Should I haul fuel instead of chemicals in Madison, WI?

[Orangetxguy]

Well, today I tried a solo loading.

The hoses were kinda running into each other, so I had to unhook and rearrange them so I could fit them in. It was the end of the day, and while I'm starting to fight with the thing, the terminal manager comes out to observe me. Well, loading goes much better when you open your internals, so no card for me. Fortunately, no mess, either.

I'll feel better when I have my own equipment rather than sharing with a trainer who's in a hurry.

So, tomorrow I go for my road test, pee test, paperwork, and so on. Maybe then I can go for a card, again.

Does that mean you had several hoses hooked up to the dryheads on the trailer? I guess up there they don't mind that stuff! I know a lot of racks that throw fits for more than two attached at the same time.

[Phreddo]

Does that mean you had several hoses hooked up to the dryheads on the trailer? I guess up there they don't mind that stuff! I know a lot of racks that throw fits for more than two attached at the same time.

Quite the opposite here. They want you in and out in as timely as a manner as possible. If I'm getting, say, 6000 87e, 1000 91e and 1500 ULSD, I can have all 4 tanks hooked up and running at once. At least one of the terminals has shared loading arms, so as I'm finishing with one arm, someone else may want to use it. I still need to figure out all the particurlars of each terminal, like at one place I can only get Shell products at one of the racks, and they don't have them labelled as such. So I'll probably be doing a lot of checking in before i pull into a rack.

But Monday I get to go to MN to get a load of ethanol. Should be an easy start to my new job!

[Phreddo]

whew, 3 trips to MN so far for ethanol.
been running my ass off, 12-14 hour days, 550 miles average.
i gotta get back into the groove of working 5 days a week. Hauling mail made me soft.
bedtime!

[TimberWolf]

Well I guess we are really really lucky in Orlando at Kinder Morgan Rack.. One stop Shopping Front rack has 6 bays it handles Chevron, BP, Transmontaigne, and a few others...The back rack has 5 bays and handles Murphy, Sunoco, Citgo, and several others, plus the middle rack with 2 bays but that is pretty much used for dyed diesel and some ethanol, oh yea forgot the ethanol bay as well that can unload 4 at a time. There is none of this 5 or 6 different racks that you go to to get loaded. Each bay has 2-87 lines,
1-93, 1 mid grade, and 1 ulsd, the front bays also have 1 line for jet fuel as well. for the most part I only run 3 lines at a time depending on my delivery and you are able to get in and out of the rack in 20 to 45 minutes most days.

Timberwolf

[Phreddo]

Orlando
gads, I dread the prospect of hauling fuel in a major metro.
The worst I have to deal with currently is bringing in ethanol to the milwaukee terminals.

[Phreddo]

Now, I'm not seriously considering this, but would there be any benefit to being an O/O fuel hauler?

[mike3fan]

Now, I'm not seriously considering this, but would there be any benefit to being an O/O fuel hauler?

I think you would end up with more income in the end as a company driver. From what I have seen offered to O/O's I can't see it being worthwhile.

[Phreddo]

Well, so far the job is working out okay.
I had my first cross-drop yesterday. I put 2900 gallons of 87E into the E85 tank. There's a variety of reasons why that happened, but I think it was about the most painless mistake I could have made. I didn't have time or the gear to pump it out, but they got it fixed, and I'll no doubt get a nice little charge for the other guy's time, as well as a friendly written reminder to pull my head out of my ass before dropping anything.

Also got informed that I used the wrong customer code for a couple of loads. Again, no biggie, just pay attention. But I still hate the idea of being on the radar now.
Couple that with the fact that we got a new dispatcher who was never a driver, and, well, I see more smooth sailing behind than ahead, at least for the time being.

Overall, I think it's mostly on me, and I just need to slow down a step and take my time. Probably wind up starting later than I like, waiting more than I want, but oh well.
I think at the most, I would like to use this job as a way to build experience, and either work my way into some sort of compressed gas job, like propane, or else get on with one of the branded carriers, like Kwik Trip or something.

[Phreddo]

Minor update.
I don't mind hauling fuel, but this particular job has morphed into ethanol/denaturant runs at 70 hours/6 days a week. I've had 3 empty backhauls so far due to lack of product, which really drops the $/hr.
I'm currently looking to move to a more fuel-centric company, rather than this particular "haul anything" common carrier.
Wish me luck.

[Phreddo]

Must be hiring season. I got 2 calls this week so far.
I wanna hear what they have to say, but it has to be pretty good for me to have a 3rd <1 year job on my resume. It sucks that i have to stick it out with a bottom-dollar company to clean up my own work history. Oh well, live and learn.

