FlatBedders complaints I wanna hear em

O/O flatbedder from day one, the pros would be quick load and unload Times(under a hour) good pay I haul pipe in the oil field and OTR. I like the physical side of it and rigging a load to stay on the trailer, the cons are you have to take your truck in some hairy off road spots, dealing with the elements,like throwing or rolling up tarps in Wyoming with 45 mph winds at 5 degrees. Also a con these days is alot of box drivers are switching to flatbed with the steering wheel holder mentality and giving us a bad name.

 

forget it.

laziness + securement = bad

 

At 60 I'm not sure I would consider flatbedding if you've never really done it. I'm 45 and there are moments where I wonder what I got myself into because you need to be in good physical shape in order to secure certain loads.

I'll try to list the reasons I personally like Flat bed vs Reefer or Dry Van. I have no Dry Van experience,.. but I have hauled freight in my reefer when I was doing reefer work.

Loading/unloading times:
For the most part, you arrive at a shipper and you rarely wait more then a few mins before they are ready to load you. There are places like steel mills, airports, pipe etc where you may encounter some severe wait times. But for the most part, you are in and out with minimal wait times.

Loading:
I control how my load goes on the trailer. Pipe for example. I have been places where they wanted to load the pipe on me in a pyramid. I dont do pyramid pipe loads. I only do layers with dunnage in between each layer. If you dont feel comfortable with how they are loading you and they refuse to do it your way, just refuse the load. I've only had it happen twice, but each time when I told them to take it off because I was refusing the load. They accommodated me and reloaded it to my satisfaction.

Courtesy/Respect:
When I was hauling reefer I always felt like it was every man for himself. Very little respect and courtesy amongst other drivers when at shippers and receivers. Flat bedders tend to look out for each other. When I first started out, drivers saw things that I was doing and saw that I was obviously a newbie struggling in certain areas. I was shown many shortcuts and ways to do things to help make it easier and safer. Many times other drivers will even come help you roll your tarps and I do the same. Particularly in windy conditions. I've come to the conclusion that the laziest drivers tend to stick with no touch, drop n hook loads (Dry van etc). Where flat bedding requires hands on loading and unloading,.. flat bed drivers tend to have a better work ethic then other drivers.

Money:
I'm not an owner operator. So I can not fairly discuss flat bed rates vs reefer or dry van. But from a drivers perspective, I am paid very very well with no shortage of miles or loads. I am given all the miles I can handle. Unless I feel like being lazy and taking a break for a few hours, I almost always have a reload waiting before I deliver. I do intend to make the jump to O/O status, but I am very comfortable with how things are right now, so I am not really in a rush to make the move just yet.

Health:
Being that loading and unloading require hands on effort. I am in much better physical shape then I would be if I did no touch freight. I have lost almost 40lbs since I first started. My wife took notice and had encouraged me to contiue by getting on a diet and doing more exercise. I Was at 325lbs Jan last year. I'm now down to 281lbs. My goal is to get down to 225ish.

Docking:
While I wont say we never dock,.. its rare to get loaded that way. Squeezing in between 2 other trucks in a narrow loading alley is extremely rare. And now that I am doing step deck,. I dont have to worry about it at all.

Appointment times:
Unlike reefer work where you have to pay rescheduling fees, late fees, etc and the frustration thats comes when you have multiple stops and you get held up. Its very rare to get a load that needs to be delivered at a certain time with flat bed. I drive at my own pace and try to deliver first thing in the AM in order to have time to get reloaded the same day.



I dont want to discourage you from getting into flat bed. But there are moments when you will need dexterity and strength in order to tarp and secure your load. I have gotten tall loads, even over height loads that needed to be tarped. My lumber tarps weigh roughly 150lbs each. Most places will help you get them up top. But its up to you to roll it out and secure your load. There are other times where you only tarp part of your load and you may need to climb on and over things. Not hard in good weather,.. but if ts raining or in cold icy conditions, it can be treacherous.

I enjoy flat bedding because every day is different. I enjoy the challenge from certain loads. I enjoy the self respect I get from doing my job. I never felt that way when I was doing reefer. I grew bored and was easily frustrated with reefer work. It was always the same no matter where I went. There was no challenge in it for me. Everything became a routine and redundant.

Hope that helps.

Hurst

 

Thanks Hurst, I really appreciate your time and effort explaining this.

Being 60 has made me look at things a little different. I look at flat bed as it could make me or break me.
I think it would keep me healthier but at the same time I am sure I would have a little trouble with the tarps and maybe at my age I would enjoy something a little easier.

 

LOL you are cool. You would've made a great godfather.

 

Well, if you're going to be out here, you may as well have some fun, right?

 

I've been flatbedding full time for a mere two months now, so my only major complaint is having to tarp in killing cold weather. I have a few minor complaints (mainly union steel mills, which I see a lot of), but nothing bad enough to send me back to dragging a box around.

 

OP, not saying anything bad but there's no room for lazy pulling open deck freight. Lazy mostly means at times corner's will be cut and one day it could come back to haunt you when someone ends up either injured or killed. It's not just toss a couple strap's, tighten them down and roll out. It's a learning curve to say the least and securement must meet or exceed DOT minimum requirement's. Flat bedding is not a job, it's an adventure all its own that's not for the lazy or folk who half ##### do things.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f140/ve3nsv/65715151c3c92007b98c9b293bfb07cdfac.jpg

The image you should be looking at is 2 steel coils on top of a SUV. One can only imagine if there was someone on the passenger side and/or in the back. Just something to keep in mind. Securement and safety are two things I take very seriously because one small slip up could come with HUGE consequences. Just something you might want to marinate on. If you do, take the time and get the proper training rather than just trying to "wing it" from what you see others do because what you see one person do may not be adequate or even legal. Remember, with open deck freight, securement is available for the world to see as you pass by unlike a dry van.

 

was I seeing that wrong straps and only two chains please say it isn't so

 

Ok, there is lazy, and then there is ware of oxygen pathetic excuse of a human being. I pull a flatbed because I AM a lazy sob. It's less work and more money. Boils down to each person's individual definition of lazy. For me, it comes down to time invested. Most loads on a flatbed require no more than two hours from arrival to I'm loaded and ready to pull out. Back when I did refer I considered myself lucky if it ever took less than 4 hours, with 6 to eight being typical. Then end result of this is I have atleast an extra 20 to 30 hours per week in available time to do what ever I want with. Now add in the difference in pay, and it's a no brainer.