That period between Thanksgiving and Christmas marks the busiest time of year on U.S. roads. Millions of people take to the interstates as they travel to see family and friends in faraway places. They get to share the road with all sorts of trucks carrying cargo back and forth. Spend a few hours following flatbeds down the interstate and you will see all sorts of interesting things.
If variety is the spice of life, it is also the spice of flatbed trucking. Imagine being a truck driver and having to account for 10 different kinds of loads in as many trips. No single load is typical. A trucker might use a parachute tarp on one load but no tarp on the next. Another load might call for blocks and chains while yet another can be tied down with ratchet straps.
The many different configurations are all the result of the non-uniform nature of flatbed loads. Indeed, the whole point behind flatbed trailers is the reality that there are some things that will not fit in a box trailer. Flatbed loads come in all shapes and sizes. Each requires a unique cargo control set up.
Just Barely Hanging On
Imagine your trip down the interstate beginning with one particular truck that just doesn’t look safe. You pull alongside the trailer, gaze out the side window, and see what appears to you as a load of lumber just barely hanging on. But what looks unsafe to you is actually very safe in reality.
What’s the deal? According to Ohio-based Mytee Products, professional truck drivers know the most efficient ways to tie down their loads without excess. They are experts in all things cargo control, including working load limits and federal regulations regarding the number of tie-downs needed. Even if a load doesn’t look secure to you, it has been secured by the driver.
Cargo Control Overkill
The other end of the ‘barely hanging on’ coin is cargo control overkill. Imagine the next flatbed you see carrying a load of palletized construction supplies. Let’s say paver stones as an example. Not only is each pallet tied down with three ratchet straps, but you also notice blocks between the pallets. The entire load is covered with a couple of lumber tarps wrapped tightly around the stones.
The truck driver in that rig has, undoubtedly, gone to great lengths to make sure the load is completely secure and protected against the elements. He has practiced cargo control overkill by most standards. But that driver deemed it necessary for whatever reason. As long as his load gets to its destination intact and undamaged, it doesn’t really matter.
A Science to It
The lesson to be learned as you tool down the highway is that there is a science to cargo control. Those of us who do not drive a truck for a living really have no idea what goes into securing a load and getting it to its destination. Cargo control is part science, part regulation, part intuition, and part art form.
The science aspect is probably the most important of all. Drivers have to understand physics in order to get things right. They use straps and chains to prevent forward and lateral movement. They use blocks to prevent certain kinds of cargo from rolling. They use edge protectors to protect their tarps and straps.
Variety is a word that describes flatbed trucking quite well. Between different kinds of loads and the many ways to secure them, there is no typical day at the office for the flatbed trucker. That could be good or bad.
