Question:
well finally got my refresher taken care of last week.
felt good to drive a t.t. again and get out of those buses i'm used to.
my question is this,i'm interested in triing flatbed and was wondering how you guys(and girls)
get up on those high loads to tarp? do you use ladders,is there room to walk around the trailer,
etc. when i first got out of school originally i
worked for a guy that hauled steel coils. but after 2wks. he decided he didn't want to hire a new driver after all(just happened it was the end of the 2wk training no pay period,yeah lesson learned)
with the coils there was plenty of room to walk around,and tarping was no prob. right from the trailer. but i enjoyed the work.
i figured if i went flatbed i could get back in shape(my wife says i'm in shape now,the shape of a ball )i'm not afraid of heights just the falling bothers me,just wondering if there's sure footing up there as i've never been much of a balance beam walker?
thank you all for the advise i know i'll get,
because you've never let me down before.
-Rich-

Answer:
Getting up on high loads.
Sometimes (rarely) shipper has a ladder, or will lift you up on a forklift. If they use a lift, make DAMN sure they put a pallet on the forks.
Don't try to balance on the fork itself.
Some loads you have to figure out how to get yourself on top. May involve going up over the front or up the side using a belt for a handgrip.
Those situations, the real fun comes in trying to get back off.
Walking room? Depends on what you have on.
Insulation, lumber. etc., mostly a flat, wide surface to walk on.
Glass, pipe, machinery, possibly minimal(sp?) surface area for your feet, little grip for your hands.
Two rules.
NEVER, EVER, get on a high load without a belt over each stack. I don't care what it is, it can slide with your weight moving around on it.
ALWAYS BE AWARE OF WHERE YOUR FEET ARE GOING.
Have some scars from NOT doing that!
One other thing-if the winds blowing hard-NO TARP JACK UNLESS I CAN GET IT OUT OF THE WIND!
BTW
Some shippers (seems to be more and more now) require safety harness's while you're tarping, or make available Tarping systems that you can use from the ground. Basically a hook and crane system that lifts the spread tarp up and over the load. If available, USE IT!
[This message was edited by WUZZY/CHARLIE on April 26, 2003 at 10:32.]

Answer:
with will likely provide a 12' extension ladder.If not...get one. Mine mounted against the headache rack with the bungees and chains. You can often hang them under the side of the trailer. Use it from the catwalk behind the cab or the rear of the deck behind the load. Many lumber mills here in the NW have a tarping area sometimes equiped with tall ladders anchored at the bottom that tip over against your load. Most places that wrap their product consisting of random lenghts will clearly mark the wraping to indicate gaps and holes under the plastic wrap. Usually with red paint. Many mills will have a tarping area with over head safety cables to keep you on top. This will be a fixed sort of heavy duty scaffold where you climb stairs to a catwalk running along side one or both sides of the truck. You put on a supplied harness and snap into a cable running down the center of your truck. These places will require you to sit thru a short video on using the system. You will need a hard hat,orange safety vest and safety goggles. Many places require some or all of these. A very few want steel toes and or those steel plate things that go over the top of your shoe. They usually supply these as loners. If when you occasionally get the pucker when up there remember there is no shame in getting down on your knees and doing the crawl. Especially when the wind is blowing and trying to take you and your tarp to the next county. You'll learn to take up a few bungees when rolling out the tarps. Hook a couple end to end, reach dowm over the side and hook the rub rail and attach to a high grommet on each side. This will keep the dang thing in place while getting the other one rolled out. There's lot's to learn about it but if you just watch others and ask for advice the first thing you'll learn is flat bedders for the most part don't hesitate to help each other out. I can't count the times I've been rolling tarps in 110 degree weather on hot asphalt and some other driver I never met stopped to help me. They're a breed set apart....BOL
Character: Doin the right thing when nobody's lookin..JC Watts

Answer:
Glass, pipe, machinery, possibly minimal(sp?) surface area for your feet, little grip for your hands.
Try to keep a 3 point contact with whatever you're climbing on. You have 2 hands and 2 feet. Try to keep at least 3 of the 4 in contact with something solid at all times.
*******************************
"I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane!" (from Waylon Jennings)
"The feel of the wheel delivers me, from a life where I don't wanna be." (from Joe Stampley)


Answer:
3 point contact? Hmmmm.
Last week-1 foot on a 2 in tube about waist high, 1 foot on a 2 in tube knee high, 1 hand holding onto top of frame, trying to drag an 8 foot drop lumber tarp over the top.
About other guys helping?
5 drivers standing there ******** their *** off because they couldn't get into the dock with me there.
NO HELP OFFERED, even tho requested.
Did get it done finally, thanks to 2 Canadian drivers who were loaded and ready to leave.

Answer:
thanks for the info guys...
be safe..
-Rich-