Question:
Since many out there have asked me about being a tanker-yanker I thought I'd post this again. This is for any of you out there who may be considering or curious about driving a tanker. Mind you that these are MY REASONS why I am so into tank and against running a box trailer again, though I WAS giving consideration to several non-tanker companies...Shaffer (reefer), Crete (dry van), and my first company, Coast Midwest Transport (dry van). Yes, most tanker outfits require at least one year OTR experience, but there are a couple that either will train you right out of school (Comcar's C.T.L. Distribution and Schneider) or have their own school for hauling a tank (Schneider). Mind you, the following info is for chemical tankers, not food-grade or fuel/gasoline.
Detention Pay:
The #1 reason why I PULL tank vice a box is this. In trucking you will be waiting, so why not get paid for it? Yes, most tanker companies require you to give up the first hour or two (some three) free, but after that you draw an hourly wage provided you were on time for your delivery/load. Put together the hours you spend waiting to load/unload in a week and multiply that at say, $8 @ hour (after the first or even second hour) and see how much extra income that provides. By the way, that $8 is the lowest figure I've seen for detention pay...
Safety:
When pulling a tank, I don't worry about my dispatcher asking me to run a load that I couldn't get to it's destination "yesterday". If a situation arises where you can't make it there on time, a phone call is made and the receiver is notified. I get plenty of time to meet my delivery appointments. Remember that proper communication is the key here, as with any kind of freight hauling.
Loading/Unloading:
I never deal with lumpers tanking...period. Loading is done by the shipper and my involvement requires opening the tank's dome lid and monitoring the product loading, getting my paperwork, and getting on the road. Yes, as a tanker I do the majority of the unloading. I'm compensated for this also, and I'd much rather hook up several hoses and watch for leaks, pressurize my tank and ensure the pressure stays constant, and finally clean out my equipment when complete then to drag a pallet jack back and forth, count pieces of freight, or deal with lumpers. If I have to take the tank to a washout facility then more pay for the miles there, and for the tank wash itself. If I wanted some hard and very well-earned money for physical labor I'd go flatbedding. But in regards to box, I'm not a dock worker and regardless of how much "no touch freight %" a company has, no thanks. The exception to this is if a box company does primarily drop-and-hook and is able to keep your wheels turning (=miles and $$$).
Miles and Hometime:
Why do a lot of people think that tankers don't put a lot of miles in weekly? True, maybe not as much as a box driver who actually has a freight base to support high miles OR may bend the log book when needed, but the tank drivers I know are turning at least a consistent 2300 to 2500 a week if driving in a regional or OTR position, and some actually more. One way or another I keep the wheels moving, even if it's doing some local driving, where I get paid a percentage of the load's cost (some companies pay mileage plus an additional short haul premium). And it does seem that the hometime in tanker is more frequent than other trucking types unless you're in a local or regional position, or on a dedicated account.
Logs:
I get tired of the saying that you won't make a living if you don't learn how to fudge the log book here and there. How true at times, but in van, reefer, or flats you simply CANNOT log events as they happen, because you'll eat up a lot of your time waiting to load/unload. Depending on your individual needs, you CAN and WILL make a comfortable income logging events as they happen with a tanker, due to getting paid for your time waiting on line four (on-duty, not driving).
Shippers and Receivers:
Simply put, much more pleasent to deal with. In tanker I deal with people happy to see and work with me. Can you say that on a consistent basis at a grocery warehouse, distribution center, or automotive plant? I couldn't, and was in shock for my first several loads with a tank at the reception I got at the chemical plants.
Miscellaneous:
Yes, tankers do haul some nasty stuff. That's why you spend the time you do in training. Those chemicals can mess you up (and possibly kill you) if you don't pay attention and adhere to proper procedures. Hauling a tank does require A LOT of safety awareness and responsibility. This isn't a knock against any other type of driver, but some just don't want to deal with that. And there are some drivers who would rather open a couple of doors and bump a dock or drop and hook trailers. Then there are the ones who just like to be able to drive faster than others, and if you try that here you are very prone to flipping a tank just for taking an off ramp or turn too fast. That "beast" in the tank will walk up the sidewall and well, you can imagine the rest. No thanks. I'll be happy taking forever to get up to the posted speed limit, taking my turns at five mph, slowing down way in advance of that stop ahead, etc.
