flatbed

I know that competition is a very male thing and we all want to be the best at oneupsmanship, but really, bragging about something that happened "back in 09" is not helpful to those of us trying to make decisions. Besides, you might have done it wrong all that time. And this is, after all, a place for newbies to ask our questions and to learn from those with experience.

My recommendation: Join the discussion. Explain why you do what you do. Tell us what you and your employer see as the benefits. Stop criticizing others with different ways and making the differences out to be attacks on your manhood. They're not. Really.

 

Uhhh what? Bragging?

There are no "decisions" that need to be made here...Anyone that uses straps to tie down coils is a bloody fool! As was previously stated, you can cut a strap with a knife and the edges of the coils are usually razor sharp! Strap softeners are inadequate to protect the straps from the sharp edges because they are not much more robust than the straps are.
Another thing to conside is how much a strap will stretch as you run down the road! A strap is not capable of holding a coil in place in a fast stop situation where a chain is just barely capable of holding it in place.

This wins the "Most ridiculous statement of the day" award!

The amazing thing is....The newbies ask a question, Get an answer and then argue that the answer is wrong!
If you knew the answer, You'd have never asked the question in the first place.

OK DR. Freud....

As previously stated, We have joined the discussion and have explained why we do things that way we do them and because the "poorly trained" newbies disagree with what we have told them they "claim" that their way is better.

There is no way to adequately secure a heavy metal coil (steel or aluminum) with straps!
You want to tie it down with straps? Cool, Knock yourself out!

Just let me know what route you're taking so I don't get caught in the backup when they're hosing your remains out of the wreckage!

 

No. I have to coils one is 24,000 n change, n one is 23,000 n change. Both have 3 straps each. You've obviously never picked up from Logan aluminum. They WILL NOT ALLOW CHAINS, PERIOD. I do also have straps around the bases, thank you.

 

Oneupsmanship, manhood? Come on! What we have been trying to tell you is straps have no place as the main load securement when hauling steel or alum coils!
While the WLL of a strap may equal that of chains, chains cant be cut if something happens and the coil moves, they will dig in, straps wont, they will stretch allowing the coil to move even more.
Coils are some of the easiest things to haul, IMO but they are with out question the most dangerous if not tied down right.
Like I said before, I've seen the big box companys get into flatbeding and how they were trained makes me wanna slap the #### out of the trainer. Prime and Hogen have got to be the worst. Not 3 weeks ago I watched a Swift driver wrap the chains on a shotgun coil, I didnt even bother to tell him he was muckin it up. The way he had the chains were going to leave "chain digs" on the outer edge of the coil making it a junk coil for the receiver.
Another no no is x'ing chains thru the eye of a suicide coil, I went to the driver and told him he was chaining that coil down wrong and he all but told me to mind my own business. Then he pulls out this paper that tells how to tie down coils, hands it to me and shows me were it says to x the chains thru the eye of of the coil. Prime failed to put on his cheat sheet x chain coils with eye to the rear NOT eye to the side.
None of us started out knowing how to haul steel or alum on are first load. On my vary first coil load it was me and 3 other drivers, I learned from them, I've learned from other drivers, I've even called drivers that I know who have hauled steel years longer than I have to ask questions.
I really dont care who you work or drive for, if you need help or aint sure about loading a coil just ask!!
And if you dont think what I said was right ask the next driver, if he tells you the same thing, you just might be wrong.
Like I said there are no old stupid steel haulers.

 

And again. The place does not allow chains, otherwise I would've chained them. I don't like straps for coils either, but that's how they want them so..... Chains don't blow around in 30mph wind gusts. These coils are for making soda can, or in this case, beer cans. Chains would damage them

 

Straps are rated at 5400, times three is only 16,200. That would not go on my truck, I don't care what the idiots on the dock say.

As for chains, what, you guys never heard of edge protectors?

 

Some fool tells me to strap a coil...I turn around and drive out the gate! He can call some bottom feeder like Prime, Swift, Maverick, Melton or TMC to haul his coils.


The reason they make you guys use straps is primarily bacause the bottom feeders have never bothered to show their drivers how to "correctly" secure their flatbed loads and have therefore damaged a lot of freight.
In order to not lose the account these P.O.S. companies that babble about safety while being some of the most dangerous companies on the road toss the safety of the drivers out the window and come up with stupid policies like..."Tie down coils with straps!"

Instead of teaching thier drivers how to actually secure a load they just make them put on so many straps and/or chains and binders that even if they're on wrong there's still a pretty good chance that they'll make it to their destination intact. (more or less)

The men that have responded to this thread are all seasoned pro's and we know more about what we're doing that you or your company ever will...It disgusts me to see what the bottom feeder, trashbag trucking companies are doing to this industry!

 

with out OTR experiance your stuck with the bottom feeders for training. I waited till i had experance. I'm going to Lone Star Transportation Dec 5th and they're going to train me to flatbed. But you need OTR to get on with them, there are other companies like this one that will train you to fb once you get the OTR exp.





American Trucker