Flatbedder Preferences

Topic 11118 | Page 1

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The Persian Conversion's Comment
member avatar

I'd like to start this thread in order to get the opinions of my fellow flatbed drivers out there on some stylistic preferences (and substantive ones too). To start with:

Straps. When securing a load with straps and you're threading the strap through the winch bracket thingy, do you prefer the "straight roll up" method or the "fold end over end and tuck under" technique? When stowing them during deadheads, do you remove them completely, wind them up and store in a cool dry place, or do you leave them wound on the trailer?

Tarps. Do you fold them so they unfold directly centered over a load or offset to one side? What I mean is, do you fold them in thirds or one half over the other? Also when tarping, do you prefer to stretch one bungee between 2 hooks to save on time and bungees, or are you a "1 hook per bungee" kind of person because you hate bulging, flapping tarps?

These are just a couple questions to get started. Others feel free to add more.

As for me, I prefer the straight roll-up most of the time, I remove the straps and store in my tractor sidebox, I fold my tarps in half, not thirds, and I prefer to use 1 hook to a bungee and as many bungees as necessary to keep the tarp totally stable.

Deadhead:

To drive with an empty trailer. After delivering your load you will deadhead to a shipper to pick up your next load.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Pat M.'s Comment
member avatar

Good questions...

I will take the easy one first, I do not tarp.... There done!

Unless the strap end is short I will fold it up and into the winch but with that, I must also have the length to get 3 wraps on the winch. Straps always, always, always go in the side box and are never left on the winch for a couple of reasons. Straps get wet and hold water, this water causes straps to stretch when you tighten them down and/or loosen later in the ride. The water holding straps also cause the winches to rust faster. You do not want a nasty, rusty winch.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

Jeffry T.'s Comment
member avatar

I agree with Pat straps always get put away especially during the winter months the road salt seems to deteriorate the nylon material much faster. As for tarps when I had them ( I now pull a covered wagon) I always tried to fold them to be centered when I unfolded them on a load.

Covered Wagon:

A flatbed with specially fitted side plates and curved ribs supporting a tarp covering, commonly referred to as a "side kit". Named for the resemblance to horse-drawn covered wagons.

Old School's Comment
member avatar

I once had a D.O.T. officer checking on my securement and I noticed him sticking his finger into the side of each of my winches as he was going through everything. I asked him what he was checking with his fingering of my winches and he said "I'm making sure you aren't folding your straps before you insert them into the winch." I asked him if there was anything in the rules that would indicate that this practice was illegal and he said "no, but it's still not safe, and when I find people who are doing this I make them change it." I actually do it both ways, but i'm hoping I never come across that officer again. Most of the time I just feed it through without folding it.

My tarps are folded so that they are offset to one side when I first roll it out, and then once I've opened up that first fold it is all centered from that point.

Straps should be kept in your side box for all the reasons stated above. This operation I'm working with insists that we keep them on the winches, because of the fact that we are all the time swapping trailers, and picking up pre-loaded trailers, but it still makes no sense to me. If every driver has his own set of straps then it will all work out properly, but sometimes we have to drop a trailer somewhere with the straps still on it, and that messes everything up. I keep my own set of straps inside my side box, and will use them occasionally when needed, but I always make sure I get them back.

It's funny because they are always telling us to keep some WD-40 on our trucks so that we can oil our winches - but the whole reason so many of our winches are seizing up is because they insist that we keep the straps on them all the time. Oh well, these guys are new to the flat-bed world, and they sure don't listen to me. They'll get it figured out one day, and some bozo in the office will take all the credit for figuring out what they have been doing wrong all this time.

Pat M.'s Comment
member avatar

I once had a D.O.T. officer checking on my securement and I noticed him sticking his finger into the side of each of my winches as he was going through everything. I asked him what he was checking with his fingering of my winches and he said "I'm making sure you aren't folding your straps before you insert them into the winch." I asked him if there was anything in the rules that would indicate that this practice was illegal and he said "no, but it's still not safe, and when I find people who are doing this I make them change it." I actually do it both ways, but i'm hoping I never come across that officer again. Most of the time I just feed it through without folding it.

You know what most of these guys NEVER figure out? We are the LAST people that want something to come off our trailers! Hence the reason that I make sure to have 3 wraps on the winch when I fold the strap. Any more than that and you can not keep them tight. I have seen guys start at the end of the strap and wind it onto the winch but then you just can not keep the strap tight enough because you are constantly having to stop and tighten the straps.

So in other words, there is no regulation against folding the straps but it is the officers opinion that it is unsafe.

Old School's Comment
member avatar

Exactly!

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