Truck Driving Jobs

needalocaljob · #1 02-16-2007, 01:26 PM

How long does it take on an average to secure and tarp a load and is there a minimum that you have to log for it. Its looks like its a hard job and I dont know if I want to do it. But it looks like there is more money in flatbedding if you get with the right company.

Sealord · #2 02-16-2007, 03:08 PM

Securement time depends on the load. A nice square lumber load can be done quickly. Odd shaped loads take longer. Time duration could be as short as 1/2 hour, to as long as a few hours. Shape is everything, the company usually gives guidance as for as logging securement time. BOL

redsfan · #3 02-16-2007, 08:59 PM

Sealord's right, the time involved will depend entirely upon the load and the person doing the securement. As for the logging part, log it as you do it and you'll be fine. Most loads will require at least 30 minutes, so youd be hard pressed to show less than that, especially when part of that time is signing and scaling in, waiting your turn in line and scaling back out...

Personally, I like steel coils because I was able to secure and tarp them pretty quick. I've seen guys secure and tarp in as little as 15-20 minutes and I've heard of guys taking 3 hours or more.

The number one thing is not how quickly you do it, it's how you do it. Make sure your you've got it right and all is safe.

JBenson2 · #4 02-17-2007, 03:40 PM

Be very careful when pulling the tarp out over the top of the load. Especially if it is a lumber tarp. I was allowed to tarp inside a couple days ago, but there was a drawback. The snow and ice melted off the trailer and made the bottom of my work shoes wet. This made it much more dangerous while on the top of the metal shelving I was hauling. The sharp edges required some padding tarps first, then two lumber tarps. Due to the odd shape of the shelving, I used almost all of my 100 bungies to get it secured. It took me about 1.5 hours to finish.

GoldiesPlating · #5 02-21-2007, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBenson2

Be very careful when pulling the tarp out over the top of the load. Especially if it is a lumber tarp. I was allowed to tarp inside a couple days ago, but there was a drawback. The snow and ice melted off the trailer and made the bottom of my work shoes wet. This made it much more dangerous while on the top of the metal shelving I was hauling. The sharp edges required some padding tarps first, then two lumber tarps. Due to the odd shape of the shelving, I used almost all of my 100 bungies to get it secured. It took me about 1.5 hours to finish.

Hey John. You're getting FAST ALREADY! Excellent! Nice photos too. I wish you continued success. As far as an answer to this thread I agree with the above estimates. It varies widely based on the load, your experience, and the weather!

thebaldeagle655 · #6 02-22-2007, 02:32 AM

Something else to remember about tarping, if the shipper offers a tarping station USE IT.

About 5 hours ago I would have been swearing they were not needed but while unrolling my tarp on rolls of paper the tarp began to slip, and I grabbed it, you guessed it, tarp hit the ground, I was suspended by the safety belt. I would surely have been injured in the fall without the safety equipment!

Safety Equipment may seem to be a pain but you will appreciate all the "trouble" when you really need it!

BanditsCousin · #7 02-22-2007, 04:09 AM

Vehicles are pretty easy to secure on a skateboard.

All those bungees sounds like a lot of tedious work!

JBenson2 · #8 02-22-2007, 01:19 PM

Yes, the bungees are tedious. When I did the load (mentioned above), the customer let me back into his warehouse an hour before they began loading, so I had plenty of time to prepaire.

* I de-tangled and hung half my bungees on the driver's side rubrail. The other half were hung on the passenger side rubrail.

* After I rolled out the lumber tarps and let the edges hang over, I went down one side and hung the bungies. I came back the other side doing the same thing.

* I secured a few on either side. This prevented the lumber tarps from slipping too much off center. Then, it was a matter of just pulling and tugging each bungie into position.

* I also pulled out the straps ahead of time before the fork life operator arrived.

thebaldeagle655 · #9 02-23-2007, 12:59 AM

Something else to remember about flatbed securement, If you are not sure how many securement devices and what type, pick up the nice green book they gave you entilteled "Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations" and look under the load securement section starting at 393.100. You can look up what you are hauling, and it will tell you the MINIMUM number of securement devices needed. Rule of thumb I have used is to add at least 2 to the number given so that the DOT Officer can take a nice quick glance and know you are legal. WHEN IN DOUBT ADD MORE!! Don't be afraid to use everything you have if you think it's needed. A driver of a company we haul the same loads with recently criticized another for using too many straps. 2 days later they had to send a heavy wrecker to him to pull his 7" pipe back away from the cab after he was forced to do a panic stop. And yes, we gave him hell about it!