Should a new driver start driving tankers ?
 

Should a new driver start driving a tanker?

I really dont think it matters alot. But if i had to say one i will go with dry van.

You need to change your poll. You are asking an either or question but offer yes or no? :? :shock: I would suggest starting with a van and then switch to a tanker if you wish, once you get some driving experience. 8)

Thanks Gman its been corrected, :oops:

I will agree with the big "G" get at least a year all weather driving experience and then make the move to tank work. Most, if not all, tank lines require at least one years driving experience...

Have you actually found a company that will hire you as a new driver, pulling tanks?

I think Doc hit it right on the head. No tanker outfit is gonna hire you to pull a tank till you have at least a year if not more experience under your belt. You have too much to contend with just learning to drive without having to deal with surges and outages............Don

I have been pre-hired for Schneiders bulk division. I will complete my course at Sage Technical next week. I was really excited about it at first but they say that I have to sign their one year contract. I think I'm going to tell them thanks but no thanks. Their are too many chances to end up owing them 4200.00 on top of the 3475.00 I've paid to Sage.

I've been pre-hired by Averitt Expresss, Colonial, US Xpress, and McElroy.

Averitt has profit sharing, nice Volvos, local terminal, chance to bid on local and LTL after six months.

Most drivers don't stay with Schneider past the first year.

I'd appreciate your comments.

Yes its called Prime... they been trying to get me to go into driving a tanker and I am fresh out of school, got their post card here say Congrats you been accepted but I also got another company which I start the first of the year and its refer for me as a newbie, never doubles or triples or hazmat or tanks so all these endorsements I have are nothing now.... so yes some companies will hire new drivers to go tankin.....

And besides if they train you and stuff to handle a tanker, having 2000 years of dry van how is that going to help?, its not the same so I vote YES let them learn.....how else and where do these tank drivers come from? they still have to train anyway....

I'd say no. I started driving tankers just this year (Anhydrous Ammonia and fuel tankers) after three years of van experience on the highway. There's NO WAY I would have attempted this as my first driving job. As the others have stated, I don't think many carrriers would look at a newbie anyway.

with the right train u could do it but im with the others here that say start with van learn some more and then switch

CTL which is one of the "COMCAR" companies will train and hire a "newbie", but they train you do do it right. They have a lot of local type work around their terminals... The new driver spends a good bit of time with the trainer and they are fairly critical when training. Just try being sloppy when loading, transporting and unloading 98% pure sulphuric acid. You only get to make one mistake....quite possibly the last one you'll ever make. At a minimum you'll wear that mistake for the rest of your life.

I vote no. I think it best to start out with van or reefer (ugghh :sad: ) before taking on the tanker challenge. 99% of tank companies require 2 years OTR, and significant snow/ice and mountain experience..... and there are valid reasons why.

I had to say No as well to the rookie pulling a tanker. (at least a year or more of experience). Pulling a dry van just think for a moment. nothing should be moving in you're dry van so One less thing to think about.

But in a tanker Oh no a yellow light! its turning red..steps on the brake..and all that water or liquid behind you (in the trailer) well its going foward and so are you lol.

Oh and I do realize that post is from 2 years ago..Just went looking at different posts found that on page 43 or something lol. =P

meanbone.................. did'nt you start out with TWT right out of school??
you seem to be doing ok. what prompted you to ask this???
is a co-worker having a hard time?....................just curious......lol

I say it depends on your driving ability. By that, I mean ability to predict the 4 wheeler thats gonna cut you off, knowledge of the roads, etc.

I voted no, but thats for the average guy. Theres no reason a safety-minded driver can't be a good tanker driver though.

