SO HOW HARD IS it BEING A FLATBEDDER

Dispatch has grown to know that I hate flatbed loads. They tease me when I go into the office because they can hear the deflation in my voice when they give me a flatbed load.

I've grown to respect fb'ers so much because its hard work. But like everyone said, its not the worse thing in the world. I just prefer to work smarter not harder. So give me a load with 5 chains vs 16 straps and tarps + 50 bungees anyday of the week.

 

Lol... that is so true about the 50 bungies....

You know the thing with flatbed... isnt that difficult or hard... there are days that are harder than other... the other day I got stuck with two doubled tarped lumber loads... that was a lot of bungies... the very next day o e easy load.. maybe 10 straps at most.... but, back to the thing about flatbed.... when I pulled van or reefer, I didnt have the worry that something would fall off and kill a driver... yeah, we all know, stop and check your load securement withing th first 50 miles.... but, that doesnt mean hour good to go for the next 400 miles... your load can still settle and you have a loose strap or two.... so you have to a conscientious driver... keep an on your load, always checking for a strap flapping or your tarp starting to flap... and if there is, there isnt always a nice modern rest area right there to pull into and fix your load... sometimes there is barely a shoulder or decent off ramp... you have to be the type that will do what needs to be done.... I know that sounds obvious... but just a couple weeks ago we had a driver loose some of his load... luckly, no cars around and no one hurt... when safety talked to him, he said he noticed the strap was loose and was going to pull into the rest area to tighten it but it fell off before he got to the rest area.. well, the rest area was 26 miles from where it fell off at.. and he already drove about 20 knowing he had a loose strap... he told safety he didnt feel comfortable or safe pulling off on the shoulder or an off ramp to tighten straps... anyway, he pulling vans now....

Same with heavy equipment hauling..... and such..

It is your responsibility that the load is secure and stays secure...

I think pretty much any driver could handle the physical part of the job... but not as many the responsibility..... look at the driver who doesnt even do a pre trip... certainly not gonna make sure the load secure and stays that way...

 

Flatbed is on the easy end of trucking. I know tarps and chains are heavy. Whatever. I run a reefer and unload it and break it down myself. Most of the time using a hand jack. The lightest pallet my company produces is about 1000#s. The heaviest 2300. I know I could tarp a load quicker and easier than doing some of these break downs.

 

hehe look at the door slammer! But seriously some flatbed loads are so easy it feels like cheating, others might make you reconsider why you wanted to do it in the first place. The latter is rare however.

 

Speak for yourself. I HATE tarping pipe loads when I have to use a tarping station obviously designed by a durned engineer who never even SAW a durned truck in his whole, miserable, misbegotten excuse of a life!

Tarping stations aside (grrrrr), I'd rather flatbed than ever go back to swinging doors and being bored to tears.

 

Looks like flatbed would make you have to think more. Someone that's a good problem solver might feel right at home.
Sometimes you look at a flatbed load going down the road. And just wonder, how in the world they strapped/chained the load down.

 

It sucks. Hardest thing you will ever do in your life. Work in all kinds of weather. Hassled by DOT.... Stay away and keep our rates from going down.

 

If 90 pound petite women and 76 year old half crippled men can do it, anyone that claims its too hard is just a lazy pos that needs to just go on welfare and be done with it.

 

Hand jack. Take the easy way out. Skid a thousand-pound plate of steel with a cheater bar, or wrestle a 500lb spreader bar into place. No hand-jacks for those.

Least your office is air-conditioned.