Flatbedding in the Winter
Flatbed truckers typically haul construction equipment and supplies. In the dead of winter they are out in the snow, on top of ice covered loads and in the pouring rain while attempting to tie down their loads as quickly as possible. For those of you who drive a flat bed or are wanting to get into it, I thought I would post some of the tricks that we have learned over the years.
|
Tips & Tricks
1) Latex Gloves
Wear them under your winter gloves or under your regular work gloves. Latex gloves will be prevent your hands from getting cold and wet. My favorite combination is woolen gloves on first, latex gloves and then regular work gloves on top.
2) Rain = shorts
If it is raining hard sometimes your best option is to wear as little as possible. Wet pants can weigh you down dangerously (particularly when climbing) and the dampness can sink into your skin and make you cold.
3) Thick woolen socks
Always keep your feet dry. If you need multiple pairs of socks to do so, then it is worth it. Wet socks can cause you to slip when climbing and can cause you to get colder faster.
4) Beard/Face Mask
As soon as it starts to get cold, grow a beard. If you not a man or you just don't have it in you to grow those long luscious facial locks, then get a face mask. Before I got my face mask, my lips would freeze and I would often get a really bad case of windburn on my lips. If you have asthma, it will help protect your lungs from the chilled air. Bonus: It makes you look like a ninja. |
5) Warm up food or a drink before you get outside
Face it, it is nice to come back to something warm when you have been outside in below freezing weather for a couple of hours.
6) Take breaks
It takes a lot longer to tie down a load in the winter no matter what you do. You will probably find that you will move faster if you take a break every 15-20 minutes and go inside to warm up your hands, drink something and change your clothes if you need to.
7) Coverage/shelter/rocks
There is no other way to say it. Tarping in the winter sucks. You put your tap on and it's raining, you take it off and you have a solid block of ice to fold up neatly and tie down on your headache rack. My only recommendation is that if the wind is blowing - you search for something to block the wind and if its raining - you find some shelter (or do it really, really fast). You can also use rocks and wood to hold down a tarp that keeps catching the wind. You may want to consider teaming with someone in the winter (training or otherwise); this will allow you to get loads tied down more quickly.
8) Drying
Whenever you get done with tying down a load, put your gloves, shoes and socks underneath the foot warmer under the dashboard. It will dry them off very quickly.
Face it, it is nice to come back to something warm when you have been outside in below freezing weather for a couple of hours.
6) Take breaks
It takes a lot longer to tie down a load in the winter no matter what you do. You will probably find that you will move faster if you take a break every 15-20 minutes and go inside to warm up your hands, drink something and change your clothes if you need to.
7) Coverage/shelter/rocks
There is no other way to say it. Tarping in the winter sucks. You put your tap on and it's raining, you take it off and you have a solid block of ice to fold up neatly and tie down on your headache rack. My only recommendation is that if the wind is blowing - you search for something to block the wind and if its raining - you find some shelter (or do it really, really fast). You can also use rocks and wood to hold down a tarp that keeps catching the wind. You may want to consider teaming with someone in the winter (training or otherwise); this will allow you to get loads tied down more quickly.
8) Drying
Whenever you get done with tying down a load, put your gloves, shoes and socks underneath the foot warmer under the dashboard. It will dry them off very quickly.