I get sick and tired of you guys acting like pulling tanker is so friggin hard and only an "experienced" driver should even attempt it.Give me a break.Driving a tractor trailer is driving a tractor trailer.It makes no difference if your pulling a van,flatbed or a tank.Driving a big rig is driving a big rig.I'm proof that a rookie fresh out of truck school can get a job pulling tankers.Even if the company says it wants 1-3 years of experience that does not mean u have to have it.If you interview well you can get them to give you a road test.During the road test if you show them that you can handle the rig and you do so in a safe manner then you can get the job.The interview is a big part of getting the job.It don't matter if you have been pulling tanks for 10 years,if you come to the interview not dressed right and you don't interview well then your 10 years of experience means nothing.If a guy fresh out of school shows up dressed right and interviews well then there is a very good shot at them giving you a road test.Once you get out on that road and show them you can drive the rig and you do so safely then odds are your gonna get a job offer.Why did you get the job offer?Not because of your driving experience but because you showed up dressed right and you interviewed well.That is why they offered you a road test.I was fresh out of school and got a tanker job here in the bay area and have been doing it for about 1 1/2 months.The first 4 weeks i had a trainer and now I'm out on my own.I think if you want to drive tanks fresh out off school then go for it.Even if the company wants experience.Give em a shot the worst they can say is no.But as i said it all goes back to the interview.Have a good interview and you will get the job.My boss told me they like to hire guys fresh out of school so they can train them right from the get go.He also told me that he would hire a guy fresh out of school that interviewed well before some hot shot know it all trucker with 5 years experience that does not show up in the right dress or interview well.All you guys fresh out of school that want to pull tanks go for it.Learn on the tank right from the get go.Don't listen to these guys in here that say 99% of company's wont even look at you without experience because they will.Be persistent and show up dressed right and have a good interview.And all this talk about surge is a joke.Drive slow and safe and you will be fine.It is not as bad as you guys make it out to be.With the right truck school training and then proper training with the tankers anybody can do it.

Can't agree with you 100%, tanker does take a little more skill then a van. If you're a safety minded driver no biggy, but if you're not you'll be in for a surprise or two. :wink:

:roll:
Couldn't be more wrong IMO, but with your 6 or 7 Weeks of driving experience, I'm sure that you know more than others here!!

In my 6 or 7 weeks driving a tanker i guarentee i drive it better and safer than one of you guys with a van or flat that has been driving for however long.

So...what Bay Area tanker company gave you this job? Might need to come and apply.

:roll: Less than 2 months of driving experience under your belt, and you are already SuperTrucker!!

Wait till some yahoo pulls out 10' in front of you, you'll find out what surge is. :roll:

That's a mighty big boast, pal.

I'm glad your doing well. But don't get too fat headed. I've seen many of truckers get comfortable...thinking that they drive as well or better than all of the others. I've seen them on their side. I've seen them in the ditches. I've seen cab completely ripped apart, with no sign of a driver around. You only have to get careless once to end your career, along with your life.

And yes, I do drive a tanker...however, I think this is for everybody who thinks like you do so early in the game.

Let's be careful out there.

Complacancy and overconfidence are fertile breeding grounds for trouble!
:wink:

Pretty bold statement. Ever take any big mountains, winter driving, or been 48 states?

Never said i was a super trucker buddy.Try to read.I bet i can handle a tank better than you though.

It has happened and i was ready for it.Maybe you should be ready for it too and the surge is no problem.Quit acting like it is.Pay more attention to whats going on around you instead of just holding on to that wheel buddy.I know all about surge pal.

LOL you guys with your mountain driving bad weather and this 48 state talk.Give me a break.Half the 48 are flat as a board buddy.Plenty of rain where im at but no snow.IMO a big rig should never chain up and drive in snow.Driving otr is a joke.Get on the highway and hold that wheel.Back up to a dock 2 times a week maybe.LOL.Try to drive in the bay area in and out of gas stations all day that are really not big enough.Much more skill in local than otr pal.Otr is the biggest scam of a job ever IMO.

bold statements
 

dont think that the world is mainly all flat, and mountain experience dont mean that u have to drive in mountains, just in locations where u have no idea whats coming up, and how to handle a grade, tankers to some people are easy, reefers and vans are the easiest by far, and otr isn a scam, actually it teaches ya how to contend with alot of diffrent issues, i have a short fuse, and have learned to breath and not get out and strangle the sorry SOB who does brake ckecks 10 ft off your bumper after he cuts ya off.... and u learn also how to avoid animals, ( that 2000 lb moose, buffalo and such can kill ya) and u also learn how to contend with changing road and weather conditions.... 3 days ago, i went from a nice sunny 32 degrees dry road to whiteout conditions, snow covered 4 lane highway where every1 decided to stop everywhere. ( actually if u watch the news u will see the 75 car pile up). and the weather took a turn for the worst in approx 2 minutes and less then 2 miles....

ive hauled a little bit of everything, and my honest opinion worste loads are 3/4 load of beef (aka livestock)... thier the worst cause they have this stupid idea that they can move around and yoru load is constantly shifting, and depending on type of set up of a truck risks of roll over are high, but dont go thinking that OTR is a sham, its a totally diffrent style and the easiest and hardest to learn..

