Flatbedding ?'s.

[SMB]

Im a newbie to the trucking world and I'm starting with Maverick on the 16th and my question is eveybody says flatbedding is hard work, dont get me wrong, a little sweat and work dont bother me but what is so hard about it?

[fireman932003]

I do not do flatbed work but my guess would be, messing around with 100 lbs tarps in the wind, rain, snow, heat, cold. Strapping and chaining everything down. just to name a few. I am too lazy for that kind of work. lol

[Kintama]

It is very hard work, and it can really piss you off at times.
1. You have to secure the load, and not every load is the same. You could spend an hour trying to figure out how to tie something down on the truck.

2.Tarps are a pain in the ass! Yes, you will get faster over time but look for at least an hour to tarp.

After all is said and done you're going to need to pull over and check your load to make sure it is not coming loose, and to check the tarps to make sure they are not flying around. Some loads are very easy, just chain and go but some are just a nightmare. You'll get very dirty, very sweaty, and downright onery to boot after a few hours of securing a load in the hot sun. I drove for 13 years before trying out flatbed, I liked some things but for the most part it sucked.

[redsfan]

The fact is, it can be hard work sometimes for 30 minutes to 2 hours per day, but it's not that bad. The securement and tarping are, most times, not a big deal either if you've had the proper training. Believe me, you will get that proper training at Maverick.

I'm not sure of what your background is, but anyone who has ever spent much time at all on a farm or in some type of construction will probably fit in fairly well in the flatbed world. Anytime I hear someone bitch about how hard they have to work, my response is always, go spend 10 hours a day in a hayfield for a few days and then come back and tell me how hard flatbedding is. There's no comparison. Sure it's harder than driving a dry van and opening doors, but usually the pay and the hometime are better also.

[Big John]

It seperates the Men from the Boy's!

You could spend an hour trying to figure out how to tie something down on the truck.

An hour, if know what you are doing and have been trained properly it won't.

You'll get very dirty, very sweaty, and downright onery to boot after a few hours of securing a load in the hot sun.

A few hours of securing a load, no wonder you didn't make it flatbedding.

Flatbedding has its pros and cons, I have been doing flatbedding since 1992 and I like a challenge, anyone can shut two doors.

[SMB]

Ya I have not done any farm work but I've worked outside with my hands so sweat and dirt don't bother me at all and I'm not lazy that's why I picked flatbed ,it will give me a chance to stretch my legs I think it will work out fine. Nothing is easy anyway! I like to learn new things and I can't wait to get started!

[Big John]

Its a good exercise program and it will keep you in shape, you should see some of these freight haulers at the truckstops, they need to get a job flatbedding. Some of them look like they have been tarping a load for two hours.

[SMB]

What advice would you give a newbie going into this Big John?

[Big John]

Well if you are going to Maverick, they are a good company and do things the correct way far as training. They have good pay, benefits and equipment and most drivers get home on the weekends. I have never worked for them but have several friends that do and they have been their for two years or more. But for the advice, listen to what they tell you, they probally have the best in teaching securement training. Yes you are going to have bad days and good days. I have tarped and untarped in the heat, rain and snow (-20 degrees below in North Dakota one time) but you will learn the tricks and over time it will get faster and faster. But if you like a challenge and every load is one and don't mind a little hard work and not afraid to get dirty then flatbedding is a good job. When you are on the road and see other flatbed loads, look and see how it is tied down and tarped. Don't be afraid to ask another driver or call your company and ask them how to tie a load down if you are not for sure. If you are loading and unloading somewhere help your fellow drivers tarp their load and in return they will help you. Good luck and let me now how the training is going.

[nrvsreck]

As long as you've done some sort of actual work in your life and you weren't turned off by it, then there's really nothing at all hard about flatbedding. I've heard about some of these guys talking about how much weight they've lost and how they're getting muscles on top of muscles, it about makes me want to laugh out loud. I don't know... I spent about seven years working in land surveying before I started truck driving. My work was in north Louisiana, walking miles through the woods, up hilll and down hill, cutting brush, carrying a fourty-pound backpack, a tripod over my right shoulder and a bushaxe in the other hand. Sweating, tripping over crap, wading creeks and swamps, bugs in my eyes, deerflys swarming my head, ticks from head to toe, sweat entering every bloody scratch and burning like hellfire. And in the winter, freezing my you-know-what off! Year after year. Flatbedding to me was by far the easiest job I had ever had up to that point. I couldn't believe I actually got paid so much for so little. I guess if you've spent your entire life in an office or hauling a van, then, yeah, flatbedding may seem difficult, but for working folks, it's a cakewalk and the pay is fantastic! Not to mention the pride I take in it. As long as you're not afraid of a little bit of dirt, go for it! 8)

[redsfan]

Ya I have not done any farm work but I've worked outside with my hands so sweat and dirt don't bother me at all and I'm not lazy that's why I picked flatbed ,it will give me a chance to stretch my legs I think it will work out fine. Nothing is easy anyway! I like to learn new things and I can't wait to get started!

I'm sure you'll do fine. However, I will tell you that the average length of a run with Maverick is about 650-700 miles so you won't get much more of a chance to stretch on some days than a van driver would. Once you do get out you will get some exercise though. Sure, you'll see the occasional 400 mile run, but the 7-800 mile runs will outnumber those 2-1.

Good luck!

[SMB]

Thanks for all the info! This is far by the best forum to get advice from and I do appreciate it! I start with Maverick on the 6th of this month and looking forward to it.

