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 :lol: 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!!