So you need sod?

First off I hope everyone is having a decent day as the new year is quickly approaching. I'm currently 6 months into my trucking career (I know I don't have YEARS of experience but I take this job seriously and I think I'm taking to it well) and it's been an interesting ride so far. I've done bobtail (dump truck & flatbed) a little end dump work, super-dump, as well as some dry van drop and hook shuttle driving that I was contracted to do for Wal-Mart and Sam's warehouses here locally. Bumping docks was actually quite fun but the hours were too inconsistent. I've had the extreme fortune of being able to do all of this as local work and sleep in my bed every night which has been great since I have a 5 month old baby boy, but I recently landed a local gig hauling sod from Navasota.

I'm supposed to drop by the yard today at 2:30 to check out my truck (which is a nice 379 pete) and give it a once over, as well as the flatbed I will be using to make sure everything is in good shape so I can hit the ground running come Monday morning. My question for you fellow drivers is, what are some specific things I need to make sure I get from the shop to ensure I don't get in a bind? I know I'll need a mesh tarp, winch bar, bungee cords etc, but I know I'm missing some things. I could be over complicating this but I prefer to be over prepared, as opposed to being under prepared as I carry myself with a certain amount of professionalism when I climb in the truck. I'm not TOTALLY new to flat-bedding as I used to haul huge limestone boulders, and pallets of brick and stone that I would deliver to various customers from the stone quarry's a lot before I got hired on at my current employer but I'm a bit lost on things like:

1. For sod, how tight do I need to strap it down since the sod can break if done too tight?

2. I noticed that one of the other sod haulers at my employer straps the front and back pallets and only straps every other row of sod in the middle? Is that common?

3. I know at times I might have to load the pallets myself which is fine as I have experience with forklifts and spider lifts but for sod, is there a specific "right way" to load it compared to stone or brick?

4. Are there some tips or insight about hauling sod that might make my transition a bit smoother?

5. Are there any specific questions I should ask my employer about the job? (I've been writing a few things down to ask this afternoon)

Thank you all for taking to time to read and offer any assistance. I really appreciate it and apologies for the long winded post, I just want 2017 to be a great year in trucking for me.

Dave

 

Hey there MJ, You've eased my mind a bit, as I stated I'm sure I'm over complicating this a bit (my wife gives me grief about overthinking things) I guess I'm a bit hard on myself lol. I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

 

That absolutely makes sense and actually brings up a question. I'm sure I forgot to mention but as I've been searching online trying to brush up on pointers I noticed that the pallets are "rolled" as you say. What I noticed is the pallets that the other 2 guys bring back from Navasota are already "unrolled" the sod is flat, stacked on top of each other on the pallet. Does that change anything? Make it easier by chance?

 

Interesting. Hopefully some others will chime in as well. Thanks again for the insight MJ and have a happy new year.

 

Understood. I'll definitely keep that in mind.