Ya think?! 8)

It is ridiculous and dangerous for an employer to not provide proper training for a new freight division. They are clearly not thinking things through.... :sad:

That being said, this securement challenge gives the driver a chance to excel and learn proper securement techniques so that his worth as a driver will increase.

Driver...you might want to ask for a raise from your current employer!

 

correct you cannot slide a spread axle most SA trailers have the tool box between the axles for your straps and tarps. i am gonna keep my binder bar/strap bar in the cab so i know where it is at all times.

as far as weight goes if you are loading it or the shipper is loading will depend on how it is done. most times the shipper knows how to load it properly. just make sure you scale before you run.

 

Who cares what the company gives as far as training! The driver has come here in a search to educate himself. Flatbed is not a hard job; questions and a little common sense will get him far! You’re doing the right thing driver. I would trust a person like the OP because he is looking for info on how to properly move the new type of freight the company is getting into! Which means he is a responsible driver! More power to YA driver.....

 

There are a lot of spreads you can slide; this is a special orders trailer though. Most can not, depends on what the company hauls as to who will have these trailers...

Best thing to remember on a spread is to load more of the weight to the rear of the trailer, not all of it of coarse!....lol You can haul more weight as much as 40k depending on the length of the spread!

 

Minimum Number of Tiedowns
The cargo securement system used to restrain articles against movement must meet requirements concerning the minimum number of tiedowns. This requirement is in addition to complying with rules concerning the minimum working load limit. When an article of cargo is not blocked or positioned to prevent movement in the forward direction, the number of tiedowns needed depends on the length and weight of the articles. There must be - one tiedown for articles 5 ft or less in length, and 1,100 lbs or less in weight; two tiedowns if the article is -

5 ft or less in length and more than 1,100 lbs in weight; or
greater than 5 ft but less than 10 ft, regardless of weight.


In the following example, one tiedown is required because the article of cargo is 5 ft in length and does not exceed 1,100 lbs. If the article of cargo were greater than 5 ft in length but less than 10 ft, two tiedowns would be needed regardless of the weight. When an article of cargo is not blocked or positioned to prevent movement in the forward direction, and the item is longer than 10 ft in length, then it must be secured by two tiedowns for the first 10 ft of length, and one additional tiedown for every 10 ft of length, or fraction thereof, beyond the first 10 ft. An example of this is provided below. If an article is blocked, braced or immobilized to prevent movement in the forward direction by a headerboard, bulkhead, other articles that are adequately secured, or other appropriate means, it must be secured by at least one tiedown for every 10 ft of article length, or fraction thereof.

 

Thanks, I am not a flatbedder but a van man. I have never pulled a scateboard so it was just a couriosity question more than anything.

 

Not saying anything bad about the driver. I do think, however, that it is absolutely ridiculous for a company to give someone with no experience a flatbed and no training period to go along with it. Questions and a little common sense will get you far, but there is only so much training that can be done in a forum. The OP is asking questions and I agree that is a good thing, but I would've asked the questions of my employer before I came to a forum searching for advice. What about the drivers that are given no training and just assume they know what they're doing only to find out the hard way that they didn't have a clue.

You're right, flatbed is not hard work, I've done it. However, for anyone to think that just anyone can jump into and go with no training whatsoever is absolutely ludicrous!

 

I agree 110% with redsfan. Even worse, a driver coming here for the information he SHOULD be getting from formal training may believe he now knows enough and end up crushed to death in his cab when his improperly secured load comes forward during a hard stop or crash.

 

yeah but the same can happen in a van

 

Good point and VERY true. But I THINK the driver asking for advice had some van experience. :?: