Question:
I know that everybody has there preference, but what are the ups and the downs of these three. I have always considered flatbed work because the pay is better. I don't shy away from hard work and long as I am getting paid the better, but I just wanted to ask drivers that have been around their opinion.

Answer:
Yes there is a little physical labor involved. Yes sometimes securement can be challenging (figuring out how to secure safely without damiging equipment or freight), and on some days tarping sucks (snow, wind and over 90 degrees). But the opportunity to be physically challenged and out of the truck for a little bit each day is worth it. The really good news is no lumpers, no fingerprinting...sometimes you do have to wait for the guy with the forklift though.
As the past becomes the future unfolds
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As the past becomes the future unfolds

Answer:
I'm beginning to think dry van is a little better. Most of the bigger companies do drop and hooks. Their nice. Just pull in drop one and pick up another then your on your way in a few minutes. Since your paid for driving you make more running than you do sitting at docks.
Reefers are what I call fast freight. There is a destination and a tight time frame to get there in. You can stay very busy because you can pull both dry and temp controlled freight. But most temp loads are going to large wharehouses and the load/unload time can be very long. You waist the better part of a day at both ends of a run. Actually you just log your loading/unloading time as sleeper or off duty. The bad thing is you won't be sleeping to much. So your wearing yourself out to make about the same as dry box drivers. But reefers can keep you busy.
Flatbeds, tried it once. Not my thing. Tarping untarping and waiting at some places for little compensation. The runs I did were short to medium hauls and it just didn't pay off.
Great Stuff
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"
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RC Universe


Answer:
much like the old Pepsi verses Coke debate. Which taste do you like best once you have sampled all the available colas on the market.
Dry Vans: As already said there can be a lot of drop and hook with the medium to large companies. Depending on the company there may not be much lumping involved or need to hire a lumper. However the places you will go that has driver unloads you are pretty much stuck with doing it yourself because there won't be any lumpers around to hire. Dry vans are simpler to deal with than reefers because you do not have to worry about fueling them, making sure they are working correctly, maintaining temps, etc. Van freight have more delivery and pickup windows (ie be there between this hour and that hour) than reefer freight.
Reefers: All in all not too much different than pulling a van. The big thing is that you will have a lot of early morning delivery times and see a lot of grocery/food warehouses. If you are with a good company who is not afraid of hiring lumpers you will rarely have to touch any frieght. The biggest advantage is that you may not have to sit as much in between loads as you can haul both temp contolled goods as well as dry freight. Also you will rarely see haz mat if the company you go with is listed as a food grade carrier. Also most delivery times are pretty much set. Be there at this time or find yourself waiting another day to get unloaded if more than 15 min late.
Flatbeds: This is not an aspect of the industry for anyone who is afraid to get dirty, afraid of heights, who is afraid of actually doing more work than opening two doors, or who can't stand to work outside when it is raining, or very hot, or very cold. Also if you are the type of person who takes safety (yours or other people's) anything less than 125% seriously you should stay away.
Beyond it being somewhat physical and being dirty work at times about the only other big drawback is that when you scale out and find yourself under gross but over weight on an axle it almost always means a trip back to the warehouse to have the load fixed where as more oftne than not with vans or reefers it more often than not means a simple slide of the tandems and you are on your way. (Most experienced flatbedders though get to know how to have freight loaded and this does become less of a problem as time goes by.) Flatbedding can also be dangerous. Tarping/untarping in windy conditions, having to climb on top of and over loads, loads that shifted a little and could possibly fall when unstrapped/unchained. A person has to pay extra close attention to safety and thier loads when pulling flatbed.
The up side is that it seems most of the time the places you deliver to seem happy to see you, you should never have to hire a lumper, or load or unload yourself. Also you should rarely have those extremely long waits to load or unload like sometimes happens with vans or reefers. I am talking the 12 plus hour times you hear about (though it can still happen).
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
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CD
recovering dweller..........oilfield trash division

Answer:
I've hauled dry van, flat bed, belly dumps, and tankers.
Dry van was kind of boring for me, but was nice to just drop, pick up another, and go.
Tanker was......well.....interesting to say the least. --> Have to be very carefull with the surge!!! --> Can turn you over or push you right thru an intersection before you even know it. Not to mention I was hauling sufuric acid, and doing the loading and unloading myself. Better have the protective equipment and respirator on!!! Breath that stuff once and you'll never forget to put your respirator on again. But, on the up side, you get to go to some pretty neat places hauling tankers. I mostly went into the big mines and power plants. I did enjoy it while I was doing it.
As for flat bed, I guess I'd have to say that is my favorite. At least there I'm not always in the truck. Have to get out to secure the load and when it calls for it, tarp it. Gives me some exercise anyway. Plus you can get some pretty unique loads at times.
It all comes down to what kind of a commodity do you want to haul. If you don't want to be out in the weather securing and tarping your load, stay away from flat bed, and if you don't want the surging of liquid, stay away tankers. All of them have there ups and downs. I'm not knocking any of them.
Glood luck in whatever you decide to do. -->
You can never have too much horsepower!

