Flatbed is not for noobs

[One]

There are a lot of things to worry about and learn when you are a new driver, a lot of noobs are very stressed just by running the truck to where the additional headache of securement is not reccomendable until you have at least 6 mos. or mastered a few key things:
-knowing your trucks limitations by how it feels when going through a turn
-shifting at the right speeds/rpm AND at the right point around turns.
-knowing how to deal with dispatch
-trip planning and time management
-HOS regs (hours of loading+securing are ON DUTY NOT DRIVING!)
-weight distribution
-keeping a cool head in the event of danger (relatively)
-stress management
-space management pretaining esp. to following distances
Companies that train new drivers in flatbedding are suspect to me because they cannot possibly train you in all those things according to your needs and in securing all loads properly. The only way to learn how to secure specific loads is to have a vet. show you on that load. No textbook or pic will teach you unique considerations for specific loads and your equipment. You must first master the above points with ease, so you are not stressed or pressed into cutting corners, forgetting or miscalculating. I pulled a flat for only a few months and liked it, but I must tell you some loads felt like I was balancing them on my head.
Everyone stresses steel coil securement- I actually think they are easy because they are simple to secure and are small enough to where you have the ability to 'take a step back' to look at the big picture and realize mistakes. A lot of common sense is needed and 3d thinking really helps! I think there are a whole lot more mistakes to be made when hauling pipe, flat steel lumber, drywall and pallets.
HOS regs work against flatbedders more than dry 'vanners' because if u pull a van you can show loading time in the sleeper, not so in flatbedding No DOT man will believe you if you show only 30 mins securing a load of lumber and tarping it! The first coil i secured, I worked for 4 hrs and was exhausted afterwards. You think I drove 11 hrs after that? :?
As to space management- several times I found myself stepping on the brakes real hard and had drywall and flat steel move forward on the trailer :shock: Why? Inexperience! This is less likely in a dryvan because you load them all the way to the bulkhead, eliminating space to slide forward to. Therefore its more important that you read traffic well and anticipate than in a dryvan. Those are skills learned over years of driving, not a 3 wk. course or a video!!!

Im sure i left out a lot of points i wanted to mention and surely vet flatbedders can amend to this. I hope this helps!!

[tweety bird]

One, I have never pulled a flatbed, but I think you are probably right. Same goes for carhaul, but not quite as much. In car haul, once the car is properly strapped down, you shouldn't need to worry about it shifting (though you have to check it a lot). But that's a lot of responsibility when you are a new driver- too much new stuff all at once and SOMETHING is going to get overlooked.

I would think that a flatbed- from what you say- is similar to a tanker. I have also never driven a tanker but it would really freak me out for the liquid to push me into the intersection...

Good post. I think it's always a good idea for a new driver to get some good DRIVING experience before they add to their trucking- flatbed, o/o, car haul... anything. Driving is our #1 job, and doing it safely and skillfully takes experience.

[Fourcats]

All good points. I've been running a flat bed & trailer {26,000 lbs} for eight months. The thing that keeps me and others safe is my experience {from 9 years of OTR driving}. It allows me "time to think" about the load, that is never the same, requires thought and know how to secure so its safe to travel.
The thing I notice while driving is vehicles that are speeding, tailgating and changing lanes a lot, its bad news. They are intent on what is in front of them and not looking down the road to the slowing traffic. Empty or loaded big trucks cannot stop.

During school I made a commitment to myself that I would be the best driver. I work on it EVERY day {don't care to be on the "6 o'clock news"}.

[BanditsCousin]

-"HOS regs (hours of loading+securing are ON DUTY NOT DRIVING!)"

If thats how you wana log it. I always load entire houses into my trailer in 4 hrs too! 8)

[Paystar_5000]

I learned to drive a truck flat bedding winching my cargo up a and rigging up gin poles stacking pipe racks it was a pain the butt and we used the old style boombers that u boom with a cheater pipe that crap would wear u out. now im hauling forklifts and backhoes flatbed. I dont see how it requires anymore experiance than van to me tanker requires more than both

[Fozzy]

shifting at the right speeds/rpm AND at the right point around turns.

