What Did I Get Myself Into Now?

Sitting here at the Gulfport terminal for Knight Transportation and cleaning out my truck.

I have been running dry van solo since Nov. last year after completing the CDL training with Knight. At a stop at Knight's Carlisle PA terminal, I noticed two stacks of flat bed trailers by the shop. So, after some research and calls to my trainer/mentor, I learned that Knight was opening a small satellite terminal with a dedicated flat bed run.

I will be going home to do a reset, I'm down to 4 hours for the next two days after doing a great 3400 mile, 7 day run. Then it's off to Delhi, LA to pick up a new truck and begin a new adventure.

I'll definitely need a lot of tips for pulling a skate board (Old School, Starcar and everyone else).

Brett, now would be a good time to build that program on load secument.

Hey that's awesome Sandman! Very cool!

Brett, now would be a good time to build that program on load securement.

I'm not sure I know enough about it to tell ya the truth. I hauled heavy equipment locally on a flatbed for a while but that was just a matter of chaining down the tracks and heading across town. Before that I thought you just used a giant shoe lace or Velcro to hold things in place. And I never saw the point of laying a table cloth on top of it all unless you were going to be eating off it.

Congrats on the new adventure! I love listening to the stories of the flatbedders. Some of the stuff they go through is horrible but some of it is absolutely hilarious. And the loads are a lot more interesting from what I here.

I remember my first "flatbed" I ever loaded. I was an 18 year old kid driving forklift at a factory in Torrance, CA and my first day of loading the product onto a truck (we made steel conduit and they came in large bundles of strapped together pipe) and no one showed me how (it was a union shop - ". . . figure it out, kid, ain't MY job to teach you anything.") Let's just say the poor trucker was getting redder by the moment as he watched me make a cluster right before his eyes. Don't know if he made it to the delivery point w/out leaving pipe all over the highway or not. I did finally pick up the technique eventually (heaviest on the bottom, use dunnage between the rows, keep it balanced if you can . . . )

Jopa

Well, I decided to go flatbed because Old School made it sound so glamorous. He said you would get all the babes if you made your tarps look pretty. He said that you get paid triple of what other drivers get paid. He said, "God loves flatbed drivers because they are strong." He said that flatbed drivers get brand new trucks every month. He said that you only work 4 hours a day and get to go home after that.

Then I realized I was dreaming. Old School makes it look easy. I just completed my first day with a trainer. One day I will be able to call myself a flatbed truck driver. As for now, I still have so much to learn.

Good luck and have fun in your new job.

Well, I decided to go flatbed because Old School made it sound so glamorous. He said you would get all the babes if you made your tarps look pretty. He said that you get paid triple of what other drivers get paid. He said, "God loves flatbed drivers because they are strong." He said that flatbed drivers get brand new trucks every month. He said that you only work 4 hours a day and get to go home after that.

Then I realized I was dreaming. Old School makes it look easy. I just completed my first day with a trainer. One day I will be able to call myself a flatbed truck driver. As for now, I still have so much to learn.

Good luck and have fun in your new job.

Damn it now the secret is out.

Well, I decided to go flatbed because Old School made it sound so glamorous. He said you would get all the babes if you made your tarps look pretty. He said that you get paid triple of what other drivers get paid. He said, "God loves flatbed drivers because they are strong." He said that flatbed drivers get brand new trucks every month. He said that you only work 4 hours a day and get to go home after that.

Then I realized I was dreaming. Old School makes it look easy. I just completed my first day with a trainer. One day I will be able to call myself a flatbed truck driver. As for now, I still have so much to learn.

Good luck and have fun in your new job.

Yup, us flatbedders have the most fun! Of course I said that about tanker-yankers back when I was hauling gas, too. And my uncle says bullhaulers are the best. Hmmmm... maybe we're all a little prejudiced as to our respective disciplines, huh? LOL!!! What's it matter in the long run? We're all truckin'!!!!!

And there us something to be said about those Western Express drivers. I passed one the other day and his (Coulda been a "her", I suppose. Didn't notice...) tarped load looked PERFECT! Like a big ol' Christmas present sitting on the trailer. Stuff recruiting posters are made off...

By the way... Flatbedders rule!!!!!!! ;-)

Good luck Sandman, I had no idea you were headed in a new direction, but Wine Taster is right - the big paychecks and the hot babes all go to the Flat-bedders, or was it the big babes, and the hot paychecks? I'm getting so old I get confused on which way that happens anymore

But either way it's lots of fun! Oh you'll feel like a fish out of water for a few months, but it will get better - I still remember when Larry E. (Tri-letter) first started, he had some struggles at first, but now he sounds like an old hand at it. Keep us posted, and do your best to fight off the "big" babes if they start coming your way.

Sandman I plan to work my but off and join you in Delhi will soon! You made a great choice! Be safe

Well, I decided to go flatbed because Old School made it sound so glamorous. He said you would get all the babes if you made your tarps look pretty. He said that you get paid triple of what other drivers get paid. He said, "God loves flatbed drivers because they are strong." He said that flatbed drivers get brand new trucks every month. He said that you only work 4 hours a day and get to go home after that.

Then I realized I was dreaming. Old School makes it look easy. I just completed my first day with a trainer. One day I will be able to call myself a flatbed truck driver. As for now, I still have so much to learn.

Good luck and have fun in your new job.

Yup, us flatbedders have the most fun! Of course I said that about tanker-yankers back when I was hauling gas, too. And my uncle says bullhaulers are the best. Hmmmm... maybe we're all a little prejudiced as to our respective disciplines, huh? LOL!!! What's it matter in the long run? We're all truckin'!!!!!

And there us something to be said about those Western Express drivers. I passed one the other day and his (Coulda been a "her", I suppose. Didn't notice...) tarped load looked PERFECT! Like a big ol' Christmas present sitting on the trailer. Stuff recruiting posters are made off...

By the way... Flatbedders rule!!!!!!! ;-)

The reason bullhaulers need a trailer is because thay have to have somewhere to put all the BS that will NOT Fit Into The cab On The truck.