Flatbed Likes Dislikes

What do you like or not like about pulling a flatbed?

Likes:

- It's physically and mentally challenging

- Shippers/receivers are usually much quicker than at big DCs

- Lots of variety

- You get to actually see and interact with your cargo

- You rarely have to worry about low clearances

- Great pay

- You often get to drive to very unique locations

Dislikes:

- Tarping in extreme weather conditions

I can't think of any other dislikes right now!

Likes:

- It's physically and mentally challenging

- Shippers/receivers are usually much quicker than at big DCs

- Lots of variety

- You get to actually see and interact with your cargo

- You rarely have to worry about low clearances

- Great pay

- You often get to drive to very unique locations

Dislikes:

- Tarping in extreme weather conditions

I can't think of any other dislikes right now!

Thanks!!

Likes:

- It's physically and mentally challenging

- Shippers/receivers are usually much quicker than at big DCs

- Lots of variety

- You get to actually see and interact with your cargo

- You rarely have to worry about low clearances

- Great pay

- You often get to drive to very unique locations

Dislikes:

- Tarping in extreme weather conditions

I can't think of any other dislikes right now!

Thanks!!

SamTon, you are going to find that there are different types of drivers that pull flatbeds.....

1. Those that can not find any other driving job. These are the ones that are slowly working their way out of the driver's seat and nothing is ever their fault. Including the load that just fell off their truck. These people are going to hate flatbedding or any other job they are going to have.

2. There are people that will never be happy, even if they were hung with a new rope. These are the ones that you will hear whining and complaining about their jobs to anyone that will listen.

3. There are drivers that tolerate their work. If you were to ask them what their favorite thing is about flatbedding it would probably be something like hometime. They are just there for the paycheck and nothing more.

4. Then you have the ones that you could make a new trailer from just by removing the aluminum from their blood. These are the guys and gals that would not give up open deck freight if you put a gun to their head. They dream about hauling something that others say could not be secured properly and getting it done. These are the people that are wanting and craving bigger and tougher challenges.

Like this load. The pipe was very easy to secure but those manholes are only 30" in diameter and will tip over very easily. Or the one that Persian moved this summer....

Some don't like to get dirty and others do not like getting wet but you can deal with all this stuff. Is it inconvenient? Yeah, but when you love what you do it does not make a difference.

As for likes or dislikes, there is nothing that is bad enough to make me quit pulling open deck freight.

Likes:

- It's physically and mentally challenging

- Shippers/receivers are usually much quicker than at big DCs

- Lots of variety

- You get to actually see and interact with your cargo

- You rarely have to worry about low clearances

- Great pay

- You often get to drive to very unique locations

Dislikes:

- Tarping in extreme weather conditions

I can't think of any other dislikes right now!

Thanks!!

SamTon, you are going to find that there are different types of drivers that pull flatbeds.....

1. Those that can not find any other driving job. These are the ones that are slowly working their way out of the driver's seat and nothing is ever their fault. Including the load that just fell off their truck. These people are going to hate flatbedding or any other job they are going to have.

2. There are people that will never be happy, even if they were hung with a new rope. These are the ones that you will hear whining and complaining about their jobs to anyone that will listen.

3. There are drivers that tolerate their work. If you were to ask them what their favorite thing is about flatbedding it would probably be something like hometime. They are just there for the paycheck and nothing more.

4. Then you have the ones that you could make a new trailer from just by removing the aluminum from their blood. These are the guys and gals that would not give up open deck freight if you put a gun to their head. They dream about hauling something that others say could not be secured properly and getting it done. These are the people that are wanting and craving bigger and tougher challenges.

Like this load. The pipe was very easy to secure but those manholes are only 30" in diameter and will tip over very easily. Or the one that Persian moved this summer....

Some don't like to get dirty and others do not like getting wet but you can deal with all this stuff. Is it inconvenient? Yeah, but when you love what you do it does not make a difference.

As for likes or dislikes, there is nothing that is bad enough to make me quit pulling open deck freight.

