Comments By Airborne

Here is a beam that we hauled on Monday...

Then I spent the rest of the week hauling shorter beams and have 2 more to haul next week.

Can anyone tell me why I have it so far forward when I still have a foot at the back of the trailer? Not a trick question, it is a teaching moment.

I'm not a flatbedder yet but I would have to say that if you had it evan on the front and hanging over the tail end that it would be considered an over size load and that would call for a permit. I hope that I'm correct in my wording as well.

Ha ha! That reminded me of something that happened probably 10 or 15 years ago. I had wrapped a present for some work function (white elephant gift or something) and one of the ladies asked who wrapped it, it was so pretty. I told her I did. She said indignantly, "You did not!!"

So Daniel, do you do the dishes at home since you're so good at washing trailers out?

I don't wash my trailers, I sweep them. But yes I almost always do the dishes at home, but that's because I'm a gentlemen.

he's just trying to get major brownie points for that comment, ROFLMAO

So a couple weeks ago I got to use a nifty little device to lay my tarps out. I had loaded plywood near Roseburg, OR, and after rolling out some plastic over it, they instructed me to head over to their tarping station. I figured it would be one of those raised catwalks with a harness to keep you from falling, but instead I found this:

There was a video playing on a loop which gave instructions on how to use it. Basically you lower the straps with the remote, hook them to your D-rings on one side of the tarp, then raise it up and move it over, lowering the straps once the tarp is centered. I have to say it was pretty cool and obviously safer than climbing on top of a load, but it probably took just as long if not longer than the traditional way.

Here is about 45,000lbs of road salt/de-icer in 50lb bags. I loaded these in Salt Lake City, which I thought was pretty ironic. Get it? Salt Lake City...?

Pre-tarp...

...and post-tarp:

I had to remember not to make my straps too tight because if I did, they would just keep digging into the bags. Apparently the plastic wrapped around them is enough to hold them laterally, and the tarps add that extra layer of "keep-it-all-contained" protection.

My current load, waiting to unload tomorrow morning near Denver. They are part of a log structure being built at a Gander Mountain jobsite. I got lucky: there were 3 of our trucks assigned to take these logs down, and since I was the last one to be loaded, I got the leftovers. I ended up with about a 30k load, and only 2 levels high, while the others got a full 48k and 3 levels. Helped my mpgs quite a bit!

I forgot to take a pic of it tarped. I guess I could get out of the truck and take one now, but I'm too busy trying to upload the pics I already took...

no tarp pay for you on that load, lmao

Man, using that thing is almost like cheating on your tarps...LOL

Well I delivered the dozer this morning and then went and picked up this manlift. Now it is not a big load by any means but it is the largest boom I have see on one of these. To give it some perspective, the deck of the trailer is 28' and the axle spacing is 60" and the basket is 1/2 way past the second bolster. I know I did not need 1/2" chain but since this was only 6 miles away, I threw them in the bucket well instead of back on the truck. Plus, all my 3/8" are like 20' long.

those man lifts can be fun to use during high wind conditions, When I was an electrician I went with a guy and he was scared to go up in them just to change bulbs at a main post office here in KY. I told him I'd do it so I straped myself up in a rig and went up and changed the bulbs in high winds, that was an interesting job to do, lmao!!!!

Lol.... I just noticed that those three guys in the clean safety gear and hands in their pockets.... They are all government employees.

Lol yeah a bright shiny vest screams either "new driver" or "management" of some sort. And why does it take three of them? Wouldn't one be enough?

They're most likely to be union workers, its not suprising to see union worker that look like that on jobsites fellas!!!!!!

Lol.... I just noticed that those three guys in the clean safety gear and hands in their pockets.... They are all government employees.

Does that really suprise you, they may be union workers for all we know, lmao

Ok well we got to deliver the bridge beams on Wednesday.

Ooops! What happened to the truck?... LOL

Well we were so far to the side of the bridge that the cranes could not reach far enough to pick both ends of the beam at the same time so they picked the beam off the truck and I got out of the way. I was standing on the steps taking the photo. They they used a telehandler forklift to drag the trailer backwards so the other crane could reach that end. Yes we can release all the brakes just for this purpose.

Yesterday I got to move 4 conveyors and a rock crusher. No photos of those.

But today I got to move a 824 loader to Great Falls.

What company are you driving for may I ask cause thats the kinda loads I wanna get into hauling someday soon??

Pick and pass sounds just a little scary, Pat!

Here's our load back to Springfield where my student will test out early next week, onions from California and ultimately on to PA.

I bet that was fun to strap down, lol!!!

This baby was 102 feet long and weighed just shy of 140k.

Wow!!! That's awesome!

Have you every done any flatbedding before Brett, if so give us some of your expiriences plz.

Anything over 12'6" on 2 lane roads here require a pilot car in front. Made it to the delivery 15 minutes before sundown.

Hey guys....besides the Rand McNally Motor Carriers Atlas which lists the length, height, and weight restrictions by state are there other sources of information you guys use to determine the specific laws by state for flatbed including oversize or overweight loads or any specifics related to cargo securement?

We have those two new sections in the High Road Training Program for Cargo Securement and the New York State Coil Endorsement but I'd love to add more materials if I can get my hands on some. As complicated as the various rules can get I'd like to give people the opportunity to learn as much as possible the easy way. It's a whole lot easier kicking back and learning it online whenever you like than it is learning it out in the field on-demand.

I thought I read somewhere that there is a book that drivers can buy or get from somewhere for this type of info????