Ok, Open Decks Out There, Need Your Opinion.

Ok, I have been pulling Flatbeds for just about two years until recently, I took a break from trucking. So I know a little bit about a lot of stuff >.>

Ok, So I currently live in Tampa, FL and we have a few Steel Mills around here. So anyway I was coming from my buddies house and I see this Flatbed jockey in a Frieghtliner Century, First off his tractor, terrible shape. Ok so his load was no tarp finished aluminum Coils. So you know those require a tarp because they get damaged EASY. Check this out. I understand my company (Melton) tends to over secure, We take the already strict regulations of the D.O.T and make it worse. Straps every 5 feet, D.O.T is every 10ft I believe. Ok, so when we hauled Coils Suicide coils required 5 chains right off the bat. No matter if it was a tiny 6,000lbs. Well, this guy had Three (3) Suicide Coils. I'd say the big one weighed around 20,000lbs. and the other two were probably around 11,000-12,000lbs. This guy had Two Chains on each of them, Trust me when I say they were the little chains, not the ones rated at 5,000lbs. So I notice this and I tell my buddy, This is why people hate us so much. They see this crap shoot and now imagine him every time they see any other flatbed with coils. So two per coil, small chains. the small ones, the chains were tight, he was stoping the forward and backward momentum, No downward pull....ok, Now I'm starting to rage out! I see the front Suicide Coil. Pretty good sized TWO CHAINS and one was LOOSE!!!!!. He was on US301 heading INTO Tampa so he didn't pick this load up anywhere near here, maybe further down south. possibly Miami.

Now trust me when I say I have a lot of experience with large finished coils. I pulled the Novelis Corp in Oswego,NY to Chicago, IL, A LOT. When I saw a lot the entire winter it seemed like I was Pulling Oswego to Chicago, Down to Texas and back up to Oswego. So I know a bit about Coil Securement.

Did I over react? I didn't cut the driver off or anything, I honked at him and pointed back to his load and he just ignored it. So I went on my way, Maybe speeding a bit to put some distance between me and eminent securement failure.

What are your takes on this? Does it rage you out when you see a fellow Flatbed have complete disregard for his own safety and the safety of the motorist around him?

Yes it does, I hate it when people don't take safety seriously. Especially in a flatbed where your freight can actually become a missile. I don't think you overreacted and that driver definitely needs more instruction. The only problem is that when it comes to flatbed securement I don't know anything so I usually can't tell if a load is badly secured, unless it's obvious.

You were nicer than me..I'd have dropped a dime on him. Securement isn't for looks...its to save lives, period. And anything that is dangerous, be it on a truck, in a car, or anywhere else, gets a phone call made...and if I could have gotten the company name, they would have gotten a call to..