Thinking of going flatbed with Watkins

Im not with Watkins,but if you like getting out and doing some physical work then flatbeding may be for you,I happen to be one of them strange ducks i still love what I do and thats flatbed and oversize.tarping in the sonw and rain is always a disadvanage,but it seems to me that shippers and recievers are better to deal with on the flatbed side then they ever were on the reefer side,going flatbed can open oppertunity down the road doing oversize loads which pay more,but reqiures more work. hope this helps you out. Good Luck

 

try pulling end dumps.never sit and in between removing the straps/buckles, rolling the tarp,climbing in&out of the trl, keeping your balance as you navigate the material that you traverse while inside the dump, replacing the bows,pulling the tarp and hooking/ratcheting the straps,you'll get a work out in.plus pulling say a dump w/60" sides,you have no where near the drag created by dry vans/refers.

my only gripe and it is not really a gripe,is that many of the places i pull from/to have bankers hours but i have developed a good working relationship w/many receivers and they allow me to dump after hours.i am truly in and out for the most part.

oh wait.watkins doesn't have end dumps.sorry for the hijack

 

send a message to hup....he pulls a flatbed for us....at least for a little while longer!

 

axe: nope I'm gone already!

some of these are subjective of course...

advantages:
good dispatchers, small group, more flexible, treated more like you're a human being, bit of exercise, more open delivery appointments (by time & day), less checking your weight, no sliding tandems and bridge law stuff, less corporate feel, less terminals, keep your own trailer (generally), don't go east of ohio (generally), quick to get loaded/unloaded (no sitting at docks for hours), don't have to drive max hours (but you can if you want..), you get big muscles! I think it also is good on a resume depending on what you want to do in the future..

disadvantages:
often hard work in bad weather, paid same cpm as van drivers, more responsability for your load, over-dimension stuff at times, lots of tarping, haul heavy a lot, possibly more non-interstate routing (not really sure about this one), takes times to secure and tarp (can eat into drive time), you get dirtier more often, sometimes deliver to residential or to construction areas with no address

 

I am going through the flatbed orientation starting Monday, I've been pulling vans for the past 6 months. Ill keep you updated on how it goes

 

I would enjoy reading about your experiences as you make thejump from van to flat....

How long have you been on the van side with W/S?
Good luck!

 

I start orientation tomorrow and I was planning on starting a new thread on it to keep you all updated. I've been with Watkins on the van side since July. Right now I'm just sitting in Missoula bored stiff waiting for tomorrow.