question about flatbed pay+tarp pay

I break it down to $100 per hour on average for legal loads, regardless if I'm driving, loading, securing or tarping it has always been a good rule of thumb for me. Only change to this is LTL where I charge a minimum $100 per small tarp or piece.

 

Avoid boyd brothers at all costs!!!!!!! They will screw you over!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I get paid $10 bucks to tarp.. If it's a full load(from a mill for instance) that's $20 to put on(two taprs) and another $20 to take off. Live load I get paid $25 to load/unload. Sometimes I make money, sometimes not. Most places I deliver a full tarped load to I can get done in under 2 hours(so $45/2= 22.5 per hour). Sometimes it may take me 3-4 hours depending on how fast the forkin lift guy is. Most of our stuff is LTL so I get paid per drop. Some drops take me 5 minutes(literally) and some take a few hours.

When I started the guy who trained me quickly said look over your pay per week to make you feel better lol. Some days I only make $150 ish a day, others are $300 plus days..

Good luck

 

I'm not busting the ratchet strap holding mine to the neck loose for $50.

 

When I was a company schmuck in a company truck, I tarped without complaints. Got paid for it, but point is, it's part of the job I agreed to do. If I agreed to do it, how can I complain? Now, when I bought my truck, my chains, my straps, and my tarps, things changed. You're going to pay my rate for my tarps. If you're willing to pay my tarp rate, not only will I tarp, I will smile while tarping, so get the cameras ready.

Tarping is part of the job. Securement is part of the job. Driving is part of the job. What is the job?

 

That's how im going into flatbed - with this attitude (starting with Western Exp. in a couple weeks)

 

Congrats. Sounds like you've overcame your challenges. On to the next obstacle...Western Express. You probably already know that Western is on the bottom of the barrel for skateboard companies. You pull in to a place, and everyone around thinks,"Oh great, here comes another dumb Western driver. I understand fully, because for the last 4 years or so, it seemed as ifmy company went on a hiring spree of every moron who could manage to pass a CDL test. Safety rating plummets through the toilet (ever notice that the root word for toilet is TOIL?), and shippers are quick to ask you if you know what the hell you are doing because the last 5 trucks from your company were idiot driven. It kinda stings when they lump you in with idiots.

So the next challenge is to separate yourself from the idiots around you. Instead of the village idiot, you have Idiot Village. Don't just do the job, be good at the job, okay? It will make you stand out. And that will help you tremendously when you decide it's time to step up. Best of luck to you, hand.

One more thing...when in public, ALWAYS be positive. Stay away from negative talk.

 

This (OTR, Flatbedding, driving in inclimate weather, logging qualcomms) is all new to me...... the ONLY thing I have going for me is that I didn't just get my license yesterday, so my head isn't BIG and my eyes aren't WIDE open. I bring that up to say, im aware of my limitations (mentioned above) most newbies don't, and will be listening, and taking notes on ANYTHING i dont understand (regarding securment/tarping), and will try and do it with a smile on my face....

Jumping from only knowing local work to OTR (flatbedding at that) feels like a sink or swim situation being dropped off in the middle of an ocean- all i can say with the help of this forum I have a better chance at succeeding than those
that didn't have this information tool years ago.... and I'm very thankful for it........ This section will be seeing ALOT of me from now on.

 

i don't pull a van. and i don't haul tarped loads. how's that?

and that's not being lazy. that's called not hauling cheap loads.

throw me something that pays and i'll do it. otherwise, forget it.

i'm certainly not going to tarp something that's been sitting outside, and is going to sit outside again.

you all say it's part of the job. well that's all fine and dandy. but free labor isn't part of the job.

 

Ill tell ya all ive been doing this trucking thing for 36yrs and until here recently i never knew how tuff this flatbedding really was man id wished id had start it when i was 20 instead of my 50 s,but here we are and ill tell ya im not scared one bit,im sore as hell but in the 3weeks ive been doing her ive come along way id say,so the up most respect for my skateboard friends until next time keep one foot on the floor and one out the door...cowboy wild says so..10-44444444444