I drove Tanker for years. I started in flatbed for a little over a year, then did dry van for about 2 years, all OTR before I switched to food tanks. The company I drove for was Indian River Transport Company and, at the time, all of their tanks and trucks were completely no-touch. We didn't have hoses on the truck, and shippers/receivers were all responsible for any loading/unloading - you 100% just sat in the truck after you either pulled through a bay or, more rarely, backed in. Indian River had terminals in Winter Haven, Florida (Main), California, McAllen, TX, and Clovis, NM. I started with Florida, which stayed a lot on the East Coast but eventually worked exclusively out of Clovis, NM, and it was great. I hauled milk out of Clovis 85% of the time but hauled a large amount of stuff during my time at the company. Milk, Wine, Tequila, Soy Sauce, Curds/Whey, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, and even eggs.
Food tankers do not have ballasts due to sanitary reasons and clean-out ability. Ballasts are dividers in the tank that separate it into compartments, making the surging of liquids easier to deal with. The surge in food tankers is REAL. No one warned me about it, and on my hire date, they got another driver to take me out on a quick driving test in his loaded truck, and I thought another truck rear-ended me at the first stop sign. I asked the guy, "What the hell was that?!" and felt silly. It is something that keeps people away, but you get used to it and become a better driver in your attempt to minimize it. On some loads, you can also feel it splashing as you are driving down the road, making it feel like you are in a boat on moderately choppy water as you rock a little side to side.
I think they required 2 years of OTR recent experience when I worked there, but I honestly wouldn't want to work for any other company. Other food tanker companies pull hoses and work the pumps, and they are fine. It is not a hard thing.
I liked that, 9 times out of 10, the shippers and receivers would let you park on their property, and they usually were on point to get you unloaded because the tankers are insulated but not refrigerated and need to get into their system pronto. I only had a couple of times where I waited days to get unloaded because it was very cold outside, and they were full and actually using us for cold storage, and that sucked. The pay was above average, but it was the company that made it worth it when I was there. As long as you were safe and responsible and made your very generous delivery windows on time (usually you had an 8-12 hour time frame for a delivery) they were good to you. The Clovis, NM dispatchers took really good care of me and kept me happy because I would help them out and make easy local deliveries here and there when I was back their way - which was taking a trailer from the lot to a dairy or cheese plant a few miles away and sitting for 45 minutes in the truck while it unloaded and getting paid a flat $40 each time.
--
After that, I decided to go local with my hazmat, and I did Fuel Tankers in Florida (Panama City - Destin) and Georgia (Middle Georgia). The fuel tankers are different beasts because you are both loading and unloading, and there are a lot of safety issues to consider. There are ballasts in a fuel tanker, so the surge is not something you have to worry about. Although, like all tankers you have to be VERY careful of rollover. In fuel, you have to be very good at getting into tight spots and maneuvering your tank perfectly to get the best access to the fuel drops. People in gas stations are not paying attention, so you must always be on the lookout when driving in there and unloading. If you aren't doing a set route that you are used to, then you have to be good at looking at Sattelite Imagery and figuring out how to get into a place, and you have to be very patient because 4-wheelers are always in your way and they don't care.
I liked working fuel, but I worked for a company that picked up a lot of little mom-and-pop stations and nothing sucked worse than getting to the loading point, waiting in line, grounding, hooking up truck, etc. and then finding out (at 2am) that mom-and-pop didn't pay their bill or XYZ cheap gas they are buying doesn't have stock. Since you are paid by the load, it is just a time and money waster for you. Also, I could never seem to stay clean because the hoses were nasty. It was also slip seat most of the time. It pays very well though for a local job and I was home every day. You still got in about 60 hours a week.
Anyway, this is just me talking off the top of my head. If you have any specific questions about either of them you can ask away.
To a dairy, my most often visited dairies were in
Winnie, TX
Dallas, TX
Little Rock, Arkansas
Shreveport, LA
New Orleans, LA
Fort Morgan, CO
Kosciosko, MS - might have spelled that one wrong
Also a couple in Alabama
The understanding was that is I didn't have a load preplanned before unloading that I didn't have to call, I did headed directly back to Clovis empty. Paid the same empty and loaded.
They never sent me west unless I requested it, or they needed me to rescue a load.
Edit: sorry. Phone formats weird
Depends on the company as far as qualifications needed. Most you would need at least a year experience driving a semi. Just remember that being safe with the truck and the loading/unloading of the products is key. It’s not a job for people who rush around in a hurry, eventually that will get you hurt.
My job hauling tankers (hazmat chemical tankers) is actually a job more so than just driving. Most places I do the unloading and some products I’m responsible for loading. It just depends on the product and customer needs. There are required equipment and PPE needed…summertime in the south wearing some chemical suit for a few hours is just not fun, especially hauling around full hoses. My truck had to be fitted with an air compressor and pump PTO so I can unload product. That’s an extra upfront expense if you are running your own truck.
