I'm just interested in thoughts on the wear and tear that comes from tankers and what kind of mileage/rate premium that ought to command.

I'm on my first load and, man, I used to baby my truck! The drag on the powertrain is constantly in flux- more pull, less pull, more pull, less pull- and then there's the occasional hard jerk, not just full on surge.

I'd be thrilled to make what I make with a dry box, we'll see about this tanker. At $4.70 fuel, I'm making $1.63 practical miles loaded and $1.53 practical miles unloaded. The rate goes up automatically with fuel prices. There is some loading/unloading accessorial pay as well. Any sitting I do is definetly my company'$ problem, not mine. We'll see about length of haul, they're supposed to use my fleet for long haul. First load is Detroit to Cali, anyway.

Listening to K Rutherford last night and there are indications that enough companies have folded or are about to fold that significant rate increases could be just around the corner. He said Swift has to raise their rates 19% if they want to break even, otherwise, asta la vista.

Don't worry about being kind if you think it's not a good deal. But, with guys like Vassago and Big Diesel around, others, I don't expect kindness to be a problem. :lol:

 

1. Read Mike3fans thread

2. I pulled them since 1987, NEVER ANY mechanical issues

3. Expect to sit in Cali. or come out CHEAP, BAD, BAD, place for an empty tanker.

 

It's been my experience that shorter loads pay better,if I can deliver 4 or 5 loads a week I seem to make more money than if I do 1 Texas load,and sit around a day waiting.

Wear and tear hasn't been an issue,I do feel like I get worse milage hauling tanks,but since I have slowed down my speed I have increased my mpg to 6.4.

One thing I would say is don't get discouraged by what happens at that company where you are,I have not heard many good things out of some of their drivers,but stick with it or a year and then you will be good to go anywhere.

Yeah I read in Transport Topics that all the mega carriers are looking at a 10-15% rate increase in the very near future.

 

Mike, do you run completely as you want to or are you expected to run the way that a dispatcher wants? Speaking in terms of length-of-haul, destination, home time, etc.?

 

Our loads all have p/u and delivery times,you are pretty much held to those with a few exceptions,as long as the load gets there on time you are on your own,they are never rushed though.I am limited to what ever loads are available,I can usually pick where I want to go from those loads and by doing so I can work the system to get home when ever I want.

 

That's messed up. Leaving Landstar, I chose Quality because I was under the impression I'd have more opportunity to pick and chose where, when, and if I feel like it. As it turns out, I got into their new pay per mile system and I don't get any choices on the loads. I got help from a lying recruiter, though. About Superior, he said, 'from what I've heard they're practically on forced dispatch'. So, when I finished training and asked the dispatcher if it was forced dispatch, he told me, 'yes it is.'

I was always waffling about telling them to undo the $7500 in modifications to my truck, but in the end, I decided to give it a try.

 

About the other things, thanks Mike and Maniac. I plan to go back and read every post of every page of Mike's thread. I thought I'd just put this thread up here and talk some newbie stuff.

I'm glad you haven't had a lot of powertrain problems. Even so, with the drag on the powertrain constantly changing, I still think it has to lead to more equipment cost. That's not bad if you make enough to compensate for it. For instance, if I could make 10 cpm more than a dry box O/O, at 100,000 miles/year, that's $10,000 additional money for replacing the equipment, tranny work, overhauls, U joints... I probably need to make a little more for higher fuel costs, too. I figure that at today's prices, every 1/10 mile per gallon of fuel costs about a penny. If I got 1/2 mile per gallon less in a tanker, that would cost about a nickle per mile.

If those numbers have any merit, I need about 15cpm more than a dry box O/O just to cover the added costs. Now, here's the good part, it looks like we can cover addition costs and then some, which is what we normally call...profit, extra profit.

Cali is no problem for me as I get my loads handed to me on a silver platter. I can't deadhead enough because the fuel savings more than offset the 10cpm less than I make loaded. Tonight, I sit at the TAC truck wash drivers' lounge. Clean and comfortable with Directv. I'll be here all weekend as I used up a lot of hours rushing out to Cali. The point is, I never had this perk with a dry box. The tables at the Flying J were the best thing going with Landstar, short of being at the 'homeless shelter' or getting a motel. I get to drop my trailer at the tank wash and bobtail around LA this weekend if I want to. That's definitely one perk, so far.

With all the jerking, do tanker drivers have back and neck problems?

 

Cam..welcome to "Tanking" !!

You should not have a problem getting out of Cali with a load, simply because Quality has a strong foothold there, what with taking over Manfredi Tanklines, several years ago.

As you gain more experience with your "starts" and "stops" you will reduce the product surge..and reduce the other worries as well. Unless you already have a bad back, you should not expect to experience back problems from product surge. IF you do...a new driver's seat might be in order.

Is Quality taking back the $$$$ for outfitting your truck over the course of a year, or are they taking it out over the first 6 settlements? The 6 week payback was my main concern when I talked with Quality...and a couple other tank companies.

Please keep us posted on how you do there.....and remember...the economy stinks right now..so you really do need to watch which loads you accept. Even in "tanking" the fewer deadhead miles you have, the better your money.

 

Thanks, OTG, I knew there were a few of you on this website. Since I don't hang out at the lunch counter at truckstops (I'm always eating fast food and scrimping on the food costs), you guys will be able to tell me more than I'll hear anyplace else.

Well, so much for the lovely drivers' lounge. :lol: No, I just can't sit in there all weekend with the TV blaring and some of the junk talk. Praise God, it's the middle of June in SoCal and there's a really nice, cool breeze. Right now, I'm laying in my bunk.

I got a lecture last night from one of their long time percentage drivers. They don't like mileage pay, and some aren't too happy with mileage drivers, either. One guy described it like we are 'scabs'. Whatever, we'll just see. Right now, I'm on the hook for the equipment costs. They're supposed to take a long time taking the