Steel haulage

[paulgy]

I have just finished my second week on an artic, I’m delivering reels of paper and timber, so far it has been really enjoyable work, one drop and no back load. However the boss is trying to get me to go on a steel haulage contract that the firm has, it seems that none of the other drivers want to do it. I was wondering if anyone has any experience of steel haulage, and can shed some light on the matter. One of the other drivers says that he won’t do it because you wait to get loaded and tipped for hours, I’m not sure what to do, do I stick with what I’m doing or do I give the steel a try.

Paul

[flatbedman]

stay away!
saying that, a lot of people like it, its true you can wait for hours to tip or be loaded, then theres the sheeting up and chains and straps, its bearable in the summer but its a pig in the wind, rain and cold of winter, a lot of places i used to go you used to have to strap your own loads when getting tipped!!
im not shy to say i didnt like it and wouldnt do it again, but each to their own.

paul

[rob_k]

Steel haulage is great… when you’ve got a 20ft or 40ft container and you sit in the cab reading your paper and listening to Johnny Walker while they load it in the back . I’ve not done any other form of steel haulage and from what I’ve seen, I certainly have no intention of doing so either

However, I prefer the (lazy)easy life pulling fridges thanks. Okay I might have to get in the back now and again with a pallet truck to shovel some pallets of bananas about (at nearly a tonne per pallet it’s no fun either) but at least I don’t get wet, don’t have to worry about strapping my load down securely (like with steel on a flat), don’t have to worry about it coming through the head-board into the cab, don’t have to worry about it falling off the sides nor [zb] about with heavy chains in a force 9 gale.

Some people thrive on it (try speaking to POP drivers ) but it’s not for me.

If other drivers don’t want to do it, it should automatically ring alarm bells that something’s amiss

[simon]

I did steel haulage for two and a half years. Like many jobs some like it, some don’t.

If you’ll be doing it with a flat, you need chains and tensioners, if its thick enough. When I was on it, anything less than 10mm we classed as thin . On thin sheets, you need plenty of straps with plenty of protectors, cause steel will cut straight through the webbing. You will also need sheets.

Some places, like docks, won’t let you out without sheeting the load, after its been sitting on the dock-side for a month. Then when you get to the customer, they drop it outside in a corner of their yard. Lots of wasted time.

PM me if you’ll be on flats and I’ll give you lots more info, or just ask for more info in here.

[jimti]

I used to work for Parker Steel on multi drop work, and I used to enjoy it most of the time, just the management that was a problem for me …We had around 20 loads into the warehouse every day, most of them had fixed tip times, but had to wait for up to a full day to tip…It did get better by the time I left the company, but still wasn’t good. You always end up filthy dirty and it is hard graft, but we had some drivers who were always doing the same work, although the company they worked for did general haulage and the drivers could swap and change, some chose to stay on the Steel.
try it, on the proviso that if you like it you keep doing it, if you don’t your boss should not ask you to do it again

[paulgy]

What’s the use in sheeting something that spends months exposed to the elements, besides I haven’t got a clue how to sheet a load . Simon it will be on flat trailers, and most of it is heavy girder type stuff. Another worry is the length of the trailers; some of those extending ones look massive .

[jimti]

we never extended our trailers, just let load hang out the back, and if really long over the cab as well (up to 18 metres)

[shogun]

jimti:
I used to work for Parker Steel on multi drop work,

SNAP!!!

Don’t give my regards to Guy or Dominic Parker if you see them, they made me redundant!!

Dave

[shogun]

A lot depends on what kind of steel and which steel company they haul for.

Bright Bar is no problem so long as it gets load correctly and to the customer DRY. There is a good chance it could be turned away if wet. We used to get loads shot all over the place. (some stockholders will not allow the use of chains particully with bright steel as it can damage it)

I used to run out of Corus’s Wednesbury site when working for CBA metals picking up our own stock and have seen artics stuck in there for hours waiting to load. (I think the Bloomfield road site in Tipton is now closed).
C & S Steels was another I went to in Bilston and Dudley (Highfields Road and Pear Tree Lane) that was loads of small bundles which was more of a pain than the full tonne bundles out of Corus.

DAve

[jimti]

shogun:

jimti:
I used to work for Parker Steel on multi drop work,

SNAP!!!

Don’t give my regards to Guy or Dominic Parker if you see them, they made me redundant!!

