Newbie Needs Flatbed Advice

Haha wait until you get to tarp in 20 below and the wind is blowing 20 plus! Spend a few hours tarping for peanuts and chaining everything down then have to drive ten hours. get dirty and sweaty and have to drive for 10 hours.

get pulled in by DOT for not having the load not secured correctly and you know #### well it's secured. $150 pop there. Much much easier pulling a van.

I pulled flatbed for six months and said hell with this it is already hard enough doing the driving no need to add more work just for exercise. I can get that walking back and forth from the truck to the truckstop carrying my 44OZ coca cola.


The only good thing was you never had to unload. But I would need more than just this to convince me to do flatbed. I was in my 20's when I was a flatbedder

 

Read this. It will give you what you need.

 

Parts of the job that are difficult, and unique to flatbedding:

-CONSTANTLY climbing up on the trailer, either from the back, or from the catwalk.
-Having to lift 50-125lb tarps. Not just to and from the headache rack, but up and over up to a 13'6" load. And then rolling them back up.
-Having to work outside at least 50% of the time. Securing and tarping sometimes is inside, at places like Alcoa or Nucor, but you basically work outside...4 degrees or 104 degrees.
-The danger of flatbedding makes van and reefer work look like daycare. Falling off the trailer, working inside steel mills, and the possibility of load shift under extreme situations. And then there is the extra fatigue while driving.
-Securing loads can be tiresome, but isn't all that difficult. Throwing chains, and ratcheting them down is the worst part of securing in my opinion. And those #### corner protectors...lol.
-In my opinion the worst part is the waiting for loads after sending your empty call. I wait sometimes for 3-4 hours.

Look at it this way though...you won't get bored.

 

Flatbedding ain't for sissies. No disrespect.

 

Great link there! That should do the trick

 

yes that write up tells you alot... just make sure you have the clothes to keep you warm and a few pair of good gloves that makes life easier because you can't control mother nature...

also in the extreme heat while tarping or untarping and such if you need a break take it... no need to get sick over it

 

Not a sissy bud but I expect to be paid for what I do. Tarp pay is a joke where I am at. Just not worth the extra penny's

 

the guy i run for has 2 company trucks for people who always wanted to flatbed it is funny how most don't stay too long