Securement Training

OJT is the only way to go to be a competent skateboarder. There's some things that you run into on the job that you never experience from reading books or watching videos. I had to work on a yard for a couple weeks securing loads with my first flatbed company. Even yard work does not properly prepare you. I always bring up my first experience of going into a steel mill to get a coil. I didn't know what the heck I was doing. They cursed me and threatened me....man, talk about hostile. But looking back, I deserved it. I didn't know what the hell I was doing and they have a lot of trucks to get in and out.

1. Where do you want it/How do you want it loaded? Coils, counterweights, super sacks, pipe, palletized freight, containers...etc. you have to know your rig. You just can't load it. Well, you can...but then you find yourself over on your drives or trailer. We use 53 ft steps and flats with two different kingpin settings. We have so many drivers that load the steps wrong and wind up too heavy on the spread (I believe the kingpin on the steps are something like 18 inches closer to the front of the trailer).

 

Apparently not, CRE, CRST, etc do it on a daily basis! Hell, I had a Swift flatbedder ask me some stuff a few years ago. He had been driving for @8 months IIRC, and they were asking him to be a trainer!!!

Martin

 

huh? 18" closer?

 

no book or teacher can teach you how to flatbed. sometimes a load is a simple set of chains or straps over the top. sometime your running chain all over the place like a jig saw puzzle and finding you are very creative....lol....

 

at the guy with the 53 ft flats. that why i hate them and run 48x102flats. knock on wood. i have never been over on them we got a 53 foot loaner while my old ones was in the shop gettin re arched and it always seemed to be heavy on the drives. that over hang mess with them.

 

The most important thing to own when flatbedding is simply common sense!

 

It depends on the kind of freight your hauling. I carry 10 4" straps, 18 2" straps and rachets and 12 chains and binders. I have not had a problem securing any thing so far.