Flatbed Variety
Topic 4373 | Page 9
Bud, thanks for the photos!
I'vd always loved the variety in flat-bed, it keeps your days interesting. I have to agree with you on those Styrofoam sheets though. At least with a steel coil you can tie that thing down so that you know it's not going anywhere. Those crazy Styrofoam sheets will be ruined if you tie them down tight enough so that they can't move around. I always make extra stops to check on those things - one time I had a fifty three foot trailer filled with them and when I made my first load check I discovered that within the first fifty miles the two stacks on the back of the trailer had moved back and were now hanging off the back of the trailer by a foot! They didn't move any more after I re-worked the straps on them, but the two top sheets were ruined when I got them where they were going.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
After two weeks on the road with my instructor at Prime, I got my CDL on Tuesday. The TNT phase started Wednesday, hope to be in my own truck by early December. I've been doing flatbed and love it. Here are a few of the loads so far:
Suicide coils
Drywall (it really sucks to tarp this stuff in 30 mph winds, but as another flatbedder said to me, "You just have to embrace the suck for an hour or two, then you're back in the cab.") Although this took two of us three hours to tarp, not one or two...
"
Shingles...easy peasy
What 3200 pounds of styrofoam looks like..great for MPG, but easily damaged and it wanted to creep back on the trailer from the wind, so more worrisome than steel coils
Welcome to the wonderful world of skateboarding. Tony Hawk has nothing on us.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
Man has it been busy lately. Not even time to snap a few photos... Hauling gravel in with a bellydump to the asphalt plant and then my first time hauling asphalt to the job site. Interesting but also a lot of waiting.
Now on Thursday I was sooo busy.... Load 1 paver moving 30 miles... Load 2 983 CAT loader Moving that same 30 miles.... Load 3 9' wide ingersol rand roller back to the shop 80 miles... Load 4 Move the paver back to where I picked it up that morning.... Load 5 move the CAT loader back to where I picked it up that morning..... Load 5 Volvo roller Home for the night and delivered to Billings the next day 250 miles. Yep used every minute of my 14 on this day.
Yesterday one load of a small case loader only took 3 hours to get back...
Today a CAT d6 60 miles and a John Deere 860 dozer back..... they were swapping dozers. Not normally an issue but this was over Flesher pass between Helena and Lincoln MT. There are some corners where you need the other lane and I am 12' wide to begin with. Oh and some genius thought it would be a good idea to put the guard rail about 1' from the white line.
Like I said in the previous post... Kinda hectic right now. Today I moved a loader and a paver then I went and got loaded for tomorrow. Did not even have time to take pics of the loader or paver....
Here's some recent loads.
Eye to the sky steel coils
Structural steel from Laredo to just outside Chicago.
I've had a lot of fun driving through mountains in Colorado and Arizona and got to visit some interesting sites.
Collegiate Peaks near Salida Colorado...
...where we picked up 48000 pounds of rocks that we delivered in Missouri.
Steel parts for a giant tank they're building at a plant near the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona.
Had a funny discussion with my trainer about what constitutes a "forest."
Here's some recent loads.
Eye to the sky steel coils
Structural steel from Laredo to just outside Chicago.
I've had a lot of fun driving through mountains in Colorado and Arizona and got to visit some interesting sites.
Collegiate Peaks near Salida Colorado...
...where we picked up 48000 pounds of rocks that we delivered in Missouri.
Steel parts for a giant tank they're building at a plant near the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona.
Had a funny discussion with my trainer about what constitutes a "forest."
Now that is some variety! What, Missouri does not have it's own rocks? I know it sounds funny but we have hauled ballast for the railroad because it was granite and anything else used on the track bedding just turns to dust. Not just any gravel will work.
I hear you about the national forest thing. When I was in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, they designated a national forest because of some trees that some Russians planted like 100+ years ago... There was a grand total of 20 trees.
Missouri does not have round white smooth rocks, apparently.
Here's some recent loads:
Aluminized steel coils. These things shredded two tarps even with blankets over them. Other drivers at the receiver said the same thing. I wonder if anyone makes Kevlar blankets cheap?
Tubing from Texas to Arkansas....wrapped the way Old School says it should be, like a Christmas present. Notice the new tarps? They're kind of pricey, glad I didn't have to pay for them, but I feel bad for my trainer who does have to.
Rail car suspension parts from St. Louis to Eagle Pass, Texas. Interesting factory where we picked up, I had never really thought about where that stuff comes from before.
It's been busy..hopefully only one more week of TNT before I upgrade. I think Pat's internet got frozen in Montana, or I would wait to post more in his thread. I love the crazy stuff in his photos.
Plastic tubing...can't even remember where we got it or delivered it to...I'm old.
Caterpillar accessories from Kansas to Wisconsin. Got my first snow driving there. Fun times.
More steel tubing, Chicago to LA.
A big a** industrial fan, Kentucky to Laredo.
I really have been enjoying flatbed work...but only a little when the tarps are frozen stiff and can't be rolled lol.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
Hey Bud, good to hear from ya! I laughed when I saw that tubing that you picked up in Chicago - been there many times - gotta love some of those places. I don't go there anymore now that I'm running a dedicated account for SAPA. I'm staying real busy at this new job.
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
Advice For New Truck Drivers Choosing A Trucking Company Flatbed Hard Lessons Learned Load Securement Photos Truck Driving Stories
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
After two weeks on the road with my instructor at Prime, I got my CDL on Tuesday. The TNT phase started Wednesday, hope to be in my own truck by early December. I've been doing flatbed and love it. Here are a few of the loads so far:
"
Shingles...easy peasy
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.