Load Securement Time

I have been asked by my boss why it took 5 hours to load a 5 axle with silo slabs.

The slabs were behind the barn and the truck was loaded on the road... Farmer didn’t want the truck on his property being loaded as the zoom boom doing the loading will mess up the grass etc.

Also I made sure my load was secured well and none of the slabs will move which actually worked well half a day later when it needed to stay on the trailer.

That’s another story for later.

 

It takes the time it takes. Right now you worry about becoming efficient. You learn what not to do in the future. Its all repetition. It used to take me a few hrs to tarp loads, now I can knock em out in an hour or less because I know exactly how to lay the tarp, and how to bungee it down. Learn what works for you. I actually recently started bungeeing my tarps differently after helping another driver at my co (dude has 40+yrs of flatbed exerience) and he showed me that even using more bungees, it was a bit faster and held better. Then I showed him the clamps I use to hold tarps when I fold them up, like having a 2nd set of hands holding them. They also work well when folding up the excess part of the tarp on a load. It works well for me and makes me faster.

You know what that ### bag trainer is still at WE? Because he isn't good enough to go anywhere else. Use WE as a place to hone your skills and make mistakes, then move on to a better co.

 

15 or twenty minutes max!

Really it will take you exactly as long as it takes to do it right. Not a second more or a second less. Just make sure it’s right.

As for your trainer. If he’s at western express with the experience he claims then he’s a screw up and anything that comes out of his mouth is likely to be bs.

 

Legal load (legal dims)? 3 hours is plenty.

Now's the time to work smarter, not harder. Pay attention to @HillbillyDeluxeTruck post.

Do you fold your own tarps? Then you should know how they will drop when you unfold them. Worried about the clock? Google your address and see if they have a spot that you can park overnight and get in without starting your clock (I believe you learned that you can move at 5mph and slower without triggering the clock.) Don't get truck stop happy, park at the customer. Securement should be second nature now. Before they can even load you, you should have your plan of attack in mind. Secure the corners of the tarp in a crisscross fashion, then work the front and rear and down the sides like you're doing a zigzag stitching pattern. Hour and a half max time.

 

My tarps also never touch the ground anymore if I can help it. I fold them on top of the load. Then I never have to pick the ######## up to put them on the trailer. Its also faster.

 

My last load, it took me 9 hrs to secure and tarp. Part of that was because after a short storm, it got really hot and humid, so rest breaks became frequent. But I'm almost always the slowest to get done.

Securement takes as long as it takes. Being certain the load is not going to shift, even in a hard brake, is vastly more important than being worried with how long it takes. Just be courteous to other drivers, and move your truck somewhere out of the way. Then take as much time as you need to do it right.