Successful flatbed truckers tips

If you get a CDL certificate Class A, among other massive vehicles you are allowed to apply for a flatbed truck job. A flatbed is a kind of truck used for transporting heavy and volume loads that are placed on a special flat platform. This peculiar construction requires its driver special knowledge and skills.

Differences from other truck drivers

For those who are truly interested in working as flatbed truckers, it is highly recommended to check all the requirements and responsibilities these drivers face before and during their work.

Firstly, besides the above-mentioned Commercial Driver’s Certificate Class A, some employers may require additional documents or proven experience. And they have a right to do so as this vehicle requires high-level skills in comparison with other trucks.

Secondly, the physical state of an applicant also must be in a suitable condition. Despite most of the suppliers and buyers having special equipment for downloading and unloading cargo, in some particular cases, it may require a driver’s personal assistance. It’s not necessary to be in perfect shape, but to be able to handle pretty heavy items can be highly desirable to get a flatbed trucking job.

Finally, in most cases, there is no need to use a flatbed truck as most kinds of cargo can be downloaded and transported with ordinary trucks or trailers. But sometimes the item can be of unusual shape or fragile enough to be delivered inside of a truck. Examples can be oversized pipes, machinery, other vehicles, and even houses. In these cases, clients call for flatbed truckers. Their direct responsibility is not only to deliver the cargo in a safe and attentive way but also to fix it at the platform with restraints and hooks firmly and reliably. Sometimes it may be required to cover a loaded flat platform with tarping.

Speaking about the difficulties of driving this vehicle we should mention the enormous difference between delivering cargo and driving back with an empty platform. The flatbed trucker should always keep it in mind.

Benefits

It may sound like a hard experience, but flatbed truck jobs provide drivers with great advantages and bonuses:

• Competitive salary. As usual, the more difficult a job is, the higher the salary is. Plus, specialists in this sphere are quite rare, so most driving companies provide them with a truly decent salary level;
• Benefits on the road. Driving such a massive and hulking vehicle makes it almost impossible to go through narrow country roads. Dealing with flatbed trucking means getting the most convenient routes, mostly through a highway. Normally other drivers also give way to such huge vehicles;
• More variable activities. This means mostly sitting position in regards to trucking jobs, flatbed provides the drivers with additional activities like downloading and unloading items, tying and tarping them, checking their reliability at the stops, etc. For those who got used to spending a lot of hours in the same posture at the wheel, it may sound especially attractive;
• Always in demand. As was mentioned, there are not so many truckers who can cope with driving such a specific vehicle. Meaning they can hardly be left out of board even during a crisis.

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As a result, looking at the current flatbed trucking job offers, you can see attractive salaries and profitable packages, a variety of routes and cargo, quite a flexible schedule, and a huge number of companies that are interested in hiring such professionals. It may not be that easy to start this career path, but it will be a great step for those who are indeed interested in working in the transportation industry.