I was wondering the same.

it was an incident, no one else involved, so not technically an accident I guess.

it was about 11PM, I missed the consignee on a rural road in TN, road turned into a windy switchback mountain road with nowhere to turn around, I had no choice but to keep going. I ran about 8MPH watching my trailer tires in my mirror with the worklights on to light up the road. did this for about an hour and a half, the first turn I didn't watch my tires I dropped them off the road and came inches from rolling the truck and its load of drilling pipe off a 75' cliff. if the landing gear had not caught the edge of the road it probably would have rolled. no cell signal, got ahold of safety via qualcomm, 5 hours later a wrecker showed up, left, came back 3 hours later with a bigger wrecker, picked my trailer up and set it back on the road. I blocked 2 lanes of TN116 for 8 hours and not a cop showed up.

again not a TMC cheerleader but safety split the tow bill with me based on my record. they didn't have to do that.

I was out 2 weeks and had to wait more than an hour for a load maybe... uh... once. hauling all sorts of fun stuff, OD steel plate, OD John Deere. nice of them to send me to SSAB with no OD gear. that week was an adventure. couple weeks before that I ran 3600 miles, more than I ever have before here.

curious if anyone is going to run 3 weeks after thanksgiving and take the week after christmas off, actually sounds like a real good deal. I suspect they are pitching this idea because there won't be much freight moving that week and they can get their work out of us while freight is moving before christmas.

I work for an hourly wage, and I'm paid a bench rate for the run. The run is basically 15 min/stop and around 55 mph average. If i go over my bench because of a legitimate reason or delay, such as traffic or shipper delays, I get paid accordingly. If i go too slow and wind up late cuz i think i can milk it, i get jacked up or canned.

Oh, and the company speed limit is 55, and the trucks are capped at 62. I also run a tight schedule, so if i'm early, i have to lay up short until my scheduled appointment time.

Fool or Idiot?? Flatbed w/o any training???
 

(LOL) Ok ... let's get this right ...

You're a bigshot Werner Trainer who may have dogged out more than a few trainees ... and now you're inflated head is telling you that you want to drive a skateboard without securement training? (Maybe just a class, eh??)

So ... you're aware of how many flatbed rollovers and load shifts there are .... but you're too good to go out with a trainer ... even for a week or so?

Give me a break!

Most experienced drivers will be given the chance to do a few local runs with an experienced driver, and then they'll turn you lose.

But you're going to have trouble.
Pick as many other flatbedders minds as you can.

"Always throw extra" (straps and or chains)

Securement is what it's all about with flatbeds.

I used to get a kick out of Heavy Haul ... spending all that extra time securing the load, then putting on those HUGE yellow and black banners along with flashing becons ... only to have idiot van / reefer drivers trying to test me on downhill curves ... or hang in my blindspot being all "DuH" curious about the load.

That's why ... sad to say it ... I no longer waste any emotions when I hear about a truck crash. Most drivers ... sadly enough ... don't have the common sense God gave a polecat.

... too good fer a trainer ... that's a good one ...

Just dropping in to say hello! It's been a LONG time! Any veterans from TMC here anymore?
-Flatbed Fred

Hey Fred,
good to see your still kickn round...

there's a few of us still around..
most of us workn, not postn much.

How's life been treatn you and yours???
bout same round here.. just a nut holding a steern wheel..
tryn to maintain some normalcy where ever I'm at....

been runing alot of I-10 this week.. seem to be hung up between San Antonio and Slidell, LA.. back and forth....

Hey Fred, I'm still lurking in the shadows, how are you doing buddy? What have you been doing lately?

everyone staying busy? seems like freight just hit a wall the last 2 weeks. almost every day I log 16 hours in the sleeper, and 300-350 mile bounces are not uncommon. they sent me from Boston, MA to Massena, NY last week!

everyone have a safe short week next week and a good thanksgiving when you get to it.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

Our load volume for Home Depot is similar to last year I am told. We have had to borrow some trucks from linehaul/longhaul every monday lately just to keep up, but then we feel shorted the rest of the week.

Amen to that....he needs a fresh load of hogslats with just the hint of rain , then a hard right turn should head him packing.....oh yeah....HI ALL!