Tarping VS curtain side flat.

You are welcome.

 

What kind of moron would get upset about someone else getting done before them?

Probably the same kind of ####### that speeds up when you move out to pass even though they've been running the same speed all day. Here's a hint for all the idiots out there that do this...It's not a race or a ##### size contest...It's just truckin'!

How long have you been out of the business? The reason I ask is because the statement about serious flatbedders needing more than one set of tarps is just silly.

I had a set made a couple of years ago that are great for steel, high loads (I don't haul lumber) coils, and just about any other freight that I've put on my trailer in the last couple of years.
I carry some carpet to pad machinery and other sharp edged stuff and some lightweight liners for some stuff but it all fits in one box between my trailer axles

I have a side kit (stacked in the yard under a tarp)

Lumber is garbage freight! I won't even consider hauling it!

Washington and Oregon have been off my list of places to go for years! I will rarely go into eastern Oregon and eastern Washington because of one customer that pays me very well to go there and I also have a non lumber haul out of there that pays more than $2.00 a mile when I need it...But to go up there and haul their bad paying lumber out, No thanks!

No...It didn't pay anything to the truck.

Lumber hasn't paid anything for more years than I care to think about.
In the mid seventies I used to get some pretty good paying loads of it but the rates got smashed and it aint worth hauling now.

Call me when the ruck goes up for sale....But only if it's a W900L!

 

Yeah bud, it sure did. Birdseye maple, curly maple are gold. They're real rare and only used for high dollar stuff. Not sure now exactly what it paid the O/O now, it was over 10 yrs ago but as the driver it paid ME over $2500 for the one trip. Couple of weeks later I took 16 logs of the same stuff to a veneer plant in Michigan. Plant owner told me they ship the veneer to Europe for use in high-end musical instruments like pianos and violins. Said on the market in Europe that load of logs turned into veneer would sell for a couple million. That load paid ME around $1800.

Before you ask, the owner of the truck was a Micmac Indian who was a friend of mine. He was laid up for a couple of months when a tree kicked back off the stump and caught him so I covered for him. The tribe was the contractor/sawyer and I have no idea what they got out of it.

Black W900 (good truck); I was flatbedding for more than 25 years. I carried a set of lumber tarps with 10 ft drop (we haul em 3 high in Canada), a set of steel tarps for steel plate and a smoke tarp. Looks like you've still got a bit to learn, huh?

 

You would be surprised. Truckdrivers are their own worst enemy. We owned a lumberyard for 25yrs until we sold it. Truckers would come in and take their sweet time un-tarping, roll up their tarps, put them away all without taking a single strap off. All while you would sit there on the forklift and watch them. On the trucking side we have had drivers get pissed and yell at our drivers because they got unloaded/loaded ahead of them. Even though they got there the night before but never considered getting ready.

 

It's not the total of what the load paid that matters, it's what it paid per mile. $2500 sounds great unless it went 2k miles. We've hauled lumber loads that paid over $7.00 per mile, sounds awesome until I add the detail that it only went 25miles.

I agree with blackw900, you don't need more than one set of tarps. Even with 10' drop you could still tarp a coil with them. Now when we used to only run flats we carried 8' drops and 2 coil bags, but they didn't take up any space. But it seems a little overkill to carry several sets.

 

Did I say that? How do you figure that we haul the same freight? Some shippers only want covered wagons, some only want curtains, & others only want flats. I've been beat out on loads that I can haul because the shipper preferred covered wagons. Did I whine? As long as blackw900 does repeat that telephone call, I'd say I didn't whine. Although, I did think about getting a covered wagon kit stowed under my trailer for future instances.

What I said is tarping is part of the flatbedding description. And I'm sure those pulling covered wagon & curtainsides have thrown their fair share of rags in the past!

What I'm scrutinizing is the quote above... So you don't want to tarp? what's next? Do you not want to put that needed 5th chain on that coil? Are you going to slack off on your securement so the government can impose more laws upon us flatbedders? Alabama already has because of people who wasn't interested in securing their freight. What state is next?

So what I read out of your original post was something that sounded like "I really need to poop, but I'm not interested in pulling my pants down!"

 

I've seen & dealt with those morons. They'd get pissed off because they were there before me, but I got unloaded before them.

It's my routine.... If a fork lift is waiting, ready, & willing.... I pull my bungees & lay them on my deck. Then I pull my tarps & drag them out of the way. Next I rip my straps off & just throw em under the trailer. This way the forklift can get busy while I folding tarps, rolling straps, & stowing equipment. And a lot of the time I get done at the same time they get done unloading me.

Now if there are 3 or 4 babies as described in front of me, then I take my time knowing that rushing won't get me out of there sooner.

 

I'am glad you think this because i"ll take all the lumber loads i can and i'am getting between $2.25 and $4.00 a mile in and out of new england for hardwood and dimension lumber.

 

Not so fast! Load posted right now going from Hermon Maine to Laurel Delaware paying $600 from one broker and $640 from another for ONLY 648mi. It's mine unless you beat me too it!

If you want something longer distance I can get ya, Maine to North Carolina for $1075 for 1111 miles. Rip that kit off that trailer and lets go haul some wood!!!