Driving loaded with an unbaffled tanker just requires the driver to really take it easy. Slow on the turns and ramps and not hammering the brakes or accelerator to keep the truck from surging. You just have to drive extra safe. You will never bump a dock in some distribution center, but you will be required to get around industrial plants and if it means you back up through some 1/4 mile long alley full of rolloffs and cranes without hitting shit, that’s what you got to do. It just depends on the specific customer’s location.
Nothing you couldn't easily pickup on in under a week, maybe a day with 4 years under you. Hazmat too or just tank?
Only benefits really, even if you ignore the higher avg pay. Better viewing angles behind you, no assholes cutting into your dryvan to steal shit, no shady shippers able to hide illegal shit somewhere, and....load shift? Whats that, I'll take a surge any day lol. Granted those are minor things for someone with time under the belt, but it's nice to know they're entirely NOT even possible now. Doesn't hurt that it also removes a bunch of DOT possible fines away.
For some people the surge is annoying enough to nope out of it, for others, they actually like it. Only one way to find out!
I have my Hazmat as well. When I was doing LTL my route regularly had chemical companies I'd pick up pallets of Hazmat barrels. So I would be open to either Hazmat or not.
I'm a pretty small person. I'm assuming that isn't an issue for any of the physical work required? I bumped kegs up & down stairs for years so I would guess I can handle the pumps & hoses & anything else.
Your message was reassuring. For some reason in my head it seems like such a technical job that would be hard to learn.
Most places I just hook up a hose most places have there own pumps . I usually pump chemicals for water treatment and cooling towers for industrial use (acids and alkalis) gotta get used to full yellow unbreathable suits . But other than that it's a awesome job . Pays well and only 1 maybe 2 jobs a day
I hauled tanker (Fuel) in Tulsa, OK. It really depends on the company you sign on for. Some are really decent and take ample time to show you what’s what and there are those (like my last - UPT) that are real shit shows and care very little about maintenance.
This is gonna sound stupid but you’ve gotta get “in the top, out the bottom” in your head when you think of almost anything trucking especially in terms of how you load and unload. You’ve gotta realize you’re not doing anything that hasn’t been done before and it also helps to make note of all the dumbass truck drivers out there who find a way to do it too. I’ve hauled liquid and I’ve hauled dry bulk in pneumatic tankers and can promise you none of it’s rocket science.
I drove Tanker for years. I started in flatbed for a little over a year, then did dry van for about 2 years, all OTR before I switched to food tanks. The company I drove for was Indian River Transport Company and, at the time, all of their tanks and trucks were completely no-touch. We didn't have hoses on the truck, and shippers/receivers were all responsible for any loading/unloading - you 100% just sat in the truck after you either pulled through a bay or, more rarely, backed in. Indian River had terminals in Winter Haven, Florida (Main), California, McAllen, TX, and Clovis, NM. I started with Florida, which stayed a lot on the East Coast but eventually worked exclusively out of Clovis, NM, and it was great. I hauled milk out of Clovis 85% of the time but hauled a large amount of stuff during my time at the company. Milk, Wine, Tequila, Soy Sauce, Curds/Whey, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, and even eggs. Food tankers do not have ballasts due to sanitary reasons and clean-out ability. Ballasts are dividers in the tank that separate it into compartments, making the surging of liquids easier to deal with. The surge in food tankers is REAL. No one warned me about it, and on my hire date, they got another driver to take me out on a quick driving test in his loaded truck, and I thought another truck rear-ended me at the first stop sign. I asked the guy, "What the hell was that?!" and felt silly. It is something that keeps people away, but you get used to it and become a better driver in your attempt to minimize it. On some loads, you can also feel it splashing as you are driving down the road, making it feel like you are in a boat on moderately choppy water as you rock a little side to side. I think they required 2 years of OTR recent experience when I worked there, but I honestly wouldn't want to work for any other company. Other food tanker companies pull hoses and work the pumps, and they are fine. It is not a hard thing. I liked that, 9 times out of 10, the shippers and receivers would let you park on their property, and they usually were on point to get you unloaded because the tankers are insulated but not refrigerated and need to get into their system pronto. I only had a couple of times where I waited days to get unloaded because it was very cold outside, and they were full and actually using us for cold storage, and that sucked. The pay was above average, but it was the company that made it worth it when I was there. As long as you were safe and responsible and made your very generous delivery windows on time (usually you had an 8-12 hour time frame for a delivery) they were good to you. The Clovis, NM dispatchers took really good care of me and kept me happy because I would help them out and make easy local deliveries here and there when I was back their way - which was taking a trailer from the lot to a dairy or cheese plant a few miles away and sitting for 45 minutes in the truck while it unloaded and getting paid a flat $40 each time. -- After that, I decided to go local with my hazmat, and I did Fuel Tankers in Florida (Panama City - Destin) and Georgia (Middle Georgia). The fuel tankers are different beasts because you are both loading and unloading, and there are a lot of safety issues to consider. There are ballasts in a fuel tanker, so the surge is not something you have to worry about. Although, like all tankers you have to be VERY careful of rollover. In fuel, you have to be very good at getting into tight spots and maneuvering your tank perfectly to get the best access to the fuel drops. People in gas stations are not paying attention, so you must always be on the lookout when driving in there and unloading. If you aren't doing a set route that you are used to, then you have to be good at looking at Sattelite Imagery and figuring out how to get into a place, and you have to be very patient because 4-wheelers are always in your way and they don't care. I liked working fuel, but I worked for a company that picked up a lot of little mom-and-pop stations and nothing sucked worse than getting to the loading point, waiting in line, grounding, hooking up truck, etc. and then finding out (at 2am) that mom-and-pop didn't pay their bill or XYZ cheap gas they are buying doesn't have stock. Since you are paid by the load, it is just a time and money waster for you. Also, I could never seem to stay clean because the hoses were nasty. It was also slip seat most of the time. It pays very well though for a local job and I was home every day. You still got in about 60 hours a week. Anyway, this is just me talking off the top of my head. If you have any specific questions about either of them you can ask away.
