First Flatbed Load Done!
Topic 21724 | Page 1
Awesome! Welcome to the flatbed family.
Shingle loads are one of my favorites. Easy to secure, and easy to tarp when needed. The downside is you're usually pulling max weight, so fuel mileage suffers.
Keep On Keepin On!
Good for you Chris. Best of luck.
This crazy guy actually made the switch lol congrats man and be safe
This is great to read. Awesome!
Hey so what was involved in switching divisions? I know there's like a boot camp, but inquiring minds wanna know details! Especially on how they taught securement techniques.
It was a pretty easy transition. I called the number first (800-800-flat) and spoke with a recruiter. There are a few criteria you have to meet to switch to the flatbed division, but as long as you meet them, they will get you in class asap. You talk with your DM , get routed to whatever terminal you're doing the class at, and they will help you get routed to that terminal. Your fleet leader will have to authorize your release from your current fleet, and flatbed has to accept you, and then they will do some paperwork behind the scenes to facilitate the switch.
I did the securement class in Phoenix, and I would definitely recommend it. Ray Pedersen runs the class, and he's a good guy to work with. He pulled a flatbed for 10 years, and worked in flatbed operations for another 10 years, so he's got a pretty good wealth of knowledge when it comes to how Swift runs this division.
You will learn how to secure a coil loaded "shotgun" style, a coil loaded standing up, aka "eye to the sky", a load of I-beams, a trailer stack, and a palletized load (literally just stacks of pallets), as well as tarp the palletized load. He will make you carry a lumber tarp from one end of a trailer to another, and also climb up the back side of a trailer safely. These are your strength and agility tests.
The rest of the week is filled with videos, and going through Swift's flatbed driver manual.
On Thursday, you will be tested on securing the shotgun style coil completely on your own, and then on Friday you will take a written test. As long as you don't completely bomb either of those, you're set.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
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.
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.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
How long is this process? I did a week of classroom, 1 week of hands on then out with a trainer for 5 weeks.
Congratulations Chris!
The fun is just getting started. We'd love to hear about some of your experiences as a new flat-bedder. I know you'll have some crazy stories to tell.
Hey, I know that feeling! This was my very first solo load a couple of weeks ago.
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Pretty easy load for my first one lol. Just roofing shingles and the black paper that they lay under the shingles, taken from our yard in Phoenix down to Tucson. It was a pretty long week of training but I'm glad to have this first one out of the way without anything falling off the trailer lol!