:shock: :P

[Windwalker]

Excellent post, One. When pulling loads like pallets, especially used pallets, you need to be very sure about the height. It may mean climbing onto the load and measuring down to the ground. And, it's not just the edges, but make sure the center across the width of the trailer is the same height.

Back when J B Hunt had a flatbed division, (cabovers and all) one of their drivers failed to check the top of his load. The result was the back two stacks of pallets left on I-94 in Detroit along with about 20 feet of 4-inch strap still hanging from the overpass when I went by. The two top pallets from each stack were jammed onto the lip of the I-beam of the overpass. The angle of the pallets up there would suggest that if the load was 13' 6", the center of the back 2 stacks must have been about 14' 2". Much too high to clear those bridges.

Sometimes, you'll haul equipment. First impulse is to throw the strap over the top. But to do that would mean destroying the equipment. Light sheet-metal on top will not secure 4 inches of solid steel at the base.

Throwing a strap over those large sheets of stone that come from AZ will only cut the strap in two. Many times, the guys loading will tell you how to secure your load, but suppose you've got a drop-&-hook. And they have all gone home. You're on your own, and you'd better know what you're doing.

Or, a load of machinery with all sorts of sharp corners sticking out all over. And you have to tarp it. You'd better know what to do with all those corners so that you don't have to patch 6-foot holes in the tarp when you deliver the load.

Multiple tarps on a single load can be another challange. Don't do it right, and the wind will pull all your tarps off the load when you start driving. More than one driver has been parked on the shoulder of the road because he started tarping from front to back.

[One]

shifting at the right speeds/rpm AND at the right point around turns.

:shock: :P

Whats your point? I dont see anything wrong with that...

[topper]

WOW ! Thanks as a newbie to the trucking world, I have read several of these, but I just hired on to a local flatbed company, and never thought about it all that much but you are right, I have my work cut out for me and just hope I can catch on and get it. They have a 5 week training program but after I read this I'm not sure if that will be enough.

[Sealord]

One, what Fozz is saying is shifts aren't made during a turn. And BTW, I started pulling a flatbed, 7 weeks with a trainer, when JB had their flatbed division (later Charger) and wouldn't have done it any other way. I saw nothing going on with a box. BOL

[One]

One, what Fozz is saying is shifts aren't made during a turn. And BTW, I started pulling a flatbed, 7 weeks with a trainer, when JB had their flatbed division (later Charger) and wouldn't have done it any other way. I saw nothing going on with a box. BOL

I never suggested to shift during a turn...I said 'around a turn'. Maybe thats easily misunderstood so I shall clarify:
It is very important for a driver to be able to choose the right gear for negotiating a turn before starting into a turn, a gear that will have you going through the turn comfortably while providing adequate power to maintain your speed through it. I usually slow to the speed I figure will be safe (yellow advisory signs are often helpful) and then slite the shifter into the gear to maintain that speed.

My original post was not really intended as a tutorial, more to give noobs an idea of how much extra a headache it would be to learn to drive AND learn to flatbed at the same time. I feel I have an obligation to make my assessment available to people like 'Topper' because id hate to see a thread entitled 'lost a load of pipe within my first week on the road and got fired and need new career, cause noone will hire me now.'.

[GoldiesPlating]

Good post? Yes. Bad Title? Yes. Should read Flatbed is not for everyone. I know quite a few newbies who are doing excellent, myself included, with flatbedding. I enjoy the daily challenges and the feeling of accomplishment I get every time I experience securing a new type of freight.
With a bit of common sense and proper training, it's not all that difficult and due to the more extensive training flatbed drivers receive (or should receive), I believe it is safer than driving a van. Some individuals may actually be looking for more of a challenge in truck driving than holding a steering wheel and filling out their paperwork properly. Not saying that van driving is easy. In fact in many ways it can be more dangerous. There are crosswinds to deal with that don't affect flatbeds as much and then there's the issue of just "closing the cargo doors and going down the road" only to have the load shift and roll you over or flat out tear through the side of the van and land in the road. Driving a van is every bit as dangerous as a flatbed and sometimes more so since you can't SEE what your load is doing. Many drivers think the van body will hold or protect the load and it just might, if you're hauling diapers. Good load securement is MANDATORY in a van too but is RARELY done properly, if at ALL.
I have NEVER had a load shift or a single freight claim against me. I HAVE seen beautiful and interesting places when delivering to job sites and have "played with" countless amazing (to me) big machines. I love the adventure and respect I get every day as a flatbed driver and the physical shape my body is in is better at 40 years of age than it has been in my entire life.
Going down the road I feel safe and secure in the knowlege that I secured my OWN load and not some 18 year old dock worker with his girlfriend, not my safety, on his mind.
ANY questions or concerns regarding driving flatbeds??? PM me anytime.

