Flatbedding ?'s.
 

Im a newbie to the trucking world and I'm starting with Maverick on the 16th and my question is eveybody says flatbedding is hard work, dont get me wrong, a little sweat and work dont bother me but what is so hard about it?

I do not do flatbed work but my guess would be, messing around with 100 lbs tarps in the wind, rain, snow, heat, cold. Strapping and chaining everything down. just to name a few. I am too lazy for that kind of work. lol

It is very hard work, and it can really piss you off at times.
1. You have to secure the load, and not every load is the same. You could spend an hour trying to figure out how to tie something down on the truck.

2.Tarps are a pain in the ass! Yes, you will get faster over time but look for at least an hour to tarp.

After all is said and done you're going to need to pull over and check your load to make sure it is not coming loose, and to check the tarps to make sure they are not flying around. Some loads are very easy, just chain and go but some are just a nightmare. You'll get very dirty, very sweaty, and downright onery to boot after a few hours of securing a load in the hot sun. I drove for 13 years before trying out flatbed, I liked some things but for the most part it sucked.

The fact is, it can be hard work sometimes for 30 minutes to 2 hours per day, but it's not that bad. The securement and tarping are, most times, not a big deal either if you've had the proper training. Believe me, you will get that proper training at Maverick.

I'm not sure of what your background is, but anyone who has ever spent much time at all on a farm or in some type of construction will probably fit in fairly well in the flatbed world. Anytime I hear someone bitch about how hard they have to work, my response is always, go spend 10 hours a day in a hayfield for a few days and then come back and tell me how hard flatbedding is. There's no comparison. Sure it's harder than driving a dry van and opening doors, but usually the pay and the hometime are better also.

It seperates the Men from the Boy's! :lol: :lol: :lol:

An hour, if know what you are doing and have been trained properly it won't.

A few hours of securing a load, no wonder you didn't make it flatbedding.

Flatbedding has its pros and cons, I have been doing flatbedding since 1992 and I like a challenge, anyone can shut two doors. :lol:

Ya I have not done any farm work but I've worked outside with my hands so sweat and dirt don't bother me at all and I'm not lazy that's why I picked flatbed ,it will give me a chance to stretch my legs I think it will work out fine. Nothing is easy anyway! I like to learn new things and I can't wait to get started!

Its a good exercise program and it will keep you in shape, you should see some of these freight haulers at the truckstops, they need to get a job flatbedding. :lol: Some of them look like they have been tarping a load for two hours. :lol:

What advice would you give a newbie going into this Big John?

Well if you are going to Maverick, they are a good company and do things the correct way far as training. They have good pay, benefits and equipment and most drivers get home on the weekends. I have never worked for them but have several friends that do and they have been their for two years or more. But for the advice, listen to what they tell you, they probally have the best in teaching securement training. Yes you are going to have bad days and good days. I have tarped and untarped in the heat, rain and snow (-20 degrees below in North Dakota one time) but you will learn the tricks and over time it will get faster and faster. But if you like a challenge and every load is one and don't mind a little hard work and not afraid to get dirty then flatbedding is a good job. When you are on the road and see other flatbed loads, look and see how it is tied down and tarped. Don't be afraid to ask another driver or call your company and ask them how to tie a load down if you are not for sure. If you are loading and unloading somewhere help your fellow drivers tarp their load and in return they will help you. Good luck and let me now how the training is going.

As long as you've done some sort of actual work in your life and you weren't turned off by it, then there's really nothing at all hard about flatbedding. I've heard about some of these guys talking about how much weight they've lost and how they're getting muscles on top of muscles, it about makes me want to laugh out loud. I don't know... I spent about seven years working in land surveying before I started truck driving. My work was in north Louisiana, walking miles through the woods, up hilll and down hill, cutting brush, carrying a fourty-pound backpack, a tripod over my right shoulder and a bushaxe in the other hand. Sweating, tripping over crap, wading creeks and swamps, bugs in my eyes, deerflys swarming my head, ticks from head to toe, sweat entering every bloody scratch and burning like hellfire. And in the winter, freezing my you-know-what off! Year after year. Flatbedding to me was by far the easiest job I had ever had up to that point. I couldn't believe I actually got paid so much for so little. I guess if you've spent your entire life in an office or hauling a van, then, yeah, flatbedding may seem difficult, but for working folks, it's a cakewalk and the pay is fantastic! Not to mention the pride I take in it. As long as you're not afraid of a little bit of dirt, go for it! 8)