As a truck driver, you’ve probably hauled a lot of different types of loads (maybe on a lot of different types of flatbed trailers) in your time as a driver. Flatbed trailer weight placement will change from load to load and there’s no exact science. Still, it can be helpful to know a few best practice tips for trailer weight placement — especially as a flatbed driver.

Tarping a flatbed load isn't as simple as tossing a tarp over your load, throwing some bungees on it and calling it good. Tarping is a tough job. Tarps are awkward and heavy and you have to use them when it’s freezing outside or stifling. Tarping can also be a dangerous job. Not only do you have to get into awkward positions to carry the tarp to the top of the load, but you may have to crawl on top of the load itself. Add any amount of wind to the equation and it gets extremely dangerous. The tarp acts as a sail in the wind and it can take you for a ride. Drivers tarping their loads are highly prone to injuries, whether because they fall off the load or strain their back or shoulders.

Do you have what it takes to be a flatbed trucker and secure different types of cargo every day? Flatbed trucking and load securement can be intimidating. If you were to take your tractor and flatbed trailer and turn them upside down and shake them, would your load still be secure? That’s the goal with cargo securement — your load should be so secure that nothing is going to make it come loose.

Flatbeds or dry vans.

You’ve put in the miles researching trucking companies for CDL drivers and have narrowed your list to a few top contenders. Now comes the part that can make or break your next move: asking the right trucking recruiter questions before you sign on. Too many drivers skip this step or only ask about pay and home time. That’s a fast way to end up in the wrong seat — and back on the job hunt sooner than you’d like.