Flatbed Drivers Here!!

[DaveP]

To IronRydr....I'm 51 and it's not a problem.

I get too much personal satisfaction out of flatbedding to even consider doing anything else...in fact I'm afraid anything else would just bore me to death.

[Flashmann]

I turned 55 last November and I'm not having any problems........Oh sure,I can tell I'm not 30 anymore....I also have as a motivator,the fact that I'll be done next October...

[INKTOXICATED]

I'm a newbie to the forum and a trucker wannabe, so forgive me if my question doesn't belong in this post, but I'll ask anyway. I live in VA and am starting school next Monday with a Sage school in NC to obtain my CDL. I'm strongly considering trying to get into flatbedding, as opposed to dry vans, primarily because of the money, especially with freight and mileage down these days. My question is this, at 49 years old, can I handle the work of strapping and tarping? I've heard good and bad. I'm a building contractor now, so I'm used to carrying heavy loads, humping 80lb. bundles of shingles up ladders, etc. I'm also used to being out in all kinds of weather, sometimes all day long at 25-30 degrees. Compared to what I'm doing now, is flatbedding really that much work?
Thanks,
IronRydr

all flatbed jobs vary. personaly mine is a cake walk. hauling full loads of shingles. like 14-18 skids 40-48 k lb. come in in the morning, 4am. get paperowrk out of driver box. start up your truck, hook up to the trailer which is already loaded and tarped. all we need to do is slide vee boards under the straps. throw a few bungees on. do some paperwork. hit the road. deliver first load around 7-9 usually within 100 miles. come back to yard around 10-12 pick up second load ( if there is one)(summer time yes wintertime no) deleiver second load, which would be closer then first load. all you do is untarp the load wind up the straps. i spend more time cleaning my truck then anything. sometimes u have to wait to get unloaded but its all good cause its hourly. the only thing that sucks is tarping in the winter. tarps get frozen straps get frozen everything gets frozen. i slipped off the trailer the other day and landed on the ground. good tihng i had layers on cause i woulda been banged up good. flatbedding in my scenerio is easy. some other jobs are not