Answer:
As far as I'm concerned you only mentioned two types of traiers.
1). VAN
2). FLATBED
Reefer is not even a choice with me any more. Been there, done that---far too long.
When someone tells you reefer is like van, they are lieing.
Pulling van, you can find a company that hauls stricktly no-touch, non-food frieght.
Pulling a reefer...you will have food and/or parishables 95% of the time.
This means 95% of the time you will be sitting at a grocery warehouse, meat packing plant, fruit and vegitable growers, etc... and waiting, and waiting, and waiting to get loaded or unloaded. And then you will have to drive like a mad man---sometimes without sleep, to get to the next destination. HURRY UP AND WAIT
Oh yeah; and don't forget your stupid pallet exchange. With reefer, you are always baby-sitting your pallets or you will end up paying $5 to $8 a piece for them if your next shipper requires an exchange and you don't have any.
And you will give them excellent pallets, and they will give you their junk.
God bless those who pull reefers, because somebody needs to, and it ain't gonna be me.
Flatbeds are o.k.---extra work (usually paid) tarping etc... keeps a guy a little more fit than other trailers.
All about flatbed has already been said. So I won't bore you.
Me; I am a van man. I like to haul the bigger, no touch frieght (doors, bulk products, tires, auto parts, etc...)---no grocery places, few D.C.'s, lots of drop and hook. You can find companies that haul stricktly this type of freight, and you ain't baby-sitting pallets.
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Cover Your Cans People!!!
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It's apparent this place is never going to change....then again; why should it? It gets the clientel it deserves.
Bette Midler

Answer:
I always wanted to pull flatbeds, but Trans Am wants me to come to their orientation on the 30th. I am still waiting on TMC to see their response. My reasoning is that I want to do something where I will be able to make a decent living when I eventually get my own truck in a year. People tell me that flatbed stays busy all year round. That is why I wanted to start on flatbed, because I will always have freight.

Answer:
How is school going? As far as TMC give them a call and ask about your application. These companines that hire students can be slow getting back to you..
I have pulled all of the above and I personally prefer Van..But I also enjoyed Flatbed..But it can be rough.. Most companies now have the light weight tarps but some don't..If you are afraid of heights it can be a bugger to..But I did get used to it..
On windy days it can be a pain and some times the shipper is a BUTT.. They want you to tarp something that you picked up in the yard that has been there forever in the snow or rain.
As far as pay as a company driver it is really not that much difference.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

Answer:
Hey Little Red.
School is going good. I take my road test on the 15th. TMC has called me back, but the hiring comittee could not read my DD214. So I am still waiting again. Also a Swift recruiter told me that she will hire me for their car haul division. Now she told me that I will not have to wait for 6 months. They want me to come to orientation on the 28th. Trans Am wants me to come on the 30th, and I am waiting on TMC and McElroy. Thanks again for letting me know about Shippers Choice. it is a real good school and with excellant instructors and we get a lot of one on one time. Where to you usually run? That way I can look for you. If we ever bump heads. Dinner is on me to express my thanks. My name on the c.b. will be "FLATBUSH". Take care.

Answer:
I only wish I was OTR right now but instead I'm stuck at home with a Workers Comp injury to my neck and shoulder.
I hope to back before the end of the summer but I saud that last year..Been stuck here since Nov 2001..
So I use Truck Net to stay in touch with every thing..
I think I would think teice about Trans Am..When I was on the road never heard alot of good things.
I have heard good about McElroy..
Good Luck and we will stay in touch..
I'm glad things are working out great with the school I have always heard great things about them. If not I would have never sent you in that direction --> -->
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

Answer:
Hey Iceman,
Did you pull for Echo, AKA Harrinton: AKA Dicky, AKA Jade out of Benson?
I did that for over a year before I got so sick of going to Morenci whenever I ticked off the pissedatcher.
I pulled pnuematics, end dumps, flats and tankers for them. The job itself was fine, (except when trying to unload an enddump in the rain,) but I could not take another load up to Morenci!
I have pulled flats and reefers quite a bit. Never had a job for a dryvan outfit though. The grocery warehouses can drive a sane man crazy, until you figure them out, and even so, they can test the patience of a saint.
I preffer flats for both the exorcise and the fact that most places are happy to see you arrive. I have had to wait a couple times, but as stated before, with a few exceptions, it's nothing like reefers.
I had a semi regular deal with a company that built custom log cabins. They pre-built them in Scottsdale and then took them apart, loaded them on the trucks to be taken to the job sites. The trailers had to be left so they could be preloaded. When you arrived at the job site, you could pretty much figure on being there at least 8 hours, sometimes up to two days. We were paid well for the wait, and never had to touch the freight or tarp the load.
Tarping is not as bad a some make it out to be, however, this comes with experience. Tarping, and securing the load is a true art, and one mistake can be fatal if it comes down on you or some innocent motorist who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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