Some Vital Information for Flatbed Trailers

November 20, 2012

Professional trucking companies need professionally built flatbed trailers for heavy day-to-day use. A number of specialist retailers include a wide range of flatbed trailers from different manufacturers for you to choose from. If you can afford it, it may be a prudent and terrific idea to select a new truck rather than a used one in order to achieve the most efficiency and low maintenance costs. But you will be eating that 20% sticker price loss the moment you drive it off the lot.

It is up to you whether buying a flatbed truck new is worth that type of sacrifice. If you are to buy it new, you know it should last a couple of years before any maintenance issues pop up and it is a lot easier to keep track of what type of work has been done to it and what type of trouble it has caused, if any, since you are the actual owner. When you buy a used vehicle, even if it does come with a service history, there could still be some quirks and idiosyncrasies about the vehicle that is not explained in the service history. If the flatbed truck or any vehicle for that matter does not come with a service history, it is not as bad as Russian roulette but you are still gambling with your money if you decide to go along with the purchase.

Driving a flatbed trailer is quite an experience, and requires specialized training before you can drive it correctly or at all. Drivers with flatbed trailers can practically haul anything from steel rolls to roof shingles and even odd-shaped products. One of the key advantages with a flatbed trailer is that it can be unloaded from three sides: left or right side or rear.

In flatbed trailers it is critically important to secure the load properly with chains or straps, depending on how heavy the load is. It may also be necessary to tarp the trailer before you hit the road, certainly if rain is possible and you do not want your load becoming wet. You can follow certain basic guidelines when securing the load in a flatbed. Place one strap for each pallet and two straps on the pallet at the trailer's rear. This can be taken as a minimum standard to secure the load. To go beyond this, another strap should be forward so if you have to break suddenly the load does not shoot forward and smash you in the back. If you cover all angles and contingencies, you should be good to go. Chains may be necessary for additional security, if the weight of the pallet is quite heavy. Properly securing the load is a vital part of the flatbed trailers, and you should use your instincts and be extra safe if necessary, as already mentioned. You cannot afford to have the load shifting to one side or the other in the middle of the journey, exposing your trailer to the risk of a roll over. The load coming loose during the trip is another risk you would wish to avoid, so securing the load becomes a key task. It is also a strategic and cardinal ground rule to check the load after the first 150 miles.

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