need imput

Hey java have you checked out DADS? They are based out of Union City. I know an O/O that is leased on to them. He is happy with them. He just bought a brand new truck last month.

 

That's what I thought too. I switched to a stepdeck and ran it for two years. Stepdeck freight does pay a little more, but there's not always a step load available all the time. I ran into SO many times where I'd call about a flatbed load for the stepdeck, only to be told that it was a "flatbed only" load. I ran into the following problems:

1) The load levers wouldn't work for that certain type of freight
2) The shipper didn't have a low enough dock
3) The receiver didn't have a low enough dock
4) Someone in the chain didn't give the right info, and even though it WOULD work on a stepdeck, they refused to load it on one no matter how hard I tried to explain that it would work.

There are many shippers/receivers who won't allow you to back up onto ramps to match the dock height.

I have actually been stuck many, many times without a load simply because all the good loads were "flatbed only".

Also, sometimes on the west coast, the best paying loads are intermodal container loads. After they changed the rules a couple of years ago, you can no longer put a loaded 40 ft container on a 48 ft step unless it's one of those new Doonan's with an 8 ft. upper deck and a 40 foot lower deck. Some people use load levelers, but the DOT really frowns on putting a 40,000 lb conainer up in the air like that.

Anyhow, pulling a step has it's plusses and minuses.

 

I have freind over ther pulling a step deck and doing good. I have picked his brain and is probably where i will go when we get back to the states. He said since i was at looking running team i might want the van but i hate a van trailer would rather pull my skate board around any day. We will probably go step deck any way and if we need a tem we have it if not we will just relax and run what they got. And yes i meant they will not hold your hand my typeing is bad some times and i am used to haveing spell checker do all the correcting for me.