Flatbed versus Refer

You don't unhook or go anywhere, that is why you have everything in the truck, food, fluids, snacks, movies, television, net, gaming, sleep and more sleep. So you can endure 10 hours or days.

 

You should try it during one of our N'oreasters in winter. Reading PA had one going on at 50 sustained and 45 above wind chills driven below freezing. I fought the canvas tarps that day. I actually had two people stand on a corner moved the tractor steer onto it, shooed em off and then started wrestling with it. That wind and the slope of that particular hillside threatened to strip that whole thing (Something like 40 feet by 20 plus) and make it disappear.

I will never forget that battle. I got that load wrapped. Even on the way home, a corner gets loose, then a whole panel then the top starts working out and then... ugh.

Part of the medicines I take for the rest of my life is because of battles like that.

 

You ever consider tanks? Hour pump on, drive... hour pump off, drive.... rinse repeat. Not all of us haul HazMat on a regular. There is "some" physicality to the job; dragging hoses, climbing catwalks, venting, supervising over the dome, etc.. and when done, secure all said items...drive, rinse, repeat.
I did reefer as a favor once, years ago...it's TOO much sitting, for me. I've done flatbeds on "off winters" here in Ohio, and.... well.... securement isn't my forte. No epic fails, per se, but hats off and respect to those guys; its just not for me.

 

Tanking is great. But my school of tanking for anyone unfamiliar with it is dead simple. Buy a large tall mcdonalds coffee. Remove lid. Set whole coffee ahead of your shifter on the floor.

Now drive.

Dont you spill that #### coffee. You get to clean it up.

Did not spill it? YAY you are now cert for tanker.

 

EXACTLY how I learned. SPOT ON, exactly. Should be in the books as a requirement.

 

Hopefully he's "kinda" joining MY world... ie: pavers helpers, with lowboys or dumps..we need 'em all, LoL. (Boxes thread may be gone, not sure...where the drama ensued.)

 

Even if I was rolling down the road for 10hrs I wouldn't be stuck in the truck 10hrs straight. You are gonna stop to use the rest room and stretch your legs every once in a while. I just see this as bad, because I'm not getting into driving trucks to get lay over pay at $15/hr that eats up my drive time money where I'd be making more.

Maybe right now, guys can game the system where they don't sit on the clock for the layover time (or what ever it's called) this way they can keep their drive hours but in Dec that goes away. Once you start that clock it's running.. Do you really want to be stuck on the road just to be making $15/hr?

Keep in mind I'm of course looking from the outside in at this point, I start my training the 17th.. But I've been trying to read as much as I can and watch videos on different aspects of both refers and flat beds and over and over again I see the same complainants about refers and dock time and flat beds it's the tarps in the cold/wet.

Just me looking from the outside I think once that electronic logs 14hr day is set in stone and you can't "stop your clock" it's not gonna be good for solo refer guys if you are getting lots of dock time.

 

Last paragraph, correct. That's why some of us (I'm tank, not reefer btw) still run pre'2000's. These Petes, taken care of, last a LONG time...... just saying! As to the rest of your post, I'll let others reply. It's gonna be interesting, for sure.
Best of luck to you; learn ALL you can in here (TTR) because your training may be less than provisional, so I hear.

 

Ahh I didn't know there was a "truck age" requirement for electronic logs. My deal is I'm going to Prime for the training and my intention is to go flat bed company driver. I have no kids, no house, almost no bills, I'm planning hunker down and live in my truck for the next year saving everything I can. Once I've committed my year for the CDL & gained experience my plan was to buy a used truck and start doing equipment hauling or possibly do hotshot but I need to do a lot more research on that.

That's good to know that pre-2000 don't need the e- logs. TY for that info, but I suppose those old Pete's will get a price spike if they haven't already.. lol