First Day Flatbeding

Old School... The picture of the coil in your post, is that the coil most commonly referred to as the "suicide coil?"

Yes sir! That's the one. It is called a suicide coil because of the orientation of the coil on the trailer.

There are basically three different orientations of loading a coil on a trailer. What determines how it is loaded is usually the customers request.

The "Suicide" coil is loaded so that it can roll forward if it comes loose from it's moorings. It is loaded that way so that it can be easily unloaded with a fork lift that approaches the side of the truck with a boom which is stuck into the center of the coil. It has to be loaded that way or else the customer doesn't have the means to unload it.

The "Shotgun" coil is loaded so that the coil would roll off the side of the trailer if it came loose. Those coils are generally off loaded with an over head crane that has a large sort of hook that is inserted into the center of the coil. The "barrel" of the coil is facing the truck cab - thus the name.

The "Eye to the Sky" coil is mounted on a heavy duty pallet with the center of the coil facing the sky. It is unloaded with a standard fork lift with forks on it.

Search, South Shore RR flatbed crash June 1998, tandum flat beds, 150 k load, 45k steel coil loaded shot gun with 1 chain, yes it rolled 1/2 way down the first RR car

My instructor showed me a similar photo of a coil that rolled into a cab. Not what I want to see right now!!! Lol. I wish I had the opportunity to be trained in flatbedding the way USA Truck trained me in dry van. They kept me in a tractor with a trainer for a month. But, thanks for the info. I'm going to go through that training right now. We all got our tractors and flatbeds on Friday. Everyone in orientation left as soon as they got their trucks except for me. I'm still sitting at the company's yard. Partly because I'm scared of doing the wrong thing, and partly because I want to make sure I have all of the tools I need. I wouldn't want to go pick up a load and get it canceled on me because I don't have the proper equipment. So I'll be sitting here till Monday. That's when the supply place will be opening. In the mean time I'll be checking out the training you spoke about. Hopefully it will give me a little more confidence into getting my first load. Thanks again.