You'll have to learn to chain and strap loads down, and the various regulations surrounding this. Don't think, however (as some do) that just because you're pulling a flatbed that backing up is a secondary skill, it certainly isn't.

But, by the same token, if you have aspirations of getting into a specialized area of trucking, such as oversize/ heavy haul, towing a flatbed will get you there faster. I think Roehl even does some (small) oversize work, so you could even get your foot in the door there.

It's not a question of which is better, its a question of what you want out of trucking.

 

Agree. It's not a question of which is a better career, its a question of which is better at building YOUR career and meeting YOUR goals. Which is better for you is largely a matter of what pace and physical and mental level of exertion you best progress at. Keeping a clean and incident free record will in the long run earn you more that pushing gangbusters for max miles/income at the expense of incidents with your equipment and your own physical well being. Better to shoot for a goal just a bit higher than you think you can reach than one so low it doesn't challenge you, or one so high that you set yourself up for problems and ultimate failure.

 

Just curious, why not Reefer?

 

I did flatbed for 3 months.Deffinately not for everyone.I'm sticking to van,lol.Flatbedding keeps you in shape.Most the flatbedders I see are buffed,lol.Anyway I personally think you flatbedders work real hard and deserve more for tarping.So to the poster if you don't mind tarping in the cold,rain snow ect as well as untarping and challenging work then I say go for it.But there are customers that will let you tarp inside the building.When I did flatbed I had very little wait times.With vans you can wait hrs to unld and load.

 

I pull a flatbed because that's where the highest paying loads are on average

 

I see no real difference between reefer and dry really. Just have the unit perform a self test after you check oil and belts. Then set the temp and get loaded. I got started with reefer simply because the other guys couldn't be bothered with it. If I never have to spend 19 hours unpaid at another giant eagle dc it will be too soon.
I never hauled flatbed, but was told by a flatbedder that tarping in the rain is a myth. If a load needs to he tarped to stay dry, it can't be getting rained on while you tarp it.....I thought it made good sense.

 

Not a myth. I tarped many loads in the rain just to keep road grime off the load at the brokers request.