steel haulers

I haul a lot of steel but not exclusively I will haul what ever pays the bills. Being in flatbed it offers a wide range of loads. If you limit yourself to only one type of load you might struggle especially if you get a load to an area where there aren't that many loads that need moved

 

All depends on where you live. I haven't hauled anything but coils in years. However within 200mi from where I live there's easily 200 steel mills/processors of some kind.

 

I'm not an exclusive steel hauler, but around 2/3rds of my loads are steel - usually coils and beams.

It varies from location to location as far as the hassles you deal with and where you live. I can't stand dealing with most of the mills directly, but don't mind going to the secondary storage/shipping areas most times.

 

Steel hauling isn't as easy or fun as it use to be. Years ago you could pretty much feel safe on getting a great paying load anytime you wanted one. Now to many guys have cut the bottoms out of rates. The good loads are still there for guys that show they are worthy of them...guys like Jfaulk and a couple others on here. Best advice I can give you is find a old iron hauler that has been doing it for 10 plus years and listen to him. He will show you the proper way to tie down a load, drive, and act. Iron hauling is a different business than pulling normal flatbed freight. Heck I would still be doing the iron gig if the challange was still there...but no one will let you load 70,000+ lbs. on the deck anymore unless you pay the huge permit fees.

 

I am not sure why anyone would limit themself to only one commodity. If you can put it on the deck, and the money is right, why not haul it?

 

Are you looking to do your own thing or be a company driver? Flatbedding isn't as much hassle as van. There are a few places that you have to wait around. Citi Steel in Claymont is one of them. Securement has changed a lot throughout the years. So if the timer is set in his ways he may be wrong. Had to ask one guy once if he ever hauled rough edged flat steel before. He said he had but when I asked if he was gonna throw a chain across it since he had his straps straight across the edges, he looked at me like I was stupid. Hey my family is out on the road too. Things have changed drastically since I was throwing chains with my dad in the late 70's

 

I don't think it is so much that the rates have been cut. Their is just to many guys who think that if there is room on the trailer I can go get another one. That's what's keeping the rates down. A few years ago I used to trip-lease off a certain carrier that had/has an office over at the dunes truckstop. If you wouldn't haul more than one coil they would give you garbage. But if you were willing to put 100,000 lbs on the deck they gave you the best they had. Needless to say that soured my wanting to haul steel.

Now all I haul is specialized freight. I don't knows what waiting in line is! When I show up at a customer 99% of the time their is a rigging crew there just for me.

 

What I say is if you can put in on me, I'll figure a way to tie it down & get it to where it has to go. having said that, I do not haul ,overheight, overweight, over width, e.t.c. mostly, coil's, big, heavy, multiple, skid, brick, flat, machinery, pipe. Show ME the money & Game on!