Flatbed or Dry Van for a Newbie

How are you when it comes to physical work? Running a flatbed OTR isn't as labor intensive as construction sitework driving, but you still have to be able to do it. If you don't have a problem with this, and you're able to concurrently learn how to drive and secure a flatbed load, by all means, I'd say go the flatbed route. It also leaves options for you later on. Say you get tired of Roehl, and decide to move on. Let's say you find a flatbed company you like.... they'll probably require previous flatbed experience. And if you end up leaving Roehl to pull a dry van, what do you lose?

 

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckerreport.html This ain't too far off.

 

I'm a flatbed driver with roehl. I can't speak for everyone but my miles were dipping low in dry van. When I switched to flats a couple months ago my miles got better and the pay of course was more. Didn't hurt getting a new truck. Its labor intense at first, mainly the tarps, then it gets easier as you grow to lift tarps like their nothing. I can now lift lumber (large) tarps up onto my trailer when at first I could barely roll it out on the ground.

I like it because your not sitting all day. Your actually working. I started to lose weight and sleep better too.

Ethan

 

I would have gone flat. Better pay, more options for employment down the road, and you don't get a big ol fat ars from sitting all day.

When your new it's all about building a skill set, there are a million dry van drivers out there. What's going to make you stand out from them 3 years down the road when your looking for a local job?

 

Mind if I ask how old you are? When I was in my mid-fifties, I was forced to re-invent myself when my lifelong career was shot out from under me. I went to truck driving school, and my first job was flatbedding. Company policy dictated that all loads be tarped, whether they be lumber, or rolls of steel or aluminum. Your experience might be different from mine, but I quickly discovered that tarping was a physical ordeal that this fifty-something just couldn't handle. And I was in pretty good shape at the time!
Spending hours crawling around on top of that black tarp-covered load in 107-degree heat was bad enough, but in wintertime, these tarps would freeze around the load and were a bear to remove, roll up, and stow!
Definitely a young man's game!

 

Agreed

I'm hating the heat but I'm losing weight. Also not looking forward to winter lol


Ethan

 

Personally I would recommend either reefer or flatbed. They both pay more starting out. Flatbed requires more physical work but there's nothing wrong with exercise out there. If you go with reefer you double your chances of getting a load because you can haul refrigerated or anything dry.

Really just depends on what the individual prefers.