The true measure of a driver, will be found, in how they handle Snowbird Pass in Idaho, during the winter. Tarping, chaining, strapping aside...handle Snowbird...and you are a "Driver".

:moose:

 

I am impressed because of the simple fact she could be like you and shut the doors and drive on, but she like me, likes the exercise, challenge, and satisfaction that comes with the job. Like I said , are we supposed to be impressed? And you get what? Exercise, only if you walk around the urinal.... I mean truckstop. How much excercise will you get when you slip off that load of greasy bar and bust your ankles? I should say, how much work? Challenge? NOOOO shutting 2 doors is hardly a challenge. Define "challenge". If you mean working in hot /cold/wet weather as a challenge, then you can have all the challenge you want, pal. Satisfaction? Well, some are satisfied easily. I guess if you set low goals its not hard to achieve them. Im really not dogging van drivers. Uh...huh :roll: I know they have their own challenges I dont have to deal with, like grocer warehouses and peed off customers and waiting forever to get loaded/unloaded. I dont deal with it either, i know for a fact while you are standing on that load of someone elses crap in the rain, tarping, strapping and chaining...I'm already gone down the road. I stopped playing in the mud years ago. I just have to have more admiration for some lady getting an award doing a job that was never meant for her to do and men cant/wont do. I see I offended you, oops sorry, it was not meant to offend, it was meant to make you think. You've just insulted women, thats all with your "doing a job that was never meant for her do do"

As far as working harder or smarter well, I started my driving career driving flatbed why? I couldnt find one van company that would start me over .30cpm nor get me home every weekend. Didnt look hard enough did ya. So what was the smarter decision? Ya I work harder than you, what a whole 2 or 3 hrs a day on average? You still work more hours than me. Oh wait, thats a GOAL.
Ill take the extra pay for a few hours of manual labor.I wont, nothing I carry is worth my time unloading or loading it. Consequently, I dont do either. But more power to ya in your quest to be "personal" with someone else's crap. Not to mention I get some money for tarping and I get paid if I wait to get unloaded more than 3 hours. And did I mention Im home every weekend? So, 6 months experience and .39cpm compared to what a max of .29 at most in a van. Once again, you dont know what you talk about. Ill take an average of 250.00 more per week just for some manual labor. That means a van driver making .29cpm would have to drive 850 miles more than me in order to make what I make. Thats if you have any freight. See alot of empty flatbeds going up and down the interstate. What was you saying about working harder or smarter. Just means that someone with same experience as me has to sit on his butt a day longer than me to get the same pay as me. And that day......Im at home [/quote]
So what. I can get a dedicated account and be home twice a week if I want to and I still wont have to unload/load a damn thing. I prefer to stay out two weeks at a time. Some prefer a month at a time.

 

Never heard me say that Flatbedding is too much work; I HAVE said that it is, for the most part, a younger driver's trade. So, the thought that someone who decides that they are not cut out for it equateds to laziness is not a sound idea.

Hey, if it works for you, then GREAT!! 8)

 

I never said it was too hard. I said it was too much work

 

did he just call me lazy???? i think i should be offended. but hell i don't even open or close doors. i just grab 2 pups and haul ass...i hope that does not make me less of a man.

 

I see I got bad response. I was not trying to tick anyone off, So, I apologize to those of you who took this post personal. I guess this place isnt much different than being out on the road huh? There are those that WANT a conflict. I DONT. I dont have any disire to sit here on my time off and have an argument with anyone here. I can just turn on my cb and find one of those.
I do want to reply to the impression that we do not have work. I get a load within 10 minutes of sending an empty call. If you see my flatbed empty down the highway, I am picking up a load, otherwise my truck doesnt move. Im sure the other Mavericks in here can confirm the fact that weve got the loads. Other than that. Im not arguing anymore about the matter. If you are offended, I apologized accept it and move on. I just bet everything I just said isnt good enough for someone. So you can save you hate replys, Im not going to look again at this post and get in a huff because someone else does.
There is one way to true peace, through the prince of peace, Christ Jesus.

 

Steve...apology accepted, and very well received....good man!


I think Big Rigger's are Type A personalities. :lol:
Those that are Type B drive smaller trucks... :lol: :lol: :lol:

You work hard and I'll bet play hard too. I did see a lot of pride in your work and Company. Good things showed through...and that is the real you.

I word things poorly lots of times myself.
Your apology says more good things...so hopefully, we can all move on.

I respect a man who speaks up, and takes a chance by posting his thoughts.
It's them Lurker's who my fight is with.

Lurker's...what...are you .......chicken?

 

Steve,

I don't think that people here were, as you stated, "looking for a coflict". Having said that, your comment about "people saying that flatbedding is too much work are just lazy" and other comments that I have highlighted, indicate an attitude that sets the stage for some rather terse responses. Some people are cut out for flatbedding. They are good at it, and they enjoy what they do.

Others are best suited for other modalities in the industry. Car hauling?? Yanking a tank?? Reefer?? Drybox?? Fingerprinting??

I don't see that any one particular aspect of driving is neccessarily better than another, it's just that some people are better suited for certain things than others.

