get the endorsement, it doesnt mean you HAVE to haul hazmat, just that you can

 

Sure would be nice if we could delete a mistake or double post.

 

I couldn't disagree more...
as long as drivers march down like good little soldiers and get that fingerprint/background check.....there won't be any/much "premium" pay for having it.....has it occuried to you that no company started paying any "premium" for having IT...until many of us SAID HELL NO.

I had MTXP on my CDL for over 10 years..until this "homeland" security idea of "fingerprinting" to do background checks came into being.....
I refuse on the principle that (1) I'm not a criminal (2) fingerprint background checks won't do squat to stop a terrorist from getting a haz-mat load anyway. (3) it's all about 1 company making a fortune being the only company doing it.
(By the way, I read a article in THE TRUCKER.....the company doing the background checks lost 2 laptops with all the personal data on over 3,000 CDL drivers....so out there right now someone's gonna be running a debt on your credit report real soon.)
(4) Here's the thing...If you really believe they're just using your fingerprint to check against fingerprints in the FBI database to see If you have any criminal record....You're living in DREAMLAND....they're keeping that print and STARTING a file on you( if one didn't already exist )
__________________________________________________ __________-

Now reasons not to have hazmat:

toilet paper pays company drivers the same rate as haz-mat
If you get stopped and a ticket is issued for any reason while you're hauling that hazmat----the $$$$$ fine is larger, more points on you CDL.

If there's a spill---you can be FINED personally by the EPA in addition to any fine imposed on your carrier( which of course--they won't want to absorb that either and will want to take it out of your paycheck($25 a week for the rest of your life).

And all the above is with just the basic not so dangerous stuff.

Now, would you haul explosives for the same rate as t- paper?

If you're a newbie just entering the industry Yes- you'll have to get it...you have no experience to leverage in the driver market and most all mega "training" companies require you to have it.....then they can really make a profit off a .30 pm driver instead of a .42 cent driver.

If you're planning on pulling a tanker--yes, you'd be crazy not to have the hazmat endorsement. Fuel hauling pays much better than Juice or Milk, plus the tank is baffled. If you're going to carry the endorsement then ...certainly get the most bucks you can out of it.

I'm personally holding out until I can find a .08cent per mile premium.
Was looking at New Century's deal for 12years experience=.52 per mile....
was tempting until He said they didn't hire out of Arkansas anyway.
Then I head they're only getting 1800 miles a week.....so much for that.

 

 

up until recently when companies had to start paying a "premium" for hauling
haz-mat loads....a load of t-paper being hauled by a JBHUNT driver paid that
driver the same as a load of Class-6 Corrosive Pepsi/Coke-----that's a fact

show me proof---don't just say --WRONG

show me the proof that all companies that currently require drivers to carry haz-mat- pay their drivers a "premium" extra .05 on all haz-mat loads...

I can show you Some companies which have STARTED recently to pay a premium...
But, I could bet you real money--you can't support your ----Wrong statement.

I could produce actual FINE schedules that show the difference in Price--getting a ticket under a haz-mat verse under a non-haz-mat load.

I have photo copies of tickets where I have had to pay MORE for the same
offense--just because the box is checked Haz-mat.

Can you offer more than just----WRONG?

The last one- getting fined by the EPA personally as well as the company getting a fine.....that one is just too painful ....but you can find plenty of articles and court cases that prove it.
__________________________________________________ ___________
The Attorney General’s office obtained a conviction against the driver of the truck that caused the spill. The driver pled guilty to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to pay a fine and perform community service.

The truck driver failed to make sure that there was sufficient room in the hospital oil tank to receive the delivery. After connecting the hose to the tank and starting the delivery, he returned to the truck.

Someone from the hospital noticed fuel spraying out of the tank’s vent tube and notified the driver. But by that time, approximately 700 gallons had spilled to the ground. Hess was notified and immediately responded to the scene and remediated the spill to the satisfaction of the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

 

your statements are correct sometimes, but you offered them as being correct ALL the time, that's why I said wrong.

 

 

How many tickets have you received?

well, now that's a personal question isn't it? and doesn't support your argument that I'm wrong does it?

For the purpose of full disclosure--

In the last 14years of being a CDL holder---I haven't been PERFECT.

How many tickets while hauling hazmat?
probably 3--I'd have to do some research.

One is for sure- 2 placards fell off a trailer( it was 10 degrees- too cold for the placard to stick- and the duct tape only held for a couple miles----the back one and passenger side came off---before I reached the scale house---
the driving line was 15minutes over the 10hr limit( I was 5 miles from the receiver) the Fine for the Log Book was DOUBLE because I was hauling hazmat-------------so I know from actual proof there.

Also, I've been ticketed when not hauling hazmat---and had the OFFICER
comment---"you're sure lucky you weren't hauling hazmat--the FINE would have been........"

If you want to carry that hazmat as a "badge of honor" symbol of your Professionalism----that's just your choice---if it's an EGO trip for you...but remember even Million mile professionals sometimes are in the wrong place at the wrong time--and aren't so lucky----you will pay a higher price for any mistake the question is will you be compensated for this extra risk?

 

it's not a badge if honor for me, it's a necessary evil for my job and YES, I am compensated for it.
I didnt mean to offend you about the tickets, I have received 2 in the last 5 years, both for speeding and one was with hazmat and one was without, the fine wasnt increased on the hazmat one, maybe it depends on the state .
at my current job,we haul very little hazmat, which is fine with me, on regular loads, I get 25% of the gross and on hazmat, I get 27 1/2 % so yes I am compensated.
my last job was 100% hazmat and they would never charge a driver for a spill..
I think I do better here, so like I said, your statements are true sometimes, but not always

 

What the hell are you talking about? If you're going to argue about Haz-Mat you need to know something about it.

Class 6 is Toxic, for one. Corrosive is Class 8. Pepsi and Coke are ORM-D (if anything) and are not placarded. The only thing remotely related to Pepsi or Coke that would be placarded is CO2 cylinders which are 2.2.

I haul Haz-Mat exclusively. Hazardous waste. I pull a placarded load every day I am working. I have pulled loads with 12 placards and a PCB label.

If you don't want to get a Haz-Mat endorsement, don't get one. If you work for a common carrier that doesn't require it, don't get one. If you don't want to have to deal with HMR, don't get one.

If you want to broaden your horizons, get one. If you don't want to limit yourself, get one. Experience pays. Qualifications pay. Knowledge pays.

At my company I have hauled van, tanker, flatbed, intermodal, roll-off, and I drive a Class B truck from time to time. On any given day I am just as likely to haul a tanker as to do a drum load as to do roll-off. I've hauled EVERYTHING but Class 1 (explosives) and 7 (radioactive)- not because I can't, but because my division doesn't deal with those two classes.

If you want to make more money, get one. I'm a company hack, I sleep in my own bed 95% of the time, and I'm about to move from my 2007 Freightliner into a 2008 Peterbilt. I'm going to make almost $70,000 this year.

I welcome any questions anyone has about Haz-Mat or HMR, because I probably know the answer. If I don't, I can find out.

-j.