Hey, Stan. You still work for Miller? Know anybody who supplies Flint Hills in Madison, WI with a black Pete? I need to know who to make fun of for trying to go out the in gate and blocking up the whole thing :P

[Orangetxguy]

Must be hiring season. I got 2 calls this week so far.
I wanna hear what they have to say, but it has to be pretty good for me to have a 3rd <1 year job on my resume. It sucks that i have to stick it out with a bottom-dollar company to clean up my own work history. Oh well, live and learn.

Hey, Stan. You still work for Miller? Know anybody who supplies Flint Hills in Madison, WI with a black Pete? I need to know who to make fun of for trying to go out the in gate and blocking up the whole thing :P

Black Pete? White strips?? Fat guy with glasses??




Wasn't me.........I drive an International 9400....when it isn't in the shop...like right now!


I do know that a guy in Houston loaded out of Pasadena to go up to Madison WI Monday morning...but I thought he was driving a white Pete. Don't know that he went to Flint Hills though. That coulda been one of the the O/O's out of Lansing IL. Or Savannah....or St Louis.



Go ahead and make fun! I do every chance I get!!!


You wanna really get to em....call Jackson and make fun!!

[Phreddo]

I think he's a regular supplier, i see him here like once a week at least. 1993 placards.

He has to come in the wrong way to get his load off, and all the trucks were piled up because Cenex is down for maintenence, and all the farmers are coming to Flint Hills for their Roadmaster. Just the fuel trucks, not actual farmers. I'm just making fun of the Co-Op guys :P

so we have 2 trucks on the street, and this poor guy is waiting for the terminal to let him out. Well, the gate is usually carded open on the outside, but once he nosed up to the gate, there was no room for someone else to pull up and let him out. And the terminal operators never seem to be in a big rush to make it any easier on the drivers. Not like they're in the business of moving product or anything...

[Orangetxguy]

I think he's a regular supplier, i see him here like once a week at least. 1993 placards.

He has to come in the wrong way to get his load off, and all the trucks were piled up because Cenex is down for maintenence, and all the farmers are coming to Flint Hills for their Roadmaster. Just the fuel trucks, not actual farmers. I'm just making fun of the Co-Op guys :P

so we have 2 trucks on the street, and this poor guy is waiting for the terminal to let him out. Well, the gate is usually carded open on the outside, but once he nosed up to the gate, there was no room for someone else to pull up and let him out. And the terminal operators never seem to be in a big rush to make it any easier on the drivers. Not like they're in the business of moving product or anything...

That would be the driver out of Lansing that does fuel additive deliveries up there.

[Graymist]

I think he's a regular supplier, i see him here like once a week at least. 1993 placards.

He has to come in the wrong way to get his load off, and all the trucks were piled up because Cenex is down for maintenence, and all the farmers are coming to Flint Hills for their Roadmaster. Just the fuel trucks, not actual farmers. I'm just making fun of the Co-Op guys :P

so we have 2 trucks on the street, and this poor guy is waiting for the terminal to let him out. Well, the gate is usually carded open on the outside, but once he nosed up to the gate, there was no room for someone else to pull up and let him out. And the terminal operators never seem to be in a big rush to make it any easier on the drivers. Not like they're in the business of moving product or anything...

If I may ask you this, are you still with Quality Carriers ? How are things working out for you with them ? What terminal are you based out of ? Thanks

[Phreddo]

I never worked with QC.
I was with Transwood a couple years ago out of Cottage Grove, WI. The work was what it was. The guys were good to work with, but they seemed a little too "old school" for my tastes. I wound up taking a job with better home time.

[Phreddo]

Saw a pumpkin delivering additive today.
guess there's no one carrier, huh?
Now, I have to ask myself,
to Klemm, or not to Klemm?

[Baldy]

If I may ask you this, are you still with Quality Carriers ? How are things working out for you with them ? What terminal are you based out of ? Thanks

I believe that you are thinking of Fredog. Similar name. I seem to remember that Fredog went with QC a few months ago after being let go from his last carrier. From what I recall, he wasn't very happy with QC. Lots of sitting and waiting.

[Phreddo]

That would explain it.
As far as QC, sitting and waiting seems to describe just about any tanker job.
I once sat under a rack for 10 hours because they had to process the stuff in my tank, and i couldn't drop the trailer. It was awful.

[1catfish]

Fuel is easy.

Know your compartment sizes, and where the scully over fill is set to disable.

Keep two buckets on your truck.

Keep tank charts in your clipboard or breifcase.

Never try to put more into a tank than it can hold.

When at the load rack, and loading....stay at your truck. Video will get your butt in a sling.

don't try to put 1500 in a 1250 comp. the guy in the little white shack will pay you a visit.(and no i did'nt get fired) the look on the operators face was enough to wake me up. plus when gas blew out the top.

[Orangetxguy]

don't try to put 1500 in a 1250 comp. the guy in the little white shack will pay you a visit.(and no i did'nt get fired) the look on the operators face was enough to wake me up. plus when gas blew out the top.

Surprised were you?