Now for the NEGATIVES:
Assigned equipment:
That is, if it really is that much of an issue with you. If you are looking for a big condo sleeper and a big engine you generally won't find it with this type of hauling, unless it is an O/O. Look around and you'll typically see Macks or Internationals equipped with a tiny 42" to 50" flattop sleeper, powered by a small (around 350 HP) engine. However, many companies are starting to spec their trucks more for driver comfort, as witnessed by going to a 60" to 70" midroof sleeper and putting in bigger engines; I've heard of up to 430 HP). The main reasons behind this is weight and height requirements. You must remember that one, generally liquid weighs more than dry freight and that the tank WILL get loaded to max allowable by law (which may be more than the 45,000 pounds associated with a box). So you cannot have a super-size truck unless you're going to consistently pull a small tank. Two, most chemical plants have numerous low clearance points and a condo sleeper just won't fit around in there. So you do have to adjust to living a little more cramped! Now if companies decide to get Pete 379's or KW W900's for COMPANY DRIVERS with large sleepers and 500+ H.P. engines...whoops, there I go daydreaming again combining the best of both worlds!
Hometime with equipment:
Another con is that most chemical tanker outfits WILL NOT let you take the truck home with you during your time off. Some won't even hire you if you don't live within a certain mileage radius of the nearest terminal. You have to remember what type of freight you're dealing with and, what could potentially happen if someone were to start fooling around with the equipment !
Personal safety equipment:
In the summer your protective suit gets very hot and you'll sweat profusely. You'd best be drinking lots of water to stay hydrated. The last thing you need is to become a heat casualty while unloading! In winter your suit will stiffen up (much like a flatbedder's tarps but on a lot smaller scale!) and can be hard to move around in. The faceshield on your hardhat can fog up if you don't put anti-fogging compound on it, which can make monitoring your tank pressure gauge, hoses, and the storage tank level difficult.
Surge:
If you've never driven a tanker before, take a bottle and fill it up halfway or three-quarters. Turn it on it's side and move it back and forth. You now have surge on a much smaller scale. Now imagine that with anywhere from 3500 to 6000 gallons of chemicals behind you ! This seems to cause uneasiness with drivers new to this type of freight, and can be controlled by simply altering driving habits if you like to "get up and go with it". Surge WILL hold you back going up hill, and help push you down on the flip side (no pun intended ). If you brake too hard, expect to get pushed forward a few feet (see my post about this below).
Whatever you decide on, do your research and make the right choice as best you and ONLY YOU can. Be safe out there and have fun. Trucking is just like anything else, it is what you make of it, regardless of dry van, reefer, flatbed, or tanker.
CTL info:
-Orientation Pay 2 days @ $80/day.
-Training Pay 4 weeks @ $400/week.
-Starting Solo OTR @ .30, @ 4 months .3075, @ 7 months .312, @ 1 year .3195, @ 2 years .327...caps out at .345 @ 7 years.
-Short Haul Pay (loads under 75 miles) $40 minimum.
-Detention Pay $8.75 after one hour waiting to load/unload.
-Tank Wash Pay $24 (tank, hoses, and pump); $12 (hoses and pump only).
-Layover Pay $75.
-Guarantee Pay @ $543/week.
-Safety/Performance Bonus @ $300/quarter.
-Holiday Pay $60 for 6 major holidays (after 90 days).
-Average dispatch of 7-10 days out, 1-2 days in.
Schneider bulk info:
-"Basic" training 11 days @ $500 (unpaid if going through the actual Schneider training school).
-Module training 1 week @ $250.
-Training Pay 2 weeks @ $250/week, 2 weeks @ $300/week, 2 weeks @ $350/week.
-Starting Solo OTR @ .27 (.25 if a SNI school grad), @ 1 year .31, @ 2 years .32...caps out at .40 @ 15 years.
-Short Haul Pay (loads 0-100 miles) $40 + mileage; (100-200 miles) $20 + mileage.
-Load/Unload Pay (ALL live loads) $25
-Detention Pay $10 an hour after three hours to load/unload.
-Tank Wash Pay $20
-Layover Pay $70 after 24 hours.
-Safety Bonus $300 Quarterly (0-1 year), $400 (after 1 year).
-Holiday Pay $40 for 6 major holidays (after 9 months).
-Average dispatch of 12-14 days out, 3 days in.
*Please note this information was current when I originally posted this back in 2001. More detailed and updated information can be found on page 31 of this thread."Pain is weakness leaving the body."
"Nobody ever drowned in their own sweat."
U.S.M.C. '89-'95 0351, '95-'99 6531 (I.Y.A.O.Y.A.S.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/cyanide971/Carlo8919.jpg

