Flatbed Tarping

Great News for me I think I found a company that will hire me but have to go out with a mentor for 6 weeks. The only question's I have is about tarping loads? Climbing on top of loads at night seem to be something of a concern.So do you tarp loads at night? And what is the difference on shipping and receving flatbed and box? Also was wondering does a company driver pay for the tarps,bungees,straps and ladder or is the company expenses?

Thanks Again

Great News for me I think I found a company that will hire me but have to go out with a mentor for 6 weeks. The only question's I have is about tarping loads? Climbing on top of loads at night seem to be something of a concern.So do you tarp loads at night? And what is the difference on shipping and receving flatbed and box? Also was wondering does a company driver pay for the tarps,bungees,straps and ladder or is the company expenses?

Thanks Again

I know I had to climb on the loads (depending on the shipper) & it did not matter if it was day or night.

Shipping/receiving is a lot different in so many ways. With a box, you back into a dock & wait. Most times with a flatbed, they tell you park over there & they come out to you & unload once you are done removing the securement equipment/tarps. There was a few times I had to back into a building to be loaded, that was always fun. Craziest one was backing up a ramp blindside into a building that you could not see where you were going until you got inside. That was fun.

Can't speak for other companies, but at Prime, company & lease had to buy all the equipment/tarps.

Hope that helps some.

Ernie

Sinve the tarps stay with the load, I don't think the driver buys the tarps, chains, binders or such. You are responsible for whatever your truck comes with, so when you change out a load, I'd guess you better get the tarps, chains and binders from the driver thats taking your trailer.Theres some company flatbedders on here, so hopefully they will tell you the deal. But I know, from experience that a set of lumber tarps runs between $1500.00 to $2000.00.So I don't think a company would expect a driver to fork over that...and then chains, binders, corner protectors, breaker bar, etc. Probably close to $3k just for securement gear..

Thanks for the info as I have no idea on flatbed hauling. I am trying to figure out if this is something I want to do I have done the reefer and dry box and I hated it because the waiting along with reefer the shipper seemed to always slid a few pallets with brown or hot produce in. but I can tell that the box vs flatbed is just like the other expect the worse and pray for the best !!! How do you log tarping and securement

John, I'm a company driver in a flat-bed truck. Most flat-bed companies provide all the equipment at no cost to the driver. When you start having to swap loads with other drivers, or do a drop and hook , or pick up a pre-loaded trailer you will end up having to give up the stuff you bought and take someone else's stuff. I think the situation at Prime is very unusual.

Your question about logging your time when securing and tarping could have multiples of answers. Technically it's on duty time, but a lot of the time you can manage your clock better by being on lines one or two. The real answer to this question boils down to how savvy the driver is with managing his time when on e-logs. I conserve my seventy whenever possible - I might sleep at a shipper so that I can get myself loaded, tarped, and secured before I ever start the clock running that morning - that's just me - I realize not everyone is comfortable with operating that way. I remember not too long ago we had a driver in here asking questions and he was afraid to put himself on line 2 at a shipper/receiver because he was afraid he might not be able to get detention pay if necessary because the company would tell him you were off duty, why should we pay you when you're off duty? He was killing his paychecks by burning up all his driving time while worrying about that stupid detention pay. He could have been making a whole lot more on his paycheck if he just had some hours to drive. When getting loaded near the end of the day, I've also been known to just go ahead and get the load secured then shoot over to the nearest truck stop and get myself on line 2 starting my ten hour break and then do the work of getting my tarps on while sitting at the truck stop. Hey, you are allowed to take your break the way you want. Some guys will stay up all night playing video games and then can barely drive the next day. I happen to sleep very well after handling my tarps just before bedtime!

I'm not saying anyone should try my methods, but I will tell you that I make way more than the "average" flat-bedder. I've never been one that was fond of "average". I like to excel, I like to compete, I like to win! The winners in this field are the creative, flexible types that know how to turn an obstacle into an opportunity. I spent thirty years being self-employed, and I can tell you that this job is so much like being self employed that it causes a lot of people to stumble and fail. You've got to be on your toes and ready to change direction at any given moment. The challenges are also the rewards, but it all boils down to how you approach them.