I love flatbedding. I started fresh out of driving school and always end up back under an open trailer. For new drivers, spread yourself around. Get experience with as much equipment as you can. You should build a resume in trucking just like any other job field. Use the company’s money to acquire new skills. I started in flatbed, moved through van, reefer, step deck and RGN I’m contemplating a move now to pick up some dry bulk and liquid tanker experience. Never stop learning and the second you think you know everything, park the truck before you kill someone. Keep the shiny side up.
Be careful with a stretch RGN…. They are heavy, so you’re buy weight permits for loads that might be legal on a non stretch, or you’re wasting money buying the extra weight of the stretch. Example, I just loaded 84,000lbs on our 4 axle stretch, gross weight was 140,000lbs…. I would have been closer to 130,000 on a non stretch. So we paid for extra weight, which adds up in states that charge by the pound and by the mile.
I knew a guy who had a flat bed and a low boy. When he was out hauling heavy with his low boy, his son and grandson were his escort crew. They saved money by doing it that way for sure.
Glad you covered specs at the end of the video. Big consideration of getting into specialized RGN stuff. Truck spec plays a big part. Your gonna have a bad time trying to run heavy haul without tri-drive or a drop axle plus a 13/18 speed. Add the fuel to feed a 600hp X15 while you're at it. All that adds up to a higher tare weight which makes it hard for you to grab loads that would otherwise be legal.
I have a 48' low pro step deck all aluminum my ride height is close to 33" loaded I'm leased to a good company and have a good dispatcher. I rarely go over gross but I get pretty wide. You're right about the tires cheap or top of the line they take a beating. Don't take this the wrong way I don't really learn a lot here but I get some pretty good tips. You learn every day in this business. Keep up the good work.
Bro, Mad props to all drivers in this area of our industry. Found this video to be entertaining and educational. As a REEFER guy I can't relate to these trailers however I greatly enjoyed you presentation. Thank you for all you do. You keep posting and I'll stay driven. ☮️ from Cali.
Only thing I'd add is subcategories to the flatbed and stepdeck side. Only real difference being adding axles. I picked up a brand new 6 axle flatbed before while I did power only to deliver to a customer.
Owned stepdeck and flats work less with my conestoga snd make more Pulled rgn made great money. . Conestoga only freight pays well but to fill in i look for tarped loads to. My next two loads will pay 11000 to the truck on 4000 miles . Last round did 16000 on 6500 miles . Thats after mercer cut.
I pull 53” dry van for my whole 7 year carrier, 1st year in my own authority and thinking about switching to flatbed. I’m based in Ohio I really don’t know where to start or which trailer I should be pulling because I have 0 flatbed experience.
Those aluminum step decks really really suck the best way to go is a combination trailer the aluminum are always been doing is not billed for heavy haul
I am doing the western 11 on regional. I work for a company that does a majority of building material. We are non stop, local and regional. It's niche, in the sense that building materials is 90% of our work. But it is surely there.
Thanks for the info! This helped me make an educated decision on which type of trailer to purchase. I almost pulled the trigger on a 2016 53 ft East (Low Pro). My only reservation was the availability of loads I could get on the spot market and the maintenance on those 17.5 tires.
I have a 2018 Fontaine GoPro with ramps I like it I just stay and average speed of 60 mph and my tires are fine I would rather have a regular size step deck but at the time this was offered to me with the ramps and everything for like $35,000 I couldn't pass that up
Hey man! I’m in NC and I have new Fontaine step deck, and we do fantastic! I will say, make sure you have the ramp/load leveler kit for stuff with wheels, and long stuff!
I saw one of them 3 axle low pro step decks on the highway and the front driver side closest to the tractor tire was Oscillating up-and-down I bet the tire couldn't last more than a 100 miles Doing that Must be a common issue
Driver I don’t know why you were blowing tires on your stepdeck because my boss lets us run 70 MPH and we never blew a tire at the speed . We only blew tires when a driver decided to run 75 and 80 MPH where the speed limit sign said for him to go that speed. But his gone thankfully
I just recently bought a Mac I like it but its like a fancy truck not worth what your going to pay for it my trailer must have been built on a Friday rub rails look like💩 and it was built in 2019 and bagged and registered as a 2022 not sure what to think about that I wanted a Dorsey but they wouldn’t return my calls.
If you could avoid any loads to get as a flatbed, which one or ones would that be? I’m jumping out on my own and just got me a 48ft flatbed, like really pain in the butt type for a newer guy