Across the praries shure it gets boring.... now the test is stay awake and mostly stay alert... after 12 hours ide be suprized if u last a yr before u ditch a truck, and chaining up, now im gonna sound like an ass, cause some people have to chain up for diffrent conditions and for thier skill level..

You know where punks like me end up chump?Retired at age 50 pal.Keep on keeping on buddy.My hourly pay and bennies are top of the line buddy.So when im 50 i will retire.Will you be retired at 50?I doubt it.You will still be in that truck holding your wheel well past 50 chump.So keep ROFLMFAO ill be retired and you will still have to drive that truck.Dont be mad because a rookie fresh out of school makes more money than you ever will.

You know where punks like me end up chump?Retired at age 50 pal.Keep on keeping on buddy.My hourly pay and bennies are top of the line buddy.So when im 50 i will retire.Will you be retired at 50?I doubt it.You will still be in that truck holding your wheel well past 50 chump.So keep ROFLMFAO ill be retired and you will still have to drive that truck.Dont be mad because a rookie fresh out of school makes more money than you ever will.[/quote]

Dizzy,

Allow me to congratulate you...... for your splendid display of collassal ignorance!!!
:P

Retire before I'm 50???? I could be retired right now, except for the fact that I love what I do too much to ever want to give it up completely!!

I've already retired once, and I'm not yet 50. The idea sounded appealing, and for the first six months, it was splendid!! But there is only so much you can do in the way of liesure activities, then it starts to loose its' allure. It's one thing to have the flexability to pretty much do as you wish, but I discovered that I could have that, (for the most part) and still be productive as well.

Yeah, the idea of hitting it big in the Lotto, then telling the world to kiss off makes for fine fantasy, but without doing something that was productive, something that demanded something from me, I discovered that a certain sense of purpose was lost!!!

Matter of fact, when I began driving a truck, i had already built substantial wealth in life. At the age of 24, with about $15,000. in start-up capital, I started a small business out of a spare bedroom in my house, grew it, expanded it, went on to create over eighty jobs with it, (became the largest supplier of custom medical drapes and equipment covers in the U.S)......then sold it eleven years later for well over four hundred fourty times that much.....after which, I remained on as President/CEO, and spent the next three years as a consultant facilitating a smooth transition for the take-over by the new parent company. It's well over a decade since the my involvement ended, and that was just one venture, there have been others as well, and there are interests that I hold in still other comapnies now!!

So, unless you need a couple of commas in order to properly register your net worth, I'd strongly suggest that you keep your mouth shut, your door closed, your foot on the pedals, your hand on the wheel, and your eyes on the road; do remember to check your mirrors, though!!!!

A rookie out of school makes more than I ever will??? Still ROFLMAO!!!! I am about to write a nice check to the IRS that will be far more than you even gross your first year..... closer to what you might gross in your first two years!!!!

Take a hint, Chump; If I had to work at the old J-O-B (Just Over Broke) kind of job, then i wouldn't have time to dink around here at all hours of the day and night, would I??

Nothing wrong with driving a big truck for a living, although I just did it because it was something that I always wanted to do, not because I had to rely upon it for a paycheck!!

I've seen your type come and go too many times to recall. :roll:

22 years old 5 months behind the wheel and know it all, plus your the best driver out on the road. Better than anyone with 30 years under his/her belt.

Dood.... your really starting out with the wrong foot forward.
You need to step back and take a breath, and understand your still a rookie, and will be for a few years.

Try not being a smart ass and take in what people experience have to say here. Your an accident waiting to happen with your attitude.

:shock: Nope!! Doesn't look like five months of experience to me!! :shock:
The good news is that he dresses right and interviews well!! :P

I was going off his very first post here on Sept. 11, 06 starting school in 2 weeks. Give him 4 weeks of school, leaves 5 months driving for someone.

Guess he was unemployed for 3 1/2 months after school if he only has 1 1/2 months in. Makes you wonder why.

Dizzy, you're baiting me into a pissing match, ok "pal" :roll:

I make more than you, and OTR isn't a joke, and I haven't bumped docks in a coon's age.

Here's your sign! 8)

Okay, all of us need to remember that this guy is from the Bay Area. After further in depth scrutiny, it is now clear to me why he got the job.

What we have here may well be a failure to communicate clearly; This kid's definition of "Driving A Tanker" may well be different from yours or mine!!
:P
If that is the case, then I retract everything that I have previously stated!! 8)