Why would anyone want to pull flatbed trailers?

Sure we have, into the Chinese economy, Most of my loads have to do with defense, which is all I can say about it, no vans around here except for the guys haul ordinance like Tri-State. I understand we make good money, but they could also put some new holes in the Rocky Mountains or remove entire cities if the make any mistakes.Stuff I haul is just weird

 

Done van, a lot of dump trailer, flatbed, low bed, reefer now, they all have their ups and downs and it all becomes just another day of work after a while, it all just depends on what YOU want to do every day

never did reefer as a company driver, but as owning my truck now, I make about the same $ as a dump trailer, staying on black top and hauling 1/3 of the weight

 

Started with Dry Van for a little while, went to Skateboard for less than a year (Bulldog Hiway Express, N. Charleston, S.C.). 1st 2000 decade, early, when WE were still using Comic-Coloring Books, Qualcomm, sometimes OLD Directions and NO g.p.s., NO DRIVER FACING CAMERAS!!
Preferred 53' Spread, better Air-Ride, more fun in Construction Sites as well when Empty.
Inclement Weather, same as Dry Van or Reefer.

I Preferred Suicide Coils. Easier to Secure and Tarp PLUS Better Ride. NO CONCERN about Coil "movement". Shotgun allowed TOO MUCH trailer lean in Turns, Highway Curves, Winding Secondary Roads.
The Standard Chain Scale (how many Chains per Coil), something like 1 chain per 5k-8k(??), so I used 2.
40+K Coil, 10 Chains. 3 Belly before leaving Loading Dock to Yard to continue Securement, regardless type of Weather. Some FEW Load Points, TOTAL SECURE AT DOCK B4 EXITING PROPERTY.
More Loads out of Sparrows Point, MD. Some Pre-Loaded.
Ratchet Straps for Coils = NO CHANCE. I Didn't Care if Coils Were Laying Flat, NO STRAPS!! Straps BREAK, Loads Travel, People get Injured or DEAD.
Ratchet Straps for Wooden or Steel Crates, securing Tarps on Deck.
Covered Wagons alone are NOT Securement for Coils. These Trailers usually had Chain Friendly "D" Rings on Deck, FOR SECURING COILS as well other similar Freight. Some "scientists" didn't secure Coils (laying Flat on Deck) because, most likely "thinking" (illusion), that the Wagon Side Shields (Aluminum Frame, Wood Sheets) were securement........ until taking a highway curve at 55-65+(like I-77 in the Hillbilly (W. Va.), then Coil became Airborne and rolled a bit while unwinding. Made a Pretty sight for opposing Traffic. >Citing the atypical events of some other Skateboard Driver< I NEVER Lost a Coil or ANY Load on a Skateboard!

TARPS: IF one wanted to alter their Future a little bit in HIGH WIND scenarios or somehow Bored, Just Don't Let Go Of A Wind Caught Tarp. You WILL Go For A Short Trip. NOT A SUGGESTION-People Have Died!
Don't Recall If Company Motto or Trainer: TARPS FLY, NOT I!!
Company Supplied Tarps, minimum 125 Pounds Rolled. Custom Coil Tarps were available for Cost.
Company also Supplied Binders, Ratchets, Chains, Corners.

Best Load: LARGE Trench Support Structures. Picked up somewhere mid-west Michigan. Used ALL Chains!!
Worst Load: Don't Recall.

CHEERS!!

 

Completely agree with you. Like any load if its secured properly not a worry.

 

Driver error almost every time

 

What?
Hard braking means my load falls off?

I 100% disagree
If it was properly secured that load should stick to the deck even if upside down

Now.....
Do we all cut corners and maybe miss something?
Maybe
But it’s still the driver who failed and I would bet soda or not that a van can easily have just as bad of an experience
Heck. Look at fed ex. Their crap is at every crash site

But I do agree with most of your post!!

 

My old boss used to say there’s no such thing as a shifting load, either it wasn’t loaded properly or it wasn’t secured properly.

 

Im not saying that flat loads inevitably shift in a hard brake, im pointing out something obvious, every time we see a coil on a truck flip, has the coil EVER stayed on the truck? A quick survey of google images says no. Im open to it if you have it available. The closest you come is the occasional picture of a trailer where they hauled a much too heavy coil and it snapped their beam/beams.

Theres 2 conclusions we can draw.

A. Either every person that hauls coils properly secured never gets into accidents and by extension, only people that improperly secure coils ever get in accidents
B. Every time theres an accident severe enough to have pictures of the load be news the coil moves regardless of securement, by definition a load that stays put on its trailer in a bad accident isnt newsworthy and no one cares, at that point cause its just crappy driving

Is that an excuse to do sloppy securement no, because if A is true, then proper securement means you never have an accident and even in case B, its less headache for everyone involved. But those "case b" scenarios, i want to see those securement jobs.

I know that case B must be reality, but thats not terribly useful because no one posts those pictures.

So lets operate on the assumption that A is true, that doesnt mean drive like a maniac so you can see if you secured it well enough, inviting EXTRA risk thats unneccessary is frankly speaking stupid.

Long winded way of saying that, but more or less the gist is that if i drive at 30 mph into a solid wall with a load of steel beams on, the likelihood that the steel comes forward even with 6 x chains and 15 downward chains is greater than a dry van doing the same with soda and having the soda come through the front of the trailer. Thats just how mass works

 

After spending some time in shipping & receiving and seeing how van loads are secured there's not a hope in HELL I'd go anywhere near a van. I value my life lol.

 

In the past year We printed 8 trillion into existence gave the citizens 1 trillion and handed 7 trillion to banks and very large American corporate interests. Bank of america etc, THATS NOT China.