Flatbedding Here I Come!
Topic 15439 | Page 1
Make sure you check out the load securement sections of High Road Training Program. There's a couple sections just for flatbed if you haven't checked them out yet.
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.
I've been going through it. That's part of what scares me. Lots of rules for tying things down. Looks like for the most part its common sense. I think its probably the minimum required, I would want to make sure things were very secure before I took off. I'm hoping I get a trainer that feels that way.
Welcome to the flatbed family. I started almost 3 months ago and I do enjoy it. It's challenging as well as demanding. Starting was and still is tough but has gotten easier. Once you get a few loads under your belt you'll understand tie downs and all better. That 1st solo load I was terrified I did something wrong. But after a few load checks I knew I was good to go and focused more on the road. Good luck and good choice of prime.
Open deck is the only way to go in my opinion. If you are not afraid of work or getting dirty you will enjoy it. One thing to always remember, you need to bring your "A" game to every load. Slacking and shortcuts will get someone hurt. You will be just fine though.
The other thing you can do is go through the photos in the Flatbed Variety thread and actually see this securement in action.
Thanks guys! I fixed airplanes for a living for a while, so I know all about getting wet and cold. It was also the same way. If you slack off, somebody can get hurt or killed, maybe a lot of somebodies.
I looked through that thread Pat. Its amazing! Makes me want to do it even more. I love a challenge, makes life so much more worth it!
Welcome to flatbedding, Kanelin! Prime will teach you how to secure, and you'll get lots of hands-on practice during TNT. And most flatbedders will be happy to help if you're at a shipper and stumped on how to secure a particular load. (Be wary, though, of the guys who say stuff like "Don't work so hard! You only need one chain on those middle coils. I've been doing it that way for twenty years and never had a problem.")
As an example of how not to do it, evening I parked next to a flatbed who was nose in and a little crooked in the spot. I went to talk to the driver to ask if they were leaving soon, so I could move my truck if they needed me to. Turns out it was a young lady who just switched from dry van to flatbed. This was her second load. She asked if the securement looked right. Turns out this outfit hired her and sent her out with no securement training. None. They told her to call if she had any questions.
After we threw a couple more chains on this piece of equipment to make it legal, and redid her other chains to make them more secure, she told me she was thinking about quitting.
No kidding. Who in their right mind sends someone out with a stepdeck to pick up equipment and move it across three big states with no training?
I gave her my book on securement (Practical Cargo Securement) to help. She was eager and a quick learner, but I'm a little scared that there are companies that will do this. Prime will not do this to you, nor will any of the bigger companies usually mentioned here.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Stepdeck:
A stepdeck , also referred to as "dropdeck", is a type of flatbed trailer that has one built in step to the deck to provide the capabilities of loading higher dimensional freight on the lower deck.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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 14ยข 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.
Great news, can't wait for your first picture of you first load training as well as solo.
Keep us up to date on how it is going.
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So, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the DMV , trying and failing to get my 4 wheel license switched over to WV, I called my recruiter and we discussed what to do about it. Prime doesn't have Reefer or tanker in my home town, so he offered me Flatbed. After about 0.5 secs I said yes. On the drive home I had decided that I don't really know enough about this to say I don't want to do it. I don't care, I just want to get on the road. Then I started reading stuff on here about it, and I am pretty happy at making that choice. I have worked hard physically all my life, so that part doesn't scare me. The weather doesn't scare me, hot or cold. The only thing, besides the actual driving, that scares me is securement, just wanting to do it right.
I start Monday and I can't wait! Seems like flatbedders are a different breed, so I feel like Ill fit in. Ive always been told I'm "juuust a bit outside."
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.