Dave

I wish they had made me redundant!! best thing I ever did was to leave them…Dangerous loads egotistical transport muddler and health & safety bloke was scared to upset the Parkers. Every morning when I checked my load I had to take it back into the warehouse to be re stacked or made safe, and even with a weigh bridge they still managed to overload the axles half the time
You had a lucky escape

[simon]

If you need or want it, you will get training on all the equipment you will be using, so don’t worry about trombones. Just take extra room on corners they always seem to follow really badly, even when closed up, at least the ones I’ve used have been. You will need a hard hat, yellow vest and steelies. You will also want waterproofs.

Securing the load is based on the simple basics of, 100% against sliding forward (the headboard), 50% against sideways (your chains) and 25% against backwards (the friction caused by the tension of the load securing gear). Thats if I remember it correctly .

For beams we always used chains, minimum of 3. 1 near the front ensuring clearance for the 5th wheel. 1 near the back and 1 in the middle, funnily enough. Don’t forget to ensure you’re clear of your suspension and mudwings before tightening up the chains . It has been missed and chains and suspension have been damaged .

Sheeting a load is also pretty simple really. With a trombone you will want two 3/4 length (35footish) sheets which are a little over 3m wide.
Spread your first sheet over the back of the load. Protect the sheet from the sharp corners of your load. Secure the back of the sheet over the back of the load, then stretch it out as tight as possible forwards. Then tie the sides down keeping everything tight. Then put the other sheet over the front, either just over the headboard or pulling it tight against the headboard, again keeping everything you can see tight. Pull the back of that sheet over the top of your back sheet and stretch it out tight. Then tie the sides down tight again.
You want two sheets because you can overlap to a greater or lesser extent depending on how long your load is. If you only have one long sheet you will have a lot of extra length to get rid of when you’re trombone is closed up.
You might have a drip sheet to go over the load under your main sheets, its mainly to protect them from the load and to catch any drips. You might also have a fly sheet to go over your main sheets. The main sheets are usually heavy tarpaulin, the drip sheet will be an old knackered main sheet and the fly sheet is normally the heavy plastic coated type of tarp, to go over the top for total waterproofing .
You might get a bit of training on sheeting as well, most likely to be getting help to sheet your first load and your mates load

About half an hour after you drive off with your load, stop and check that your chains are still tight. With the flexing of your trailer, steel will settle and chains will occasionally come slack.

As to your question about the point of sheeting a load off the docks? I’ve got no idea really, probably because they can and you have next to no choice.

[pat_hasler]

flatbedman:
stay away!
saying that, a lot of people like it, its true you can wait for hours to tip or be loaded, then theres the sheeting up and chains and straps, its bearable in the summer but its a pig in the wind, rain and cold of winter, a lot of places i used to go you used to have to strap your own loads when getting tipped!!
im not shy to say i didnt like it and wouldnt do it again, but each to their own.

paul

I wouldn’t want anyone else to sheet or strap my load of anything having fell foulf to someone elses slapshod work in the past. Steel is of special risk because it can slide if in sheet form or roll free in coils. I have seen mant ‘FATAL’ accidents involving steel loads, you cannot take shortcuts, every load needs 100% security, it is too late after you loose a sheet that cuts someone in half or a coil that flattens a car and family… I have seen both

[rick_b]

I am currently working on steel haulage and carry anything from a 14 kg piece of pipe to 29 tonne of round bars, railway lines, coils, nuggets bloody allsorts.

The job in itself is what you make of it and as stated in a previous post you cannot cut corners with load security. Steel has no friends and doesn’t care who it hurts. If I pick a load up and am not happy with it then I’ll ask for it to be moved and if they moan about moving it I simply say, “Ok, I’ll leave the trailer here then”. As soon as you start dropping it they usually move it round for you but to be fair they are rarely funny about it.

I’m not sure about this waiting for hours to be unload/loaded, usually waiting time is due to breaks of the customer or the fork truck driver, some forkies run a mile when they see you approach

I can have anything from 1 drop to 10 drops per day obviously depending on where I am going or if a night out is involved. Often in the afternoons I will fetch in trailers that have been dropped and loaded at strategic points in steel firms.

Give it a go and see what you think, you have nothing to lose and experience to gain. In my opinion it is the bottom end of the lorry drivers fraternity but it does have its good points. (Not many but some) In general you get to speak to more people during the day especially on multi drop and you’re not likely to be sat bored stiff up and down the motorway too often.

There’s loads to say about all jobs and I’m waffling now about this but what the hell it beats whinging.

