Are they making a comeback ? Seems to be more on the road of late.
If I had a chance or had the notion, of going back on general haulage, it would be with a company that ran flats.
No ,just lots of bridge strikes 
I couldn’t be done with flatbed work, all that sheeting and worrying whether you’d done the right type of knot and had the excess rope neatly tucked under.
I like my sheeting and load securing done with the flick of a rocker switch in the cab. 
Muckaway:
I couldn’t be done with flatbed work, all that sheeting and worrying whether you’d done the right type of knot and had the excess rope neatly tucked under.
I like my sheeting and load securing done with the flick of a rocker switch in the cab.
Or wet down with the hose 
Muckaway:
I couldn’t be done with flatbed work, all that sheeting and worrying whether you’d done the right type of knot and had the excess rope neatly tucked under.
Knot in the slightest . . .hmfff
So you have never done flatbed work then ?
Only proper lorry drivers can rope and sheet.
Bring flats back and a lot would not have a clue.
Mind you a lot do not have a clue anyway. Lol.
Quick, somebody needs to mention “the” gearbox, let’s get this “They don’t know they’re born” thread firing on all cylinders.
A real shame curtainsiders more or less fazed them out, its a dying art.
Still a bit old school, i really rate tilts even though theres stripping them down and building back up ect, wouldnt want a regular curtainsider…
Flats are fine and even a bit of fun sometimes unless …
you have to sheet the cursed thing.
I don’t care what anyone says I found it was usually hard, heavy dirty slow work if sheeting was required in the summertime although some loads were easier than others.
Winter just added plenty of wet and cold misery while hoping the sheet wouldn’t blow.
Even folding and loading the sheets when tipped was a PIA.
Bloody dangerous too on any high load. I despised bales of cardboard going for recycling.
Some guys were great artists at it but I could never see the point myself and Tilts were arriving rapidly although stripping and rebuilding some of them was a fair workout too.
You gotta love Euroliners for that type of work now.
Sheething is best consigned to history and I think the generation that never experienced it are missing nothing.
But why did someone mention gearboxes■■?
I would love another go on a 13 speed Fuller for a day and preferably in a V8 Turbostar.
I know she won’t touch the FH for comfort or quietness but for power, speed and of course satisfaction it’s no contest.
The question is would I want to keep her or hand her back at the end of the day■■?
I would love to know that answer.
Why did I mention gearboxes? It’s a bit of a ■■■■ take really, there’s a few lorry groups on Facebook and every week a new thread starts up about how drivers of today are pampered princesses and couldn’t rope and sheet or change gear with a twin splitter.
Used to do general haulage years ago and mainly enjoyed the challenge of not knowing what you were going to pick up from one day to the next and figuring out the best way to secure, rope and sheet it. Although these days I would certainly struggle with lifting the sheets, they were heavy.
I used to rope and sheet regularly and was where I started from. I still do it now with some loads but I don’t ‘volunteer’ for it.
With the wind outside today it is bloody hard work. It’s bad enough pulling the curtains in high wind but a sheet is in a league of its own.
Suedehead:
If I had a chance or had the notion, of going back on general haulage, it would be with a company that ran flats.
Are you having a girraffe mate? 
Who tf, who is not a practicing masochist, wants to go back to the days of lifting 2 30x20 sheets and a ■■■■ heavy plastic drip, and folding them out in a bloody hurricane and the ■■■■■■■ rain, on a dockside in the dark. Getting all messed up with dirty black saturated ropes, then having to go through it again when tipping, then trying to fold them up again in the same conditions
…two words mate, second word being … ‘‘That’’ 
You are welcome to it bud, I’ll stick with my Taut thanks.
Flats dont act like a sail as a curtainsider does though especially the taller ones in the UK…
Flat beds are ok for loads that just require strapping/ropeing only but the OP has a point as I seem to have seen more about lately.
robroy:
Who tf, who is not a practicing masochist, wants to go back to the days of lifting 2 30x20 sheets and a [zb] heavy plastic drip, and folding them out in a bloody hurricane and the ■■■■■■■ rain, on a dockside in the dark. Getting all messed up with dirty black saturated ropes, then having to go through it again when tipping, then trying to fold them up again in the same conditions
…two words mate, second word being … ‘‘That’’You are welcome to it bud, I’ll stick with my Taut thanks.
Amen to that, Brother!
Harry Monk:
robroy:
Who tf, who is not a practicing masochist, wants to go back to the days of lifting 2 30x20 sheets and a [zb] heavy plastic drip, and folding them out in a bloody hurricane and the ■■■■■■■ rain, on a dockside in the dark. Getting all messed up with dirty black saturated ropes, then having to go through it again when tipping, then trying to fold them up again in the same conditions
…two words mate, second word being … ‘‘That’’You are welcome to it bud, I’ll stick with my Taut thanks.
Amen to that, Brother!
Out of all of it, it was the getting filthy dirty I hated. Even in the summer.
Or lying in a warm bunk in the morning listening to the pouring rain and knowing you had to take three sheets off and fold them up.
Standing on oily machines trying to drape sheet over while hanging on for grim life…
Glad for me that roping and sheeting is a distant memory.
I can rope and sheet .
I can drive a twin splitter .
I can but I don’t want to - quite happy with the I shift and a euroliner thank you .
The word most of you are looking for is PROGRESS - there is now a simpler and easier way .
newmercman:
Why did I mention gearboxes? It’s a bit of a ■■■■ take really, there’s a few lorry groups on Facebook and every week a new thread starts up about how drivers of today are pampered princesses and couldn’t rope and sheet or change gear with a twin splitter.
I like your sense of humour and I have seen a bit of that here alright
I think overall driving was easier in the mid 80’s when I sarted and into the 90’s than it is today so I would be very hesitant to take a superiority attitude towards the industry new joiners.
It was a much different skill set back then for sure and those skills took time to learn and made it easy separate the good from the bad but even the weak found their niche eventually.
I never had to do too much cursed R&S myself and good riddance to it as the other guys have said.
I would imagine most newbies with average ability would get the better of a crash box in a few days.
But it was much more relaxed before with more freedom to do it your own way.
Now it has become a micromanaged game of chaos that breaks down frequently and most want to blame the driver who is today on much poorer pay and conditions.
Phones, trackers, timed deliveries in a UK transport infrastructure that was maxed out some time ago is stressful now.
The daily pressure even of finding a place to park for the night, or can I really afford a decent dinner if I could find one?
Then the nasty inhouse infringement letter or worse,a police fine for Operation Stack or other traffic jam nonsense
I admire the new guys who just take it all in their stride.
Yes, they are handheld a lot of the time but certainly not pampered.
I agree with Beefy and the others that there is progress in some parts of the job but overall I am doubtful.
I do wonder where did it all go wrong and what will it be like in 10 more years?
We started out at about the same time, so I know what you mean.
The rate of progress has been mental over the last few years, when we started a 420 was as big as you could get, now a 450 high roof with comfort levels and convenience we couldn’t have dreamed of are used on supermarket deliveries.
The downsides are as you mentioned, given the choice I’d take the old boneshakers back and have the job the way it was, even if it did mean roping and sheeting, unfortunately you don’t need rose tinted glasses to see that it was a much better job back then.