Dry Van Or Flatbed
Topic 24218 | Page 1
Flatbed if you want to sweat in the sweltering summer heat or freeze your @$$ off in the winter spending one-two-three hours tarping and securing the loads you pick up. Plus you need to stop periodically to tighten/check your securement. 
Dryvan if you want to slam the door and go. 
Different strokes for different folks 
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What do you all recommend Dry Van or Flatbed and why
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.Dryvan:
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.
Seriously though Christopher, there are articles about these choices in the Wiki on this site
What do you all recommend Dry Van or Flatbed and why
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.
Chris, when I started I looked into flatbed, tanker and dry van. Also temperature controlled van. I ruled out everything but dry van because I'm 66 years old and I don't need any unnecessary wear and tear. You might be young, nimble, energetic, strong and a glutton for punishment, so you might decide differently. Whatever, go for it a don't look back. Good luck.
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.
What do you all recommend Dry Van or Flatbed and why
It really is what you prefer. I have pulled reefer , flatbed, and van. Loved the flatbed side as keeps you fit and you can get a good workout. I pull a van now and do miss the flatbed days but don’t miss the rain and cold. Granted I did have all the protective gear.
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.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
All have positives and negatives. It mainly depends on your personal preference, and level in insanity. The least insane pull dry van , the more insane pull flatbed, with reefer somewhere in between. I would say the most insane are the ones who pull liquid chemical tanker.
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.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Flatbed for me, tried Van's for a bit, but love flatbed and oversize, I love the workout I get, but as others stated the elements can be a challenge!
Flatbed for me, tried Van's for a bit, but love flatbed and oversize, I love the workout I get, but as others stated the elements can be a challenge!
Definitely flatbed. I love it. The challenge, the extra bit of excercize. And yes, even dealing with mother nature having bipolar days.
I love flatbed. Personally I don't think the workout is all that much. My previous career in flooring was far more physical. Yeah you gotta deal with the elements, but the plus side is being outdoors. An hour or two of securement and maybe tarping followed by a day or two of driving. No sweat in my book.
Flatbed operating hours are great also. Most appt times are in normal working hours, so I can enjoy a somewhat normal schedule. Sure there are the loads requiring schedule flips, but they're the exception rather than the norm.
Flatbed gives a huge variety of locations to pickup or deliver from. I've been to warehouses, tree farms, construction sites, personal houses, corn fields and pumpkin patches. I love the great experiences I've enjoyed in this field. This is perhaps the biggest reason I want to continue pulling a flat.
The day will eventually come when I put up my straps for good, but for now I just can't see myself settling for anything else.
To be fair I've never pulled a van or reefer so I dont have an honest comparison. People call us skateboarders crazy but I just don't see it. Maybe that's the crazy in me...
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
We can't really tell you what's best because only you know your situation. Some people recommend getting some dry van experience before trying another style of trucking. Like turtle said, I'd only pulled flatbed before I came to FedEx. I enjoyed the hours the most, being outdoors and the challenge of each load. Dry van may be more straight forward but it's no piece of cake either. Decide what you're looking for in home time, pay, equipment, area of operation, etc and go from there.
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.New Reply:
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Choosing A Trucking Company Dry van Flatbed Truck Driving Lifestyle
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What do you all recommend Dry Van or Flatbed and why
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.