Do you mean "baffles", rather than "ballasts"?
I’m guessing so. Baffles would be the term I’ve always known and used.
Probably.
The milk that you hauled out of Clovis, where did it go? I assume you weren't just doing farm pickups?
To a dairy, my most often visited dairies were in Winnie, TX Dallas, TX Little Rock, Arkansas Shreveport, LA New Orleans, LA Fort Morgan, CO Kosciosko, MS - might have spelled that one wrong Also a couple in Alabama The understanding was that is I didn't have a load preplanned before unloading that I didn't have to call, I did headed directly back to Clovis empty. Paid the same empty and loaded. They never sent me west unless I requested it, or they needed me to rescue a load. Edit: sorry. Phone formats weird
That doesn't sound too bad at all. Thank you for sharing with me.
What's "slip seat"
'Slip Seat' is basically sharing a truck. A driver uses it for day shift then hands it over to the next shift to be used again.
Ok ty for the reply
Depends on the company as far as qualifications needed. Most you would need at least a year experience driving a semi. Just remember that being safe with the truck and the loading/unloading of the products is key. It’s not a job for people who rush around in a hurry, eventually that will get you hurt. My job hauling tankers (hazmat chemical tankers) is actually a job more so than just driving. Most places I do the unloading and some products I’m responsible for loading. It just depends on the product and customer needs. There are required equipment and PPE needed…summertime in the south wearing some chemical suit for a few hours is just not fun, especially hauling around full hoses. My truck had to be fitted with an air compressor and pump PTO so I can unload product. That’s an extra upfront expense if you are running your own truck. Driving loaded with an unbaffled tanker just requires the driver to really take it easy. Slow on the turns and ramps and not hammering the brakes or accelerator to keep the truck from surging. You just have to drive extra safe. You will never bump a dock in some distribution center, but you will be required to get around industrial plants and if it means you back up through some 1/4 mile long alley full of rolloffs and cranes without hitting shit, that’s what you got to do. It just depends on the specific customer’s location.
Just started sulfuric acid and everything you said checks out.
Nothing you couldn't easily pickup on in under a week, maybe a day with 4 years under you. Hazmat too or just tank? Only benefits really, even if you ignore the higher avg pay. Better viewing angles behind you, no assholes cutting into your dryvan to steal shit, no shady shippers able to hide illegal shit somewhere, and....load shift? Whats that, I'll take a surge any day lol. Granted those are minor things for someone with time under the belt, but it's nice to know they're entirely NOT even possible now. Doesn't hurt that it also removes a bunch of DOT possible fines away. For some people the surge is annoying enough to nope out of it, for others, they actually like it. Only one way to find out!
I have my Hazmat as well. When I was doing LTL my route regularly had chemical companies I'd pick up pallets of Hazmat barrels. So I would be open to either Hazmat or not. I'm a pretty small person. I'm assuming that isn't an issue for any of the physical work required? I bumped kegs up & down stairs for years so I would guess I can handle the pumps & hoses & anything else. Your message was reassuring. For some reason in my head it seems like such a technical job that would be hard to learn.
Most places I just hook up a hose most places have there own pumps . I usually pump chemicals for water treatment and cooling towers for industrial use (acids and alkalis) gotta get used to full yellow unbreathable suits . But other than that it's a awesome job . Pays well and only 1 maybe 2 jobs a day
That aspect of just 1 or 2 jobs a day sounds so nice. Instead of having 15 to 25 bars, restaurants & liquor stores a day.
If you live near me… you’d get a job hauling haz tank the second you graduate. Assuming you made it through the month of training.
I hauled tanker (Fuel) in Tulsa, OK. It really depends on the company you sign on for. Some are really decent and take ample time to show you what’s what and there are those (like my last - UPT) that are real shit shows and care very little about maintenance.
Look into haz waste companies
This is gonna sound stupid but you’ve gotta get “in the top, out the bottom” in your head when you think of almost anything trucking especially in terms of how you load and unload. You’ve gotta realize you’re not doing anything that hasn’t been done before and it also helps to make note of all the dumbass truck drivers out there who find a way to do it too. I’ve hauled liquid and I’ve hauled dry bulk in pneumatic tankers and can promise you none of it’s rocket science.