The Mistakes That New Flatbed Truck Drivers Need to Avoid

There are over 38.9 million trucks registered for business use in the United States, and you’re going to be driving one of them. You have your commercial driver’s license (CDL), and you’re raring to get on the road to start your new career. But pump the brakes for a second.

As thorough as the CDL tests are, they don’t cover every aspect of hauling freight that you’ll need to know in your new career. Mistakes can happen if you’re not careful as a new driver. And these are the biggest blunders you’ll need to avoid when navigating the roads safely with a flatbed trailer in tow.

Mistake 1 – Forgetting That You’re Still Learning

Your first few years of driving a truck are about refining and building on the skills you learned while working toward your CDL. You don’t know everything. Nobody does. And approaching your trips with overconfidence, or even arrogance, is a surefire way to open the door for little mistakes to leak into your driving.

For instance, you need to know more than how to drive your truck to transport cargo safely. You have to learn about the roads you travel. Which are truck-friendly? Which have low bridges or are too narrow to accommodate a wide load? You’ll regret not learning the answers to questions like these if you find yourself staring at a bridge that you can’t fit under.

The point is simple – you’ll always be a student. Forget that fact, and you’re heading toward a flatbed fiasco.

Mistake 2 – Driving Too Fast

You’re cruising on the highway. There’s not a car in sight. The temptation is always there to put your foot down and speed up, especially if you have a tight delivery deadline to meet. But that’s a mistake when you’re driving a flatbed truck for a simple reason – you’re hauling a lot of weight.

A flatbed truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds (truck, trailer, and load included), which is a lot of weight to control even when you’re driving properly. By going faster than you should, you make every turn more difficult to handle, every bend a bigger challenge than it should be, and you increase your stopping distance considerably.

Be safe, not speedy.

Remember, it only takes one mistake from driving too fast to cause an accident that could cost you your cargo or even your life.

Mistake 3 – Missing Road Signs

With your satellite navigation system to guide you, keeping an eye on road signs isn’t as necessary for the modern driver, right? Any driver who’s had to maneuver their flatbed out of a dead end can tell you how wrong that statement is. Road signs are as invaluable today as they ever were, not least because satellite navigation systems aren’t 100% accurate.

Simply put – they can lead you astray.

Road signs offer a clearer and more accurate representation of what’s on the road ahead. Ignore them at your peril.

Mistake 4 – Skipping the Pre-Trip Inspection

You get your assignment and rush out the door. You’re on a tight deadline, and you just want to get on the road so you can get your delivery dropped off as quickly as possible. So, you skip the pre-trip inspection. Your flatbed was fine on its last journey. What are the chances that something will go wrong if you skip the inspection just this once?

The answer is more often than you think. And failures in the truck or its flatbed are sometimes the causes of the 4,714 deaths that result from large truck crashes every year.

If that’s scary reading to you, it should be. It should also emphasize why safety is paramount when towing a flatbed, which brings you back to the necessity of your pre-trip inspection. A good inspection covers the following aspects of your truck and trailer:

The passenger-side engine
Your front wheels and front brakes
The driver’s side of the engine
Your truck’s rear and steer axle suspension
All sides of your cab
All sides of your trailer
The trailers suspension
Every gauge inside the truck
Your tire and oil pressure

That’s a very general list that doesn’t cover everything you need to check within these main areas. But you’ll have learned about the specifics when studying for your CDL license. Don’t forget them. Carry out the inspection every time, no matter how much pressure you face.

Mistake 5 – Forgetting Your Own Health Needs

Trucking is a time-consuming job that’ll sometimes make you feel like you spend more time acquainted with the tarmac than with your own home. That’s a recipe for forgetting about self-care, which can be a disaster when you’re driving an 80,000-pound flatbed truck.

First and foremost, on the personal health docket – sleep.

State rules vary on how long you can drive your truck before you’re mandated to take a break. For instance, California requires interstate drivers to take a 30-minute break for every eight hours of driving and can be on duty no more than 14 hours before taking a rest. And of those 14 hours, you can only drive for 11. Intrastate driving is a little different. You can drive for 12 hours with no breaks for these short-haul trips.

Those rules exist for a reason. Failing to follow them leads to exhaustion, which is bad for your stress levels and increases the chances of you causing an accident on the road.

Other aspects of your health that need attention are your diet and exercise. As tasty as the grub may be at quick-and-easy truck stops, it’s rarely the healthiest food around. And the walk from the cab to the diner doesn’t count as exercise. Make time to exercise between (and during trips) while focusing on maintaining a healthy diet.

Keep Learning as You Go as a Flatbed Truck Rookie

Mistakes happen in any new role. You’re still learning, even if you have your CDL, and you have to become familiar with your truck, the loads it carries, and the rigors of regularly flatbed towing. The key is to be aware of the big mistakes that can lead to major problems down the road. Take care of yourself, and you take care of other drivers. Don’t drive too fast, never skip inspections, and pay attention during every drive. Every trip is a learning experience, and you’ll need to learn fast to succeed as a trucker.

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