Here Is An Innovative Way To Make Flatbed Tarping Much Faster And Much Safer And More Productive For Business.

As has been suggested & asked in prior comments, why not go dry van or reefer for your first year. To get the handling of the truck down & then move on to fulfill your passion. You can change divisions after 6 months & get the necessary experience to upgrade to heavy equipment hauler.

It’s a slower progression but it allows the learning curve to be less steep. Whichever way you go, good luck. You’ve gotten some solid advise. Shoot, the way they’ve talked up the flatbed side, I’m even considering switching. NOT! All I need to see is that pic of Old School, with the wind blowing the rain sideways while trying to neatly fold that heavy tarp.

Special breed indeed!! Hats off to the flatbedders on here!!

Yes, one has to master walking before taking wing.

Dry van = walking Flatbed = running Heavy haul = flying

PS - I have already got past the crawling stage at least: seven years of military vehicle experience under my belt up to 5-ton.

As has been suggested & asked in prior comments, why not go dry van or reefer for your first year. To get the handling of the truck down & then move on to fulfill your passion. You can change divisions after 6 months & get the necessary experience to upgrade to heavy equipment hauler.

It’s a slower progression but it allows the learning curve to be less steep. Whichever way you go, good luck. You’ve gotten some solid advise. Shoot, the way they’ve talked up the flatbed side, I’m even considering switching. NOT! All I need to see is that pic of Old School, with the wind blowing the rain sideways while trying to neatly fold that heavy tarp.

Special breed indeed!! Hats off to the flatbedders on here!!

I would have me a good WARM rain suit and hat for flatbedding as well as a number of pairs of work gloves.

Evey driver surely knows what kind of clothing to carry on the job for what season.

This old soldier learned to dress in layers in the field.

As has been suggested & asked in prior comments, why not go dry van or reefer for your first year. To get the handling of the truck down & then move on to fulfill your passion. You can change divisions after 6 months & get the necessary experience to upgrade to heavy equipment hauler.

It’s a slower progression but it allows the learning curve to be less steep. Whichever way you go, good luck. You’ve gotten some solid advise. Shoot, the way they’ve talked up the flatbed side, I’m even considering switching. NOT! All I need to see is that pic of Old School, with the wind blowing the rain sideways while trying to neatly fold that heavy tarp.

Special breed indeed!! Hats off to the flatbedders on here!!

I would have me a good WARM rain suit and hat for flatbedding as well as a number of pairs of work gloves.

Evey driver surely knows what kind of clothing to carry on the job for what season.

This old soldier learned to dress in layers in the field.

For me it’s not so much about the weather since I grew up in the northeast. It’s the added weight of the water freezing on the tarp. It’s the me folding one end while the wind tries to unravel it as I move up & down the tarp.

I know not to say that I’ll never do it. If the money’s right? I’d switch in a heartbeat. Just not there yet.

BTW, I’m wondering if you’ve checked out this company yet? TMC Review

They’re most ex-military & very thorough in their training. If you’d want to go straight into it, this is the outfit to do it with. Just don’t know if you’re in their hiring area.

As has been suggested & asked in prior comments, why not go dry van or reefer for your first year. To get the handling of the truck down & then move on to fulfill your passion. You can change divisions after 6 months & get the necessary experience to upgrade to heavy equipment hauler.

It’s a slower progression but it allows the learning curve to be less steep. Whichever way you go, good luck. You’ve gotten some solid advise. Shoot, the way they’ve talked up the flatbed side, I’m even considering switching. NOT! All I need to see is that pic of Old School, with the wind blowing the rain sideways while trying to neatly fold that heavy tarp.

Special breed indeed!! Hats off to the flatbedders on here!!

I would have me a good WARM rain suit and hat for flatbedding as well as a number of pairs of work gloves.

Evey driver surely knows what kind of clothing to carry on the job for what season.

This old soldier learned to dress in layers in the field.

