Hmmm Idk but still that could make someone go crazy. 700 dollars worth stolen overnight!

 

Do they make locking fuel caps for rigs like they do for cars?? Even then, if a low life really wanted it that bad, they'd just puncture the tank or even easier go to the next truck that didnt have one...
But atleast it would deter them a bit..

 

Started a job today driving a dual axle dump truck in Bridgeton, MO...

When asked how much I was looking for as far as starting pay goes. I wasn't sure what to ask for so I said 13 dollars and the guy said "Yeah thats fine" with a smile so I'm thinking I should have just said 15 ffs . They want me to get a tanker endorsement soon also. 11 hours worked today alot of loading and pouring of asphalt and some manual labor to finish up one job.

What should I be making per hour? I plan to ask for a raise in a month or so once I'm pulling my own weight around the job site.

 

13 is probably a bit low - they seem to run between 15 and 20 in my area.

As for the tanker - yeah, I'd go for it. But then, I did. Get some experience with that guy, then look at local tanker companies. It's some of the best money in trucking, I'm told.

 

Update:

I love the job. I know now why there are hardly any openings for dump truck jobs. They are cake, don't get to boring, get paid time and a half on Saturday, double time on Sunday. Get paid for ever second, no freebie OTR crap.

As far as newbies, I'm not sure, the job would be very dangerous with a new driver with out good experience hauling weight around. Would be very easy to wreak or roll a dump truck. 60,000 pounds in a small area of the truck.

Its worth a shot, I am now expecting to make more money with this job then I ever did OTR even with I worked 80 hours, logged 60 got paid for 40.

Today I only did 3 loads of asphalt total of about 6 miles driven! 6 miles. Thats in 8 hours, most of my time spent getting paid to sit at the quarry. The asphalt is time sensitive. They want to use it right away and they need it right away when doing a job.

 

That's because the DOT inspector will send it back if it gets too cold according to DOT regs, and the company will eat the cost of that load. Of course, it'll just get dumped on the rap pile, and eventually be ground up and put into a mix which allows for 20 - 25% recycled content.
If you're working directly for a company which does paving and grading, you can expect to haul and spread ABC mix, and to haul fill dirt, which will require you to be a bit diligent about cleaning out your bed. There'll also be millings from time to time, which isn't so bad... just that the smell gets irritating. If you work for a sub-contractor, you can expect pretty much anything.
Different asphalt mixes have different levels of difficulty attributed to them. Base and binder mixes usually clean up pretty easily. Surface mixes (such as PADL 78) can be a real pain in the fourth point of contact. If you're hauling that stuff, you should make sure to immediately scrape your tailgate and spreader (if your dump bed has one) clean, because it'll cool down, harden, and become a real pain to remove if you wait until you get back to the plant.
Best of luck with your new job, but keep in mind that there will be slow times in the year. If it gets too cold, you won't be putting mix down. If it rains, you won't be putting mix down, etc.
If you have any more questions about doing asphalt work, there's plenty of people who can answer your questions. I've done dump truck work, Mackman does, Mad Dog does (but I haven't seen him on this forum since I started posting here again).. there's a few.

 

Glad to hear you like the job.

I am a dump truck driver, but i also haul equipment, and pretty much anything else they want me to do. For the most part, the work is pretty easy. Get yourself an assortment of scrapers. I currently have three on the truck, and always on the lookout for a better one. Two of them are small hand held scrapers. One is narrow and kinda flimsy, the other is wide and well made and so far hasn't bend or broke no matter how much i abuse it. And the third is called a sidewalk scraper, kinda like a garden hoe, but the head is straight instead of being 90 degrees with the handle. Also if you haul any asphalt with bonifibers, make sure you clean your gate and everthing as well as you can, it will stick to everything and gets rock hard

Also, whatever you do, do not forget to dump any extra asphalt at the end of the day. I got in a hurry one Friday afternoon and forgot to empty the truck out and Monday morning was not fun....it involved a breaker bar, diesel, a backhoe, and ALOT of fire to get that crap out :cry: :shock: I was wore out before the day even started.

As JeffTheTerrible said there are plenty of us around so if you have any questions, fire away.

 

I feel your pain. I had about two and a half tons which got stuck in my bed (thanks to the rain). Making matters worse, I really couldn't use a backhoe, trackhoe, nor fire to get it out, thanks to the bed liner which was in the truck.
Another word of advice for our new asphalt hauler, since the subject of diesel was brought up - don't get caught using it. If you come to a site with a gobs of diesel fuel dripping off of your spreader, the DOT inspector won't hesitate to kick it back (and, sometimes, it'll even the foreman who does this).

 

yeah mtc come back in the winter and tell me hows that working out... trust me if your expecting to make more than OTR.. u will sadly be disappointed... don't know how it goes in your area but yes spring/summer and even the beginning of the fall.. dump truck drivers get paid, but when the winter time comes its ugly... so dont get your hopes up buddy...

 

Did you try Midwest Haulers? There out in Pacific. I know they're hiring.