Switching To Dry Van

Topic 29027 | Page 1

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Brandon Kitts's Comment
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So after a year of flatbed I'm becoming a door swinger due to a previous shoulder injury acting up. Any tips for pulling a van after being used to a flat?

Bobcat_Bob's Comment
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Don't pinch your fingers in the door, and becareful opening the doors because stuff can shift during transport.

PackRat's Comment
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Learn to back better.

Dan F.'s Comment
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The biggest thing will probably be watch your tail swing when you’ve got your tandems up until you’re used to it

Tandems:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Tandem:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

PackRat's Comment
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You will likely encounter more waiting time, both at shippers and receiving locations than you have dealt with pulling flatbeds.

Some days we sit around a lot waiting. I think it will be a tradeoff because we never have to use up time to strap or tarp loads.

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.

Joseph I.'s Comment
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Wind especially when light. I always am careful opening the first door to not be behind it when opening a sealed load and do not know how it was loaded. Stuff can be leaning against door and want to fall out on you.

Deleted Account's Comment
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Wind especially when light. I always am careful opening the first door to not be behind it when opening a sealed load and do not know how it was loaded. Stuff can be leaning against door and want to fall out on you.

And the way the wind can catch a door! I've seen far too many videos online of people not being attentive and a big wind gust sends the door whipping into their face. It may sound funny but I'd be willing it's far from that first hand.

TCB's Comment
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Don't forget to open the doors before you bump docks. When I first started, I forgot a few times. But, after having to redo my backs into some tight spaces, I learned quickly. Another thing to remember, if you are doing a drop and hook , make it a habit to remove your lock before you check into a gate or office. Receivers won't be happy having to cut a lock, and it will be expensive for you to replace a lock.

Drop And Hook:

Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.

In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.

Don's Comment
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When docking, pay attention to passenger side of trailer, especially when tandems are forward. That overhang can hit someone beside you if you don't take it into consideration. I recommend sliding those tandems back before docking, no matter if it isn't required by receiver. Receivers like it also. Winds can and will catch your trailer doors when you are opening them, so be careful! Loads can shift if not strapped correctly. Slowly open trailer doors in case of the loads shifting or falling back. Winds can rock your trailer, especially when empty. Be extra diligent in Winter.

Tandems:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Tandem:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
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