Flatbedding pros and cons

I hate tarping indoors....usually hot or at least warm! And I am geared up so then I have to take it all off. That is Winter. And then no way no way am I tarping indoors in the Summer!

 

I HATE those places that makes you put a filthy harness on.

 

AK tube....although on a load like that (tall stack of oily tube) it can save your life. A guy died at AK near Toledo. Long way down!

 

Now those kind of loads I never complained about the harness.

 

What others have said, is mostly true.

However open deck is a brotherhood still, and usually (usually but not always) open deck drivers are on the ball and willing to lend a hand.

Do your research when you interview companies to work for. There are good companies to work for that don't tarp a lot of loads. Or perhaps look for one that has Conestoga trailers.

Stepdeck is probably the most versatile and you'll get a lot of variety.

 

No waiting on grocery. None of that. You are empty deck in about a hour at most. Or even sooner than that. I once was with two others making a convoy of three to Richmond High school VA with roofing foam. It's raining a little bit and the boss man was not around. Nor was the rental forklift. The foreman wrung his hands and dithered. He finally said we have to have it off now today now that you are here. All three of you. And we aint got time for unloading by hand a sheet at a time.

We think it over a little bit. Picked the ball field and did a severe J turn at 30 or so, cranking her into a jackknife adding fuel in top 5th or 6th. The foam whistled clean off the deck and bounced like dice along the field a little bit and stopped just so. Some horizontal, others vertical like a book. Something like 7000 pounds per deck times three.

THAT was FUN.

Little things like that makes flatbedding a joyful time.

All the wind and icing battles with tarping seems to go away from memory when you have good days with that kind of fun.

 

Nope.

 

Uh, except when you do tarp - then you get to use bigger and heavier tarps with lots of tall irregular shapes requiring endless padding. Then of course you could pull an RGN and use even bigger heavier tarps to tape even taller loads.

The bottom line is this - yes you will tarp and no you will not love it.

You either are an open deck guy and that is what you do

Or your not

Then you most likely get and endless streaming of slamming doors and speeding through parking lots and failing to maintain good lane discipline and asking yourself if you can back into the stupid small space the customer asks you to

 

The thing I like the most is that it’s easier to run regional and be home on the weekends. Most places are M-F and pretty much go home at 4-5 in the afternoon.

As far as tarping, it’s really not that bad once you figure out your own system to getting it done. I would suggest buying your own harness to use instead of wearing the dirty ones the shippers provide.

 

Pros.... It's a job yes...but I choose open deck wasn't afraid of the extra work involved with loading and tarping. I will be 60 in a few months. Age is not going to hold me back. There are a lot of older fellas then me out here doing the same thing. They can put some young men to shame. Cons... haven't found any yet.

 

I tried to use my own harness one time, the shipper denied me. Had to use theirs.