Vans or flatbeds?

nothiing will question your decision until you are dragging a frozen old heavy lumber tarp to the top of your load on a -45 day--takes a special person for flatbedding--whether male or female----and that person aint me--came to that decision trying to get smoke tarp on frost covered load of water pipe---i am so glad the rub rail broke my fall--that way my knees felt the pain as well

 

Hey things are lookin up, you landed bottom side down

 

yes and i had to walk like i just crapped my pants for a couple days
but its amazing how you see some itty bitty girls do flat bedding
i guess it is the"work smarter not harder thing"

 

Did I mention most of what I pulled drove on and drove off the trailer?

 

You are responsible. If the load is insecure, the finger is pointed at you. If the load is tarped... But still manages to get wet, the finger is pointed at you!

In other words.... The driver has all responsibility! And I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

It is your baby, yours and yours alone, and it is up to you to read, know, eat breathe and poop load securement for what ever it is you are hauling

You will find for this reason most people who pull flat beds tend to stick to one kind of freight.

And you will find out there that there are some pretty Elite drivers doing it, the first time you see some one really properly secure a tough load you will know.

It is also more than throwing a chain or a strap on something, it is about knowing how to secure a load with out damaging it.

For instance I have seen truckers who dont normally haul cars, load a car, hook a hook in one of the holes on the body and then rip a biger hole in the car.

I have also seen a driver throw chains over an air conditioning unit and procede to sinch it down with a ratchet binder, then look at me and say "its not coming off of there now" and I just looked at him and said "So you taking it home with you?" I think he figured out what I meant when they didnt even let him out of the yard before filing a damage claim then unloading him allowing him to leave empty.

Load securement is somwhat of an art form. and the only way to learn it is to do it.

You want to flat bed, you will be starting with the crap that no one else wants to haul, lumber, pipe, big heavy stuff that is more robust.

You learn it and learn it right, you can get into hauling really cool things like jet engines or pieces of airplanes, military vehicles, machinery of all sorts, some really cool stuff, but if you are going to get one of those jobs, you had better know your stuff.

 

I am in total agreement with this statement.

I think BlackW900L has a comment about this in his siggy.

 

Jet engines aren't all that hard to secure.... But tarping the SOB's is a pain in the ###!

 

It originally was my comment.... Then I was forced into a vacation from the forums & he stole it!