Answer:
that companys having trucks with coffin sleepers might experience a higher turnover rate than a Co. with a larger sleeper, and do you know what C.T.Ls turnover rate is.

Answer:
Honestly I would have to say no about the companies with smaller sleepers losing drivers (from people I keep in touch with AND on the road word of mouth). There presently aren't many out there that still have the "coffin's" around...Highway Transport and Transport Service are the only two I remember, with SNI and CTL getting rid of their's. To be honest, I DO NOT know CTL's turnover rate, but according to my former trainer most of the attrition is new guys who leave because they just cannot handle the tank's surge or don't want to work around the products we haul. More about that later... When you realize what industrial grade chemicals can do to you I guess it can be un-nerving. Caustic soda, 16% sodium hypochlorite (bleach), and anhydrous ammonia are just plain nasty! But some like working with the stuff . To bring up a point, I personally left CTL to finish my career in the military (I'm halfway to retirement). I had no idea that my shins would say "no more" to running, jumping, etc. and cause me to be medically discharged in about another six months. Some things weren't meant to be, right?
Now, back to the tank's surge; I remember the first AND ONLY time I this happened I opened my eyes real quick. Approaching a yellow light I applied the brakes as I did when I was hauling a dry van. BIG MISTAKE! Yes, I stopped as expected...until the load came forward and pushed me about five feet into the intersection . What an experience. All I could think about was getting hit by a four wheeler and having about 4000 gallons of caustic soda everywhere. That would not have been good at all. My learning process went into overdrive and that mistake was not repeated. But it was suprising to say the least...
I'm signing off for now. Gotta grab some chow and get ready to watch the Devils (hopefully) beat up on the Avs .

Answer:
Cyanide,
Just thought I'd let you know, our old buddy Stuffiu is branching out already. I looked in the computer before I left the office today and he is going from Brunswick Ga. to Elkhart Ind.
The boy's finally made it.
Danny Drummond

Answer:
Cyanide, I know exactly what you're talking about. I drum the stuff that you're talking about and then deliver it. Bleach isn't all that bad. The rest can really mess you up if something goes wrong. I got sprayed with caustic soda once. It didn't take me long to get under that shower and strip. It burned right through my clothes and boots.
Sulfuric Acid and Muratic Acid is some bad stuff too. Make sure you have a respirator on when you're handling Aqua Ammonia. Takes your wind supply real quick.
As for the surge, I don't haul tanker but get the same effect when I get 10 to 12 300 gallon totes in a dry van.
Real drivers haul hazmat
Keep it between the lines
Jokester's Home Page for the best jokes
Stop by and chat with me

Answer:
Why dont they put some walls with holes in the tanker to disapate the wave action inside, even just three segments if this is going to be a wieght issue, or is it a cost problem.

Answer:
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT BAFFLES SOME DO SOME DONT

Answer:
Hi Cyanide,
Thanks for all the info. I checked with CTL and a few other companies today. None of them have any openings at this time for tanker drivers, though they have openings for flatbed & van etc.
Richard

Answer:
Cyanide,thanks for the great info. Is a real eye opener.