Pat if you are ever inclined to write a book, this could be the first chapter!

Really good.

Likes:

- It's physically and mentally challenging

- Shippers/receivers are usually much quicker than at big DCs

- Lots of variety

- You get to actually see and interact with your cargo

- You rarely have to worry about low clearances

- Great pay

- You often get to drive to very unique locations

Dislikes:

- Tarping in extreme weather conditions

I can't think of any other dislikes right now!

so if I could get out of harping I would be in great shape. Sounds good

I agree with everything that's been said so far. Here are a couple more things I like about flatbedding.

1. Appointments for shipping and receiving are rarely narrow windows of time.

For example, I got to my shipper at 11:45 today, which was in the window of 0800-1800. I'll get to my receiver Thursday at 0730 when they open. I was hoping to get it there tomorrow before they close at 1500, but I wasn't able to get away from home time when I planned. (It always happens that way when I go home lol.) But it's no big deal - the original appointment was for Thursday anyway, I was just hoping to get empty early.

The point is, the only time I have a set appointment is generally when there's a job site with a crane that someone's paying big bucks to rent. Haven't missed one of those yet, usually get there the night before. None of this waiting around to get to a receiver exactly 30 minutes before a 3:00 a.m. appointment that our friends who pull reefers have to put up with.

2. Along the same lines, if I can get there early, 99% of the time they'll take it early. (I'm looking at you, Port of Stockton, for the other 1%.)

3. Shippers and especially receivers are almost always happy to see me pull in. They want their stuff now, and they usually get it off my trailer as fast as they can.

4. I have never had to deal with paying lumpers, and I never, ever would pay a security guard $20 just to get through the gate. Ask our reefer friends about that stuff. No thanks!

5. I get to see how stuff gets made. It's not usually as amazing as seeing iron ore go in one end of the building and watching a car roll out the other end, but sometimes it's pretty close.

6. Flatbedders are pretty helpful, as a general rule. Not quite sure how to secure this thing? Ask the driver next to you, and generally he'll help you figure it out.

7. Flatbedders generally play by the same rules. You got here before me? Ok, you get unloaded first. Old School plays this game with van drivers sometimes some place in Connecticut, but I'm pretty sure he indicated that they don't get it.

8. The wind doesn't blow my empty trailer around as much as it does empty boxes.

9. No one bats an eye if I'm covered in tarp sludge when I go into a shipping or receiving office. Not that I enjoy staying dirty, but I've never been made to feel embarrassed or ashamed if I got dirty doing my job and didn't run to a truck stop to shower and put on fresh clothes just to pick up my paper work.

10. If I have to, or even just want to, I can sleep in a tent on my trailer.

I can't think of anything I dislike about it. Sure, sometimes there are things that suck, like tarping in the wind or extreme heat or securing a load in a muddy lot while it's raining, but that's over pretty quick and then you're on your way.

Every job has something that sucks about it. The kind of suck that comes from working outdoors is nowhere near as bad as the kind that comes with managing grown folks acting like children, for example. So you just have to consider the bad parts of every job and ask yourself if you can put up with it. For me, working outdoors is one of the positive things, so why complain about it if it's not always perfect? Even my beautiful bride has had a few bad days, but she's still beautiful and I wouldn't trade her, so why would I complain to you about her?

I see a load of Challenger auto lifts in that one picture. I have a load of those on board right now.

Have you been driving down the highway and thought "what the he'll is that thing" that's why flatbed. When I start driving it will be flatbed all the way.

What's not to love about being a flat-bedder?

I think our most popular thread of all time on Trucking Truth is Flatbed Variety.

I love the things we see...

And if the variety of the things we see isn't enough to keep a person interested then...

I love the things we haul...

And then there is always all the interesting places we go...

And there is all that snow...

Flat-bedding is just great fun no matter how you look at it!

And one final thing is that we never have to worry about something like this happening to us on a windy day. If we are running empty we just say "Let it blow!"