Pros & Cons Of The Different Types Of Trailers?
Topic 9710 | Page 2
I see... so then we go back to my biggest problem... how does someone choose when they don't know if they'll like a certain type or not...
Phox,
I understand what you mean. I hemmed and hawwed about this topic for months, but I always ended up circling back to flat bed. I still have some time before I go to CDL school, but I finally feel confident in my decision. Some of the reasons I choose flat bed:
- Active, physical work
- Load securement challenges
- Load variety
- home time options (TMC & Maverick will get you home most weekends)
Also once I decided on freight other decisions seemed to start to falling into place and things didn't feel as overwhelming.
Hope this helps.
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
The analogy was simply meant to show that flatbedders are like all-american heroes and everyone else is evil ;)
Yep yep yep! Smelly hero's. 
I would go flatbed. I pulled flatbed before going to a refrigerated trailer, and now that I'm getting back into trucking had the choice of flatbed or dry van. I picked flatbed because I loved it. Yes, there is extra stuff to do with securement and tarping, but the variety of not only the loads, but your customer locations is awesome. I didn't pull flatbed for long, only about a month and a half, but during that time I have more stories than the 9 months that I pulled the refrigerated trailer.
Oh, and some of the issues you run into can be baffling, but there is always a way to get things done. An example here is I had a load of transformers with multiple stops, and my first stop was crazy. It was an outdoor electrical contractor with a lot just big enough for me to back into. After getting in there, I find out that they have no way of getting the transformer off of the truck. The contractor was expecting a straight truck with a power lift, as that is how his last transformer came. He ended up calling one of his friends that had a mobile crane, and half an hour later the crane was there lifting the transformer off my trailer. The thing that stands out the most in my memory, is before he called his friend with the crane he said to me "I have like 15 guys here with nothing to do yet, you think we can just lift it off of there?" Mind you, this was a 6000 lb hunk of metal, which would leave each guy lifting like 400 pounds.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
The thing that stands out the most in my memory, is before he called his friend with the crane he said to me "I have like 15 guys here with nothing to do yet, you think we can just lift it off of there?" Mind you, this was a 6000 lb hunk of metal, which would leave each guy lifting like 400 pounds.
I think my response would be "you can try, but neither me nor [insert company i work for] can take any responsibility if you are your workers are injured in the process.... and I'm going to walk over here while you do it"
The thing that stands out the most in my memory, is before he called his friend with the crane he said to me "I have like 15 guys here with nothing to do yet, you think we can just lift it off of there?" Mind you, this was a 6000 lb hunk of metal, which would leave each guy lifting like 400 pounds.
I think my response would be "you can try, but neither me nor [insert company i work for] can take any responsibility if you are your workers are injured in the process.... and I'm going to walk over here while you do it"
All I could do was laugh when he asked that.
I generally prefer a somewhat active life style (one of the things I enjoyed about Americorps, yeah the work was hard at times but it was overall a good experience). I did call center work for 5 years and hated it, it was easy but mentally stressful.
Honestly, for anyone who enjoys physical activity, I think flatbed is a good bet. And the fact that you hated a job where you did nothing but sit and talk all day makes me think flatbed is an even better bet. And I'm not saying that to try and recruit you to my "side," I just think you might find it more rewarding and satisfying.
The analogy was simply meant to show that flatbedders are like all-american heroes and everyone else is evil ;)
Hot damn aint that the truth! I also aint trying to get you come to our side but i was in your shoes and i choose flatbed. I am so glad i did yea it sucks sometimes like untraping or tarping in the rain and fight with your tarps for a hour or more cause the wind is blowing them around but its so enjoyable when you get the load there safely and dry. Like i hauled my first single coil this week it was only 44000 but when they took it off and you saw you trailer bow back up it didnt matter that i waited five hours at the shipper , took it the wrong place, had it tarp it twice, and was covered in sweat it felt simply AMAZING! Not to mention if you cant tell on here but a lot of the flatbedders stick together and help each other out with folding tarps or telling a rookie where to throw his straps at and much more. Thats just my two cents
oh and i know it sounded like i was complaining a lot and i did but after it came off my trailer i totally forgot it about.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
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Choosing A Trucking Company Dry van Flatbed Refrigerated Trailers
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Hmmm well trip length doesn't really matter to me... that just means more money in my book unless it pays less cpm for reefer or something. I will say I don't like the cold to much so that could be a bad thing about flat bedding BUT I can wear more and better layers if it was a problem... long as there's no ice... nothing you can do about slipping and falling on your ass... that sucks in so many ways.
How much physical activity is involved with flat bedding? I do like to be active but I do have my limits. I can't imagine it reaches them but figured I'd ask anyways.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.