Flatbed Variety
Topic 4373 | Page 106
I should have my CDL back tomorrow, Lord willing, and I'll be applying for jobs once I have it in hand. I have applied for an office job at a local trucking company as well. I'm not sure where I'll end up yet, but I'm definitely ready to get back to work. It's been a long process
I wish you the best Bud!
It's good to hear from you, and I hope everything goes well in your job search. I guess you are feeling better now. I've had friends go through that same thing and even though they actually felt better, the nagging anxiety of wondering is everything better now always seemed to dog them.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
My current load, waste water holding tanks headed for a state park south of Indianapolis.
Robert, that looks good!
It seems like you are really enjoying this whole securement thing - I'm glad to see it. We had a guy in our fleet the other day who's load shifted on him. He had some forty foot long material on his trailer, and he secured it with three straps! Being lazy in this business is never a good thing, especially on load securement. It never hurts to overdo it, but it will bite you in the tail if you undercut the well established laws of physics.
My current load, waste water holding tanks headed for a state park south of Indianapolis.
Robert, that looks good!
It seems like you are really enjoying this whole securement thing - I'm glad to see it. We had a guy in our fleet the other day who's load shifted on him. He had some forty foot long material on his trailer, and he secured it with three straps! Being lazy in this business is never a good thing, especially on load securement. It never hurts to overdo it, but it will bite you in the tail if you undercut the well established laws of physics.
Love it and always have, it was just a matter of getting back to it. I hauled heavy equipment in the military and did it for a bit after I got out but let my CDL expire forever ago. Knight did away with their Indy division right before I started back driving again and I won't get into the hassles at Celadon lol. It's ok though because I'm honestly loving it over here at ATS and working my way up through their divisions. I'm hoping by this time next year to be on a blade crew hauling for the wind farms.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Where you are now Robert is where I want to be in a year! I would love to be hauling heavy equipment mainly because I have always loved operating the heavy equipment and seeing the equipment I have never seen before. I am going for Swift for my first company and matter of fact I am calling to confirm my date for orientation and for which terminal I am going too! I know they have a specialized division too but I hear a whole lot of good about ATS. Please tell me more about them!
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.
Ask away Victor, I'll answer anything I can and what I don't have an answer for, I'll find out for you.
What kind of cargo do they haul? Like do they haul the bull dozers, excavators and other oversize cargo and maybe even overweight? What is their equipment like and what name brand do they tend to stick with? Have they treated you good if not fairly at least? Do they have accessories in their trucks or do they leave it to you? Do they allow passengers and pets? What is their pay like and how much experience do I need before I can join the company? Do they pay per load, percentage, by the mile? Do they pay zip code to zip code or address to address? Do they have flexible spending or is it fixed? How strict are they about driving record and do they have safety first?
Just a few questions so far..lol. Thanks Robert B!
It is really wierd having a legal load.
Mainly Peterbilt and Freightliner Coronados and newer trailers. We haul just about everything you can think of to be honest, they just want to make money. They treat their drivers well and everyone at the terminals is extremely polite. Habe a good attitude and in no time flat, people will know who you are. They hold a low CSA score and impressive driver retention.
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.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
Passengers yes, pets no, not as a company driver. They currently prefer 1 year, pay empty and loaded miles and they're figured zip code to zip code like most companies. I'm not sure what you mean by flexible spending and yes they are very very safety oriented. They actually have a couple people working in administration who work hand in hand with FMCSA to discuss safety regulations.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
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.Fm:
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.New Reply:
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My current load, waste water holding tanks headed for a state park south of Indianapolis. I posted the pics of the top view in case anyone wondered why so many straps. Each one only weighs 16k and by the regs would only require 2 straps for the weight. The rub is that they're just over 14' so an extra strap is needed. They're 2 separate tanks in each unit and I wanted to run my straps over the strongest parts being the ends and divider wall except that also left another problem. The divider isn't in the middle and the distance between 2 of the straps is over 5', so another strap is needed. It's all the load limit securement and then some but also nice and legal.