Step deck neccessities

Hoping that some of the step drivers on the forum may be able to help with this one...
I may have a job driving step deck, and was wanting know what are some of the things that a step deck driver carry with them?
I know some of the obvious items such as proper clothing for the weather, general tools that all truckers usually carry, but is there other items that are specific to step decks/flat decks?
I would be out with a trainer for about a month so I realize I will have time to get the stuff should I need to provide it when I go on my own. I just rather be prepared and not have to run around getting stuff just before I go solo.
Any suggestions would be muchly appreciated!

 

I carry lots of gloves. A good winch bar. Work boots, hardhat, and safety vest. For winter clothes I carry insulated overalls, winter boots, a touque, and a good Carhartt coat. If you are somewhere it gets cold sometimes it takes a while to load and standing around outside gets brutal.

 

A lot depends on the primary type of cargo you'll be hauling. Keep in mind the more stuff you carry the less payload capacity you'll have. I carry more chains and binders than most because I mostly haul equipment. I carry about 15 2" straps and about the same in 4". I tend to use 2" around the wheel wells as I can't strap anything directly over them. Depending on how much you like to tarp you can get by with a set a 8' drops and a machine tarp. You can buy 10' drops but unless I had a customer that needed them on a regular basis and was willing to pay for their use I would pass on that. You can get a 15' telescoping ladder from Sears that collapses into less than 4'. Get some carpet squares or cut up inner tube for padding around chains on new equipment. Short sections of 3" fire hose works great for putting the chain through if you're putting the chain around machinery legs or whatever. Cut up conveyor belting is also useful as chain or strap padding. If you're gonna haul oversize you'll need all the assorted flags, banners, etc. You should carry some hardwood 4x4s for dunnage and a couple of short 2x12s or wider to put under backhoe buckets and the like. If you have an aluminum deck like me you'll find out pretty quick that it don't like buckets sitting directly on it. A couple of moving blankets don't hurt to put over the top of cnc machines and the like. A bunch of plastic corner protectors for straps and the actual corner/corner protectors for sharp machinery edges. I also carry a package of baby diapers for padding weird edges that the others devices won't work on. I also carry shackles and RTJ hooks for vehicles like mini buses and such. As for chain lengths I'd keep the majority at 16' 3/8 size with a couple 20' thrown in. I carry 12 ratchet and 6 lever binders. You'll typically use 4 binders and 2 chains with each vehicle like a Hummvee. Bigger stuff equals more. Hopefully you'll get a trailer with chain ties down the side which will make life easier. Sorry for the chaotic synopsis, just thinking off the cuff.

 

I was going to say he likely didn't know what a touque is. Then I saw BC.

 

Ya def watch corners of machinery or anything that needs to be tarped. Doesnt take much to slice a tarp. A good set and mix of length bungee cords are a must too. I have about 75 in my trailer. Plastic and metal corner protectors are good too. I also carry bunks, rubber strips, wood and metal eye protectors for coil hauling. I don't know if you are a company driver but a headache rack is a nice thing to have. A headboard on the trailer is great to store chains and binders in.

 

always have two wrench bars. hard to unload if you lost the only one you had.

 

Double post

 

I keep 2 winch bars-regular and short-sometimes it takes a short bar to get to holes on winches being so close to ground.They make a short bar or you can use a short piece of round stock that fits your winch holes

 

You might also need a good load level and some pipe stakes, dependent on your part of the country.

 

All the equipment you need the company will supply you with. You don't need to worry about buying a bunch of stuff other than personal items.