Switched from flatbed to dry van at Swift, thoughts?

Yep, 2 steels in 15 is doable. COT doesn’t haul much steel that I’ve seen, I’d venture to say 70% of there loads are lumber, your not putting up 2 8’ tarps in 10 minutes, especially in inclement weather. Drive through the right weather conditions & it might take 10+ minutes to get them off the load. Hell, I’m not going to BS people, 2 times I had to hook straps & a vehicle to tarps to get them off load.

 

Yeah i tend to take my time with tarps . If its a nice square load i like to get seams lined up on both tarps and even on both sides. Some guys just roll em out bungee and roll. To me it looks tacky. Nobody will ever notice except if ur parked next to me and we have same load and ur tarps is all crooked and mine is nice and buttoned up and even on both sides. We get paid the same but to me it just looks better

 

Lumber tarps add about 5 minutes for me cause of the short rope on the front and rear flaps. Maybe an extra minute to roll up, it's just one more flop. As for weather, it's got to be #### near hurricane strength to add to the time rolling up. No need to get them perfect, just good enough to shove in the box or strap on the deck.

Edit to add: of course im talking about typical squarish freight Those odd ball machinery loads can take half a day to pad and again at the other end getting all the padding off.

 

This is why flatbed haulers are a special breed.

 

Systems. Gotta have systems. If you do everything the same way in the same order with the same enthusiasm, it goes quick. Just like an organized rack. Just like people in the military can ####, shower and shave in 2 minutes.

Or like my wife asked how I can polish off my food on the way to the car on a long road trip when she's planning to eat in the car. Its because I'm used to needing to eat quickly out here and get moving. Eat now, taste later.

The only thing in flatbed that takes me long to do is roll straps. I do that by hand and it takes forever. Cant say it ever took me 10 minutes to fold a sheet though.

 

Uh yea, I had some pretty good systems, what I’m saying is sometimes forces of nature aren’t going to permit those systems.

 

I have come to find that hanging some binders from the rings on a tarp is kryptonite for wind. It will throw me over 4 trailers, but 2 binders must be like 20 of me or something because the tarps never move. Likewise when rolling them up.

 

I used chains

 

So, yea to Swift flatbed or nay? After this pandemic becomes more manageable I’m looking to switch flat deck companies. I run curtain side now but I’ve tarped before—about 6 months steady when I first started driving five years ago.
I’m looking for a fair company that will keep me out and let me bring my dog.

 

Swift's flatbed pay is kinda low I'd keep looking