Take enclosed car hauling, for example. I know a few drivers who can do it, and a few of them are even good at it. Me?? I'm too fat, and I don't want to deal with the financial consequences that can add up very quickly if things go wrong. My car hauling buddies?? They'd rather sell gold chains in a T/S parking lot than pull a box or a reefer.

Bandit's Cousin?? The Rev?? They're two very fine Bedbuggers; good at what they do, and they make a good living doing it. (at least, The Rev. WAS making a decent living, untill he drove his truck thought the wall of a house!!) Me?? You wouldn't want me hauling your belongings across the country, across the state of Rhode Island, or across the street.

My mind simply isn't geared properly in terms of loading properly and making the most efficient ues of space.....good at a few things, but that is not one of them. No, you wouldn't want me bedbugging your furniture. As for pulling up in front of Mrs. Zelda Fudpuckkerstien's Mansion, to load her heirloom furniture and Vahhzzzzzes?? Hell!! I'd pack her fat, snotty, snooty, stuck-up ass in a box and stow her away in the first half hour. I don't have the patience or willingness to tolerate that king of crap. No!!! No bedbugging for me!!!

G-Man?? I think he's pulled just about everything that can be pulled with a truck and a trailer.

Then, look at guys like Yooper. Yooper???... out on a flatbed?? He's so old that the vultures would start circling and attack him as he tried to strap and tar........ OOooopppsss!! Never Mind!!
:P (J/K, Yoop!!)

Me?? I drove a drybox. I was in my 40's before I ever started driving, a wee bit worn out, had a few health issues, and did not plan to drive for more than a few years anyway.

Hauling reefers around the country?? Thought about it; had some offers. The money was good, as long as I didn't get caught!! Errrrr....... uh, wait.....scratch that.....the OTHER kind of reefer?? Seemed more stressfull, very tight time frames, long waits, having to baybysit the reefer unit?? Too much of a hassle, didn't seem to pay any better....Nope!! Not for me!!

I note that you are not going to read anymore responses. That is your perogative. At the same time, there are others who may be new to trucking, perhaps wannabees or Plan2bees. Hopefully, they might find some encouragement in knowing that not all drivers have a chip on their shoulders.

Look at your last line, Steve!!

One True way to Peace through the Prince of Peace??

A wonderful ideal. Well, I do sincerely hope that you find it. Looking at the parts of your last reply that I have highlited, it does not sound to me as if you have yet. Not a smart-assed comment here, just an honest observation.

 

Steve:

I gotta tell ya, I don't know what kind of response you could have been looking for with that post other than a bad one. When I read it, I certainly thought that you were painting the picture that flatbed isn't that tough because a woman can do it.

I pulled for Maverick, I know what the work is all about. I know it is a very good company that will give you the opportunity to earn as much money as you possibly can, but I don't think it's because they're a flatbed outfit that allows this. It's the people that run the place. If they were a reefer outfit they would still be just as good of a company, IMO. I made good money with them and got a very fair amount of hometime, but I'm making the same or better money now and getting better hometime and I pull a reefer.

I disagree with folks who say you need to pull a van first rather than starting out with flatbed, but if you can make the same money with less physical labor it doesn't mean you are too lazy to pull a flat.

I will say that flatbed isn't all pull into a yard and drive out. I had to back into a lot of tight bays with only a few inches of room for error when I was with them so I haven't seen where backing a drive van would give you a lot more skills than a flat.

Can't we all just get along??? :cry:

BTW, I've met Lee Hammond on a few occasions. Her handle is Legs. Can she do the job? Sure. Is she "Driver of the Year"? I wouldn't have voted for her. From what I saw she was more concerned with making herself look good by turning in a noob who did something wrong rather than show him the proper way like a "Black Hat" is supposed to do. But, hey this post isn't about her... or is it???

 

The way I took the O/P meaning of this post is a lot here in this forum tell newbies to stay away from the hard working jobs and limit themselves to the big “VAN” jobs. This is where most get the lazy person deal. You should experience it all I think. I don’t know about the rest of you but I, after 30 yrs in this industry am here for the money! And if I didn’t want more then I would be sitting on a beach in Florida right now…lol I don’t like to just get by, I want more, and would like to retire some day and just fish….lol Takes money for that! You have to do more than just drive most times to make money in this business. There are exceptions to every rule though. I have spent more time with flats ddrops, RGN and specialty trailers most of my career, and know where the money is! I think any people here with a good work ethic will do well for themselves! I do now work for a large drug store chain and run Chicago every night and pull the freight off the truck at stores with a pallet jack. We also have a lot of driver unload stores where everything comes off on rollers that the driver will set up to get the freight into the store. You see, there is a trade off most times, do a little work with a higher pay. As for tarping, it doesn’t take that long once you get the hang of it. It keeps you in shape, which most drivers should be worried about these days with the sitting lifestyle they lead. If I were to go back to the road, it would be to equipment, oversize loads then flat being my last choice. This is just me though, done the reefer and van thing which is boring to me!
To all new drivers, just learn all you can, and don’t leave a job out just because you have to do some work!!