Sorry for the long post.

[GoldiesPlating]

Besides, can you do THIS with a van???

[Snowman7]

I agree with Fred. Common sense and proper training. I started on a flat bed with no major problems, plus I made more money than a van. 4 Hrs to do a coil? There couldnt have been ANY training at all. Its a 15 to 30 minute job, maybe an hour if you have to tarp in the wind, I dont know...Anyway, all types of driving require training and common sense. Ask the Swift driver I saw sitting at a light in Metamora Il. He had a van and it looked like he got caught off guard at the stop light or he got brake checked but anyway his load came right thru the front of the trailer. No common sense, not paying attention, proper following distance, whatever happened it could have easily been avoided and it had nothing to do with flatbedding. With vans you have to worry about bridge heights more so than a flat, there's dozens of differences but they ALL require your respect and full attention. Do this and you can drive whatever you want.

[One]

15-30 mins to secure a coil? yeah, right- Mr.SUPERTRUCKER.
Ok, you two might be 'special' (nice work on the pic, Goldiesplating) but most noobs are overwhelmed just by the key points mentioned in the original post and do not need to be burdened by the extra headache of securing loads etc. The first challenge is learning how to drive- one thing at a time! The extra stress can be avoided. and as we know, stress and fatigue go hand in hand- and so does a greater chance of forgetting something or making a mistake. ONE mistake as a rookie can cost you your job and career more so than as a vet, from what we read in these forums.

Im just saddedend by reading posts by rookies that had no idea what was in store for them and am trying to help. Posting that it was no problem for you, is not constructive to educating a potential rookie flatbedder and preparing them for whats ahead. How often do we see posts like: "Flatbed or van?" those are the people that need to read this and will be thankful for our input, someone that has decided to go flatbed already is less likely to get overwhelmed by being a rookie in flatbedding and will not be swayed from his decision by our words of caution.
Those that go into flatbedding for a few cpm more are not those that care too much what they pull are the ones most interested, and need to hear my points.

[GoldiesPlating]

Agreed One. NOW you made a good point! hehehe Actually I had FUN messin' with your pic. hehe

[nrvsreck]

I agree with Fred. Common sense and proper training. I started on a flat bed with no major problems, plus I made more money than a van. 4 Hrs to do a coil? There couldnt have been ANY training at all. Its a 15 to 30 minute job, maybe an hour if you have to tarp in the wind, I dont know...

How on earth do you chain and tarp a coil in 15 to 30 minutes? I never did that many coils, but typically it'd take me at least an hour to do a good job. Plenty of chains, metal edge protectors, a strap or two, padding tarp, steel tarp tight as a drum. It'd take me 15 minutes just to get started with the first couple of chains, much less finish the job. Maybe you're one of those hotshots that run through Chicago with two chains on a 45,000+lb coil and no tarp.

[Snowman7]

When you do it everyday you get pretty good at it. Leave your racks and chains in place, then when you get there you just throw them thru the eye and tighten your ratchet binders. If you have the proper strength equipment 45k requires 4-6 secrements depending on shotgun vs suicide. Not that hard to tighten 6 ratchets. I was referring to the act of securing and not waiting, checking in and out etc, you can't control waiting for the shipper. If I wasnt already setup for a coil and knew thats where I was going then I would setup after I delivered, or I would setup while waiting in line. I was always legal. Point is, its alot closer to 30 minutes then 4 hrs. Maybe you were one of the guys always holding up the line! I'll race ya if you want, same securements.

[Snowman7]

One,

No supertrucker here, everyone I worked with could chain down a coil in 30 minutes. Just providing a different viewpoint, thats what the forum is for. Tarping would take longer but we had covered wagons, although some guys who tarp are pretty darn fast at it.

[One]

Everyone, BOW to the almighty Snowman!
done, now can we help the noobs?