Maybe Going Skateboarding (to do?)

I will not contribute to this thread bc i have friends and family and heck for all of humanity that can potentially b injured by inexperienced flatbed drivers trying to make a few cents more per mile.
No wonder flatbed rates r competing with vans.
You r a experienced driver, get experienced training and go out w a trainer for awhile.

 

Start thinking like a hoarder. Walk the back of every truckstop you park at and pick up the torn off mudflaps. Not the cheap thin ones but the thick rubber ones. Cut each in half. That covers your rubber for under your coil racks and between coil and dunnage. They are also great for strap protection as well for round stuff with sharp points like t posts and stone.

I carry 10 4x4s cheap lowes pine. They do break pretty easy especially with pipe but that's what my company provides. I would want hardwood and I'd cut a bevel in 4 of them for coils.

If I had my choice of trailers I'd get a step. The variety of loads you can haul just seems greater. The way the market is right now I think you need to be able to haul just about anything. I've got a 48 ft conastoga so I'm very limited and I've had a terrible last month. I think if one more person tells my dispatcher they don't load conastogas he just might go postal.

 

Green book, a little common sense, and be willing to ask questions is all it takes to flatbed.

It's really not that hard.

 

By all means..... I mean heck the "trainers" do SUCH a fine job with the van drivers, right??

 

Eloquent.

 

Look at all the misinformation that is spread on this site because of company policy and trainers.

 

This, ttr, and observing other drivers is all you need to learn securement. I say observe other drivers because I have fallen prey to just securing the way I see all the other drivers doing it and had loads shift on me. Now I do it my way.

The other thing that I struggle with is being assertive with the loaders. They get set in their ways and want to do every truck the same no matter what you say. That's when you stop them, get their supervisor and explain that it's your truck and your responsibility and it's going to be loaded your way or not at all.

 

I didn't have a trainer, been doing this for almost 6 years. I researched, asked other drivers questions when I wasn't sure. Guess I did it all wrong....

 

Just lucky or a super trucket

 

Same here.