[redsfan]

Thanks for all the info! This is far by the best forum to get advice from and I do appreciate it! I start with Maverick on the 6th of this month and looking forward to it.

Well, good luck SMB. I'm sure you'll like it. The best advice I could give someone going in orientation is: Pay attention, never be late and take plenty of notes. The notes will really come in handy when you come back to test out into your own truck. They will let you use any notes you took, but not much else. Also, the good cop / bad cop bit with the instructors will lighten up tremendously once you are hired on Wednesday. It's all part of the test to see if you're too thin-skinned for the trucking world.

[Kintama]

It seperates the Men from the Boy's!

You could spend an hour trying to figure out how to tie something down on the truck.

An hour, if know what you are doing and have been trained properly it won't.

You'll get very dirty, very sweaty, and downright onery to boot after a few hours of securing a load in the hot sun.

A few hours of securing a load, no wonder you didn't make it flatbedding.

Flatbedding has its pros and cons, I have been doing flatbedding since 1992 and I like a challenge, anyone can shut two doors.

I'm glad you like it so much! I'm pretty anal about how I load something on my truck, and the last thing I want to do is have something fall off and get someone killed. I'm also including the tarping in with the securing for that 2 hour time check, if you can do it faster, good for you. I feel that if you get it done right the first time, you don't have to mess with it anymore. The guy asked for input, I game him my input.

You don't have to be an ass driver!

[wanderingson]

I pull both flats and dry vans. My company has both.
I started out with vans, did that for awhile. I just recently (year and a half) have been doing flatbed work too. I see flatbedding as a challenge, which I like, after pulling vans for so long.

You will get dirty, and it is more physical work. It can be downright dangerous, since there will be times when you have to climb up and down off the trailer, and the load, to drape your chains and/or tarps. It's a long way to the ground if you slip and fall! Strap only loads are much easier to secure.
There is much more to know in regard to DOT requirements for securing different types of loads.
Tarping is like an art form, and is the hardest thing to learn, in my opinion. I'm still learning! I had an odd shaped load a few weeks ago, and it took me an hour and a half to tarp it properly.

It's not as bad as one might think. Working out in the elements sucks, but one thing that wasn't mentioned here, was that at some shippers and receivers, you will be working indoors as they load or unload you. At some companies, you pull inside their building to load or unload. Many of these places use an overhead crane to load you. Most will give you time to secure and tarp inside the loading bay.

I think it might be overwhelming for a new driver, like SMB, to get into trucking with flatbeds first. It's hard enough as a newbie to just drive the truck safely, let alone worry about cargo securement, tarping, etc. I guess that with good, quality training, it could be possible for a new driver to do the job well.
Just my 2 cents.
Best of luck to you SMB!

[redsfan]

A lot is said about DOT requirements, and I do believe that everyone should, at least, follow those. After working their and seeing what other company's do I know for a fact that Maverick's securement policies are the best in the business. Follow what you are taught and you will never have any problems. Take shortcuts and you will probably regret it one day. There's no reason why you can't do the job quickly and still be 100% certain that you are secure. It shouldn't takea driver more than a couple of minutes to figure out exactly what he needs and to be certain about that. The job of actually securing the freight gets easier and quicker with repetition. Flatbedding is probably not a job for the person who is indecisive and unsure of themself. I'm not saying that you should not be cautious and be reckless, but there is a big difference between a reckless person and one who works quickly.

As for tarping, the method that Maverick teaches is also the best, IMO. I will say that a lot of it has to do with the tarps that they use. Most companies use a much lighter tarp that has a tendency to break loose in spots and flap in the wind. The number one key to tarping any load, and you will be taught this in Maverick securement class, is to remember that all loads are square. Is that coil round? No it's square when it comes to tarping it. If you start out with 4 corners and work from there you will get a much prettier finished product that will not break loose and you will be able to do it more quickly every time.

[arky]

I'm in Maverick's securement training program now. What redsfan is saying is very true. They have great trainers and techniques. From what I understand, even the DOT has sent some of their people here to be trained on proper securement techniques. That says alot about Maverick's ability to train drivers. They also show you ways to speed up the tarping and securement process.

This company has impressed me and everyone in my group at orientation a lot.

[One]

Youll need a hardhat and good gloves...youll go to a lot of nasty dirty noisy warehouses with lots of dust and no bathroom within reasonable distance.
They say people treat you better is you flatbed, but i didnt see that, maybe when you deliver at construction sites or small businesses...Im a perfectionist, so I used to spend too much time securing and not enough time racking up miles when i went flat....

[joasis]

Pulling flats is the most interesting side of trucking...you guys did not even mention the positives like:

No lumpers or leaches!

No union docks in NYC!

Someone is always waiting on the flatbed load to show up..usually no wait to unload.

I never had a 4 am appointment at Albertson's in Katy Texas with a flatbed.

I hauled some interesting stuff...and it was never dull!

Tarping in the wind sucks bad, tarping in the heat sucks bad, tarping in the cold sucks bad....it all sucks, but it works out in the end, long as you don't fall off the tall load, in the wind, and a truck stop shower is close.

I did spend 2 hours securing and tarping a load once...a printing press, going to a museum...and yes, it took awhile to figure out how to hold it down without damaging it.

And finally, you will notice every other skateboard on the road and try to guess what they are hauling if you can't tell from the shape of the tarps....