Heavy equitpment or machinery only ??

PIE think I'd be telling mister JK to s my d

 

can you blame people for not wanting to tarp.

it's not called lazy. it's called BS.

you guys might like to work for free. but most of us don't.

the last company i worked for. hauled mostly wood, sheetrock, and rebar. so most of there loads were tarped. that's the only money that company makes. but the drivers get NOTHING for there time. they lose out on sleep. and they make there money DRIVING. not tarping and untarping.

my last 8 loads were all tarp. all wood. and one load i even had to go to home depot to buy a tarp. becuase the two tarps weren't long enough to cover that particular load. that was money out of my own pocket that i never got back. i no longer work for them.

some companies pay $25 to tarp. but NOTTA to untarp.

i don't work for free. so yeah, i don't want a tarp job either. specially in the southern heat or the northern cold. i make $24 an hour driving down the road. that's where i make my money. while the company makes there money on free labor.

NO THANK YOU.

 

You've got 3 #### off hrs a day on your log book? What else are you going to use them for......as far as not being compensated........that was your problem......you see the problem is people think they need to be compensated for EVERYTIME they pick up a piece of trash in the parking lot.....or in this instance touching a tarp....maybe you were paid for it in maybe a higher mileage rate then normal maybe paid layovers heck I don't know......as for buying a tarp because it wouldn't cover that's your problem.....did you get to keep it when you left? As far as whining about dragging a tarp out if a box......just be glad you had a job........truck drivers ain't happy unless their unhappy

 

apparently buttercup likes workiing for free. and expects america in general to also work for free.

3 hours on my log book. what else am i gonna use them for. i use them to MAKE money. DRIVING down the road.

you want to support your company. that's your perogative. notice i said i don't work for them any more.

 

Well all I can say is when I'm buying the 4.00 a gallon fuel, I wanna be paid for all the trash I pick up!! If somebody wants there load tarped here,they pay extra for it, don't pay, it doesn't get tarped!! The guy I'm leased with doesn't mess around, Can't afford to haul cheap freight nowadays.

These are the loads I like!!!!

 

Easy guys. Theres quite a bit of unpaid work that passingthru69 does too. None of us are paid to load a trailer. If you are hauling machinery, you have loaded and unloaded trailer before...especially if you have picked up at the ports. Passingthru made his comments because he thought OP didnt want to put his time in. Everyone has had to put his time in to get to the point to where he is compensated for tarping.

OP is asking whether or not theres another company like Keen, who pulls strictly machinery, but will put on a driver with no recent experience. I dont know of such a company. Guys on our end laugh at Swift, but Swift was the only company I found that let me back into a flatbed without going to driving school. They paid $15 to tarp. You sit there in a truck with a blue shirt moron who talks down to you and you know you can out-drive him. Had to bite my tongue and put my time in. ATS paid $50 for a tarp job when I was a company driver, but jeeeeeeez, you pick up every wierd contraption known to man. Better carry a big roll of gorilla tape and a heat gun for tarp repair.

3 hour tarp jobs, yes...youre right...noone wants to do them. But passingthru's is a little different. He shows up to load, then spends hours putting his trailer together. From arrival to departure can be 2 to 3 days!

The last load I tarped this summer was the worst yet. Stretched out the trailer, loaded an object with no securement points. Found out the thing had to be tarped. Dispatch was shocked when I told her how much it would cost for me to tarp. There was nothing on top to support the tarp. Had to run my chains from the side of the trailer, over the top, and down and through and x crossed. Took all day. Threw 40ft straps across the top and padded the edges so the straps weren't cut. Carried the tarps up my extension ladder, rolled them out across the straps on the top. Took all night. Hands were cramping like something fierce. Bobtailed over to a motel, checked in and ordered a pizza. Took a shower and some over the counter meds for cramping. Woke up a few hours later to begin my day.

Nobody likes tarping. Everyone wants the heavy machinery loads. Companies know this. Its like being a fighter...how many times do you have to get punched in the face before the TV people know your name? The first thing that the doorslammers mention about why they dont flatbed is tarping. They rather get molested by lumpers and sit for days on end in grocery warehouses. Or run 4000 miles a week.

Cant knock OP for not wanting to tarp. Problem is, its very hard to avoid the rags when you are starting out.

 

Speak for yourselves im paid for everything i do....tarp, load, unload, detention, layovers, per diem, tear down and put up side kits...it just aint very much...

 

Been following this thread and like most, it is entertaining. Excellent post triple6. The ole saying "nothing comes for nothing" comes to mind. Heavy haul and oversize has its own set of problems. Someone mentioned tarping in the heat,cold,weather etc. Heavy and oversize needs to be loaded,signed, flagged, chained etc. Sometimes can be a pita. Permits are needed. You are most likely limited to daylight hours with oversize. When load get over height or more than 12' wide, loads are very regulated. Hopefully, you are properly compensated(just like flatbedding). Could go on...

Another thought. You will spend several thousand dollars in tie down and securement equipment. Good grade chains, binders, straps, etc add up the $ very fast. Depending on weight you intend to haul, you will most likely have 3/8 and 1/2" chain. Some guys even have 5/8 chain.
I use grade 80 and 100 chain. A friend uses only grade 7 chain. If he needs more weight rating he goes up in chain size. Im lazy, i would rather go up in grade rating. It is alittle more money but less weight. Beleive me, DOT will check your chains tie downs etc for weight ratings etc.
If you go this route, keep that equipment locked up. I trust very few people. Hundreds or thousands of dollars of equipment can disappear in a minute or two. That equipment is like $100 dollar bills hanging on your trailer...
It is good work, but has its own set of headaches.

 

I have to say if you do not want to climb on loads and are fearful of slipping off of something open deck work may not be for you.

Even when you are not tarping there can still be alot of climbing on loads.

I mean no disrespect to you just hate to see you get into something that won't work out.