Third Generation Trucker Breaks Down Flatbed Safety | Daniel Kinsman on Drivers First

Third Generation Trucker Breaks Down Flatbed Safety | Daniel Kinsman on Drivers First

July 3, 2026 · 52 min · Season 1 · Episode 83

About this episode

Daniel Kinsman discusses the intricacies of flatbed trucking and the importance of load securement safety.

In this episode of Drivers First on Trucker Talk Radio, Daniel Kinsman, a third-generation truck driver and president of the Flatbed Safety Securement Group, joins Jon and Justin for a deep dive into what it truly means to master the craft of flatbed, step deck, and heavy haul trucking. Daniel's story starts at 7 years old, climbing into an FLA Freightliner cabover while his mother, one of Covenant Transport's first female trainers, homeschooled him across all 48 states and 4 provinces of Canada. From pay phones and Quailcomm units to a $4.5 million Faymonville trailer loaded with 380,000 pounds of iron, he has lived every era of this industry. Daniel breaks down the real rules of load securement, including chain spacing, strap counts, direct vs. indirect tie requirements, and the state-specific laws that go beyond the FMCSA Green Book. He explains how the rules governing flatbed were literally written in blood, and why the industry has a responsibility to pass that hard-earned knowledge down to the next generation. That mission is what drives the Flatbed Safety Securement Group, a Facebook community he now leads that was born out of a roadside encounter with a driver who had no…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jon Vogt, Justin

Guest: Daniel Kinsman

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Flatbed Safety Securement Group, Covenant Transport, FMCSA

Places: 48 states, 4 provinces of Canada

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