Answer:
I wish all posters here would take the time, and make the effort, to provide a straight forward post. As one about to enter trucking, I think learning to drive a truck (for me) will take only a matter of hours, but learning all the other things will be an endless learning process that will never be 100% completed. When you stop learning is also when you should consider retiring!
"FlyBoy"

Answer:
Dashriprock As godsglr said some do have baffles some don't. I've heard that milk haulers don't use baffles due to the fact that it makes it harder to clean the tank and the have an extremely high standard for keepin the tank clean.
Baffles do help with surge but they DO NOT eliminate it. They also only help the front to back surge not side to side, hence the need to take corners nice and slow.
Pardon my spelling if it were required in highschool I'd still be there
Keep the shinny side up!

Answer:
I drive for CTL as an General Chemical Tanker OTR Driver out of the Mulberry Terminal in Florida.
The OTR Fleet is not a really big one, I think we are only 155 trucks or so nationally. Much of CTL's business is done on a local basis in the areas where we have terminals.
Turnover rate at CTL is not very high...not when you make a fair check for the amount of time worked and not having to spend 3 or 4 weeks on the road and then beg for time off. I tell them when I want to be home, and thus far I'm there, and most weekends I'm home anyway. Yup, some weeks are better than others, but its the same as it was when I drove dry van.
Our drivers base rate is .30 a mile and depending on seniority you get more. I get 9% so I get .327 a mile. I get $8.50 for detention 1 hour after being at a shipper or receiver, $10.50 an hour for local work (shagging tankwagons), $8.50 an hour for breakdown time (flats/mechanical failures), and I get $75.00 layover pay for the "first" 24 hours wait time, and every 24 after that. We get $24.00 for washout pay in addition to mileage everywhere we drive. Never have collected more than two days layover in a row. I get paid $8.50 an hour for drumming off also. All of these pay rates get a 9% bump, except for layover and holiday pay of $60.00.
What Cyanide says is right...you don't have to fudge your log book, but you do have to learn how to drive differently...cuz' that surge is wild, and the beast climbing the wall is no figment of his imagination. You learn to accelerate slowlyand slow down and stop gently, or you will beat yourself to death. You learn to shift differently and corner differently, and you take ramps differently and much more carefully and slowly. You cannot yank a tanker like you can a van.
You have to exercise a great deal of care, caution and safety practices. You have to stay aware of everything and not allow yourself to be distracted at any time. You have to learn the Haz Mat rules and make sure that you comply with them, and you have to make sure you log all of your time properly...and you will spend alot of time on line 4 - On duty, not driving.
Yes, you will carry and handle dangerous chemicals and products....but if you do your job right...its not a worry. The PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is a pain...but its best to have it on with some products and mandatory with some. The tanks are not baffled because you could never get them clean and it would also be very difficult to get them empty as well.
Yanking a tanker is very different than any other trucking....very different. If you are not detail oriented and very disciplined, I recommend you look elsewhere....to save yourself grief.
Have fun, be safe, and remember - the driver to watch the closest is the one behind the one in front of you!!

Answer:
...good to see you post again! I kinda figured you were diving out of "HQ" down that ways. Thanks for bringing up about drumming off. I never did it, but went to Miami once and heard of a customer that requires it (can't remember the product though ). Hey, have you ever been to that lumber plant about a half hour north of Tallahassee where they require you to pump off a load of caustic ? That was interesting...
May see you out there soon (should be out of the service by November).

Answer:
Dashriprock,
The main reason I know of why tank aren't baffled is (as mentioned before) cleaning. When you get a clean tank it had better be exactly that...CLEAN with no residue from the previously hauled product. Baffles would make this procedure more difficult than it is, and YOU as the driver are ultimately responsible when you pick up that tank for ensuring that it is ready for loading. That means no residue or moisture inside, on your valves, or hose connection points. It is very detail-oriented!!!

Answer:
I allways see these adds about driver shortages and just assumed it would be easy to get a job at C.T.L maybe thats not the case.This is were this site comes in handy.thanks Cynide & S.W