Do it now while the weather is reasonable cus in the winter it’s got to be the worst job you can imagine. Waking up after a night out to see a frozen sheet on the back is no joke especially when undoing the ropes. Folding the ■■■■ sheet in the wind is an art as well. It all goes to make an interesting job.

[flatbedman]

why do people dive in without reading posts correctly?
pat, i wasnt on about load security, i was on about strapping the bundles for the overhead crane, i used to have to climb all over the load with the straps whilst the crane operator stood on the floor smoking and drinking coffee whilst also having time to chat to his mate, really hard work!!

paul

[alan_1]

I have done a few days of multi drop steel delivery, the only compliats I have heard about it is one local company that runs a 100 year old heap & uses straps to hold the steel down.
I normally avoid multi drop, but this was varied, long loads, sheets, 10 drops of mixed it is just so varied.

[brummie]

A lot depends on what kind of steel and what kind of trailer.

Beware of “chains and dogs”, they can be extremely vicious as I learnt to my own cost. I lost 11 teeth, broke my top jaw in four places, broke my bottom jaw in four places, and split the palette (roof of mouth) from my front teeth right back to my throat. Funnily enough, it didn’t hurt 'coz I was in too much shock !!! Made a nasty, bloody mess all over the trailer though !

[paulgy]

Bloody hell Brummie, I bet that hurt the next morning.

I went in to work today for a hour and half, I have finally got my own wagon and I wanted to go in and clean it up a bit. The guy who had it before me left it in a right mess, I found some news papers over 18 months old in there, what a tramp he was. It’s a W reg, Daf 85 CF, not the best in the world, but its mine and I will take care of it. Anyway it has been used on steel and it has 4 chains and two different types of tentioners in the locker at the back of the wagon. One is a ratchet type with a hook at each end, the other has a type of bar in the middle, there is also a extension bar. The work I will be doing is all long beam and girder type stuff from Scunthorpe steel works and Clugstons warehouse, its all flat bed work and most of our trailers seem to have two sheets with them. I will be going to Walkden Manchester with another driver tomorrow, to see if I like it or not. Btw what’s a dog if its not a four legged type.

Paul

[brummie]

The DAF 85 CF is a lovely motor, nice and easy to drive, comfortable inside too ! Nice truck !

The “dog” is the tensioner - its got two hooks, one at each end, a kind of mechanism between them, and a handle about a foot long. Its really hard to explain how to operate one but your mate will show you.

If you use the “dog”, instead of the ratchet, use a hollow scaffold pole as an extension bar and close the mechanism at arm’s length, away from your face. Health & Safety will frown upon you if you use the extension bar as you’re supposed to close the handle by hand, yet you can never get the tension required without it.

When the handle is closed, it will lie in parallel with the mechanism, hooks and chains - you’ll see how it works when you use it tomorrow. Watch out if the handle is slightly bent as it doesn’t lie parallel with the rest. A bent handle has a habit of springing open under tension so keep your face well away, a straight handle won’t. The handles get bent because drivers use scaffold poles on them ! Catch 22 I know !

It happened when I first started driving HGV, 15 years ago. I was moving 11 concrete test blocks weighing 2 tonnes each. One of the chains came loose so I stopped, got on the trailer and re-tightened it. It was dark (0400 hrs mid-winter) so I took a closer look to make sure it had closed properly and BANG !!! You know the rest.

Throw your chains over your load and under the trailer’s chassis rails. Don’t attach your chains to the hooks under the edge of the trailer (used for roping and sheeting) as they’re not strong enough. I’ve seen drivers chain 22 tonne loads using these hooks which are only tack-welded on. If they ever lost their load they’ve only got themselves to blame.

Tension the chains whilst standing on the ground, not on the trailer. A month prior to the other accident, I was on top of a dozen or so steel piles, chaining them onto the trailer, about 12 feet off the ground. One minute I was on the trailer, the next minute I was in a warm hospital bed - I had been there for four days unconscious. I still can’t remember falling off the trailer. A totally surreal experience !

[oddsodz]

another thing to remember when using tighteners and chains is to put all the chain tighteners on the nearside of the truck,so if they come lose (which they will) when you retighten them you wont be stood out in the trafic doing it,

[brummie]

oddsodz:
another thing to remember when using tighteners and chains is to put all the chain tighteners on the nearside of the truck,so if they come lose (which they will) when you retighten them you wont be stood out in the trafic doing it,

Yes, I forgot about that - most important !