For me it’s not so much about the weather since I grew up in the northeast. It’s the added weight of the water freezing on the tarp. It’s the me folding one end while the wind tries to unravel it as I move up & down the tarp.

I know not to say that I’ll never do it. If the money’s right? I’d switch in a heartbeat. Just not there yet.

Just my humble opinion, if customers are so adamant about having their shipped goods tarped, they themselves should provide the indoor tarping/un tarping facilities at least and I believe some actually do in practice. It's usually some major company, contractor or corporation that has goods regularly shipped by flatbed to begin with.

If you are considering working flatbed for a firm, you might state on your application: "I will not under any circumstances climb to a height in excess of four feet from ground level for the purpose of load securement and/or tarping UNLESS fall-protection provisions are made available to me". It might be better stipulated in a contract. If they pass you over for this remark, that may be just as well.

Just my humble opinion, if customers are so adamant about having their shipped goods tarped, they themselves should provide the indoor tarping/un tarping facilities at least and I believe some actually do in practice. It's usually some major company, contractor or corporation that has goods regularly shipped by flatbed to begin with.

If you are considering working flatbed for a firm, you might state on your application: "I will not under any circumstances climb to a height in excess of four feet from ground level for the purpose of load securement and/or tarping UNLESS fall-protection provisions are made available to me". It might be better stipulated in a contract. If they pass you over for this remark, that may be just as well.

Todd, please try to be even more humble and refrain from giving career advice or deciding how the trucking industry should operate. You don't have any driving experience, and though you clearly don't realize it you have no Earthly idea what you're talking about.

It's amazes me when someone with no knowledge or experience in a field thinks they know it all and have all the answers.

Thanks for trying........but no cigar.

"I will not under any circumstances climb to a height in excess of four feet from ground level for the purpose of load securement and/or tarping UNLESS fall-protection provisions are made available to me".

Good luck with that...

I'm all for safety, but the snowflakes in today's litigious society are creating more problems than solutions. You should probably stay in your safe space and stop making my job harder.

If you are considering working flatbed for a firm, you might state on your application: "I will not under any circumstances climb to a height in excess of four feet from ground level for the purpose of load securement and/or tarping UNLESS fall-protection provisions are made available to me". It might be better stipulated in a contract. If they pass you over for this remark, that may be just as well.

Oh man, this post might just be the funniest thing I've read on this site. Thanks!

Um, have you ever held a job in the real world. This is not how it works. The company informs you what the duties are and you can then choose whether you can work there or not. An application with your requirements on it will be immediately put in the round file.

Flatbedding can be dangerous. Brett is right though-you don't know what you're talking about. Why can lumber loads be one of the most dangerous loads to walk around on (height is not the main answer.) Why is a steel load without vertical blocking the load I'm actually the most cautious walking on top of-it's rarely higher than a foot and a half off my deck. Why is it so easy to fall off my deck when I'm carrying a 50k pound coil, I'll never be on top of it, and it really does not take up that much real estate on the trailer.

I appreciate the concern for my safety, but you don't really know the actual dangers.

"I will not under any circumstances climb to a height in excess of four feet from ground level for the purpose of load securement and/or tarping UNLESS fall-protection provisions are made available to me".

Good luck with that...

I'm all for safety, but the snowflakes in today's litigious society are creating more problems than solutions. You should probably stay in your safe space and stop making my job harder.

I'm not making ANYTHING here for anybody. Typing at home on a computer has zero net effect on the work of a flatbedder. I have the RIGHT to choose as whether to work for a firm or not. I will not accept any work that involves a serious fall risk. I would rather be an aircraft pilot than walk 10+ feet off the ground on top of a truck load. I would either choose a company that meets my requirements or not work there, or in that field, period.

What I might do is is anonymously ask a prospective company what the job entails BEFORE filling out an application. One of the questions might be about working at heights. If heights is involved without safety restraints, then it's off the table for me right then and there.

If I want a heights job, I would be a building window washer, roofer or an iron worker on skyscrapers.