Preparing To Go To Trucking School!

I'm waiting to talk with TMC, and I've applied at Roehl as well. I am not 100% dead set on flatbed, that seems unrealistic. But it is what I'm hoping for. The extra physicality is what I want. It won't disillusion me from the industry if it doesn't happen, it'll just be a goal for further down the line.

Thanks, Pianoman! Talk about a glowing review of the flatbed industry. I definitely like the work ethic I see at TMC, from the driver vlogs I've seen and reviews I've read. A group of people that take serious pride in their work and are willing to take the extra step is something I don't see often in retail, where I've worked in the past. The trucking industry as a whole seems a lot more tight-knit. I know there will be the outliers, the people that enjoy making others miserable, but I've dealt with those types forever.

Flatbed seems like a lot of fun. I like the idea of having to stop, get out, check the load. Make sure everything is secure. It gives me a sense of purpose, a reason to take pride in my work.

Update: So far, I'm really liking the idea of driving a flatbed. Getting out of the truck, checking the load, learning safety and securement is all really interesting to me. I have no problem being out in inclement weather, that sort of thing was the norm growing up in Alaska. I'm very safety-conscious, and I believe in being prepared. What do you all think of flatbeds? All opinions are welcome, please!

Do it! I did flatbed for almost a year and then switched to a local gig after that doing pneumatic tankers. Now I’m going OTR again and planning on switching back to flatbed because I enjoyed it so much.

As far as the physical aspect I really didn’t think it was that bad at all. I’ve worked way more physical jobs. Strapping is easy. Chains and tarps are a different story because they’re heavy but unless you are a local flatbed driver you’re only going to be securing/unsecuring loads once every day or two on average. The rest of the time you’re driving. Even so, I did put on some muscle when I did flatbed just from lugging around those tarps all the time. Where I worked, even though I was regional , we happened to have a lot of local freight so I typically untarped multiple times a day.

My favorite things about flatbed driving were… 1) the physical aspect, 2) the schedule, 3) the lack of waiting at shippers/receivers, and 4) the camaraderie

I already touched on the physical aspect. As far as the schedule, that can vary significantly for you depending on various factors but as a general rule your deliveries and pickups will typically be during daylight hours. Flatbeds typically carry construction materials so you’re generally hauling to warehouses and construction sites which all tend to accept delivery in the ballpark of 5 am to 4 pm give or take. Because of this, combined with doing multiple deliveries most days, I usually ran daylight hours. Also most flatbed customers I delivered to were closed on the weekends or at least Sundays. It’s not hard to find a flatbed job that has you off or gets you home on weekends specifically.

The other thing I mentioned was not waiting at customers. There’s no guarantee you won’t have to wait. I did often have to wait but my wait times in general were way better than my dry van/reefer days. Flatbed is just different. You roll in with the product and a lot of times the customer just rolls up in a forklift, takes your paperwork and quickly unloads you in less than 15 minutes.

As far as the camaraderie, I generally found flatbedders take pride in what they do and are very accepting and helpful if you’re out there busting your rump tarping and securing with the best of them. My gf‘s first driving gig was flatbed and I got to train her myself (don’t recommend that btw lol). She stayed at the company for a while after I left and there were plenty of drivers that took her under their wing and looked out for her and helped her when she had questions.

Yeah flatbed was a good gig. I’m planning on making a career out of it. Highly recommend it. Let us know what you decide!

Hi and welcome. 8 years ago i started asking questions on this forum, same as you. Now i have a lucrative career with tons of options...paid off $70,000 in debt..have money in the bank.. buying a new house....and as a trainer i am able to help others do the same.

Check out my blig articles on this site:

Rainy aka Kearsey's TT articles

I also have a Youtube channel for newbies if you check out my playlist i discuss training, the realities of trucking...rookie teams or local and why i dont like local CDL schools.

Ask away. And good luck

If you/she dont mind, How's trucking and balancing the home life working out for her? I recall her story and the challenges she was running into and was curious how it's worked out for her.

Hey Rob! It’s going all right, definitely still difficult. We don’t live together or it would probably be easier I’m sure. She actually switched from regional to local almost a year ago and switched to the company I’m currently at about 4 or 5 months ago and I got to train her again lol. She’s loving it but the hours are tough. She ended up getting a nanny to live with her and help drop kids off/pick up from school as needed. That’s been a tremendous help. I’m going back on the road to pay off debt and save money and we hope to buy a home together in the next couple years and both be local at that point which will really help with the kids. Hopefully we don’t have to have a nanny at that point. It’s a little difficult with us both being truck drivers lol

My goal between this moment and starting orientation somewhere (With TMC, hopefully), is to absorb information. To learn from those of you that have been in the industry, that have made the mistakes and seen the solutions. When I eventually get my CDL and start driving, I want to be a positive member of the community. So to each person that has read this thread, posted in it, or answered my questions, thank you. I appreciate you. You are part of the reason I am so excited to do this.

I would like to ask you each something. What brought you to trucking? What made you decide you wanted to drive a truck?

As always, thank you for answering.

For me it was simple, my Dad drove a semi. From as far back as I can remember I rode in a B model Mack and watched him shift those twin tyranny sticks and watched the world go by.

As those years passed I got my first driving experience at 16 and that sealed my dream of driving. Move forward and I made a 43 year 3 million safe driving career happen.

I retired in 2011 but still like to be around trucks and talk with the drivers and visit the truck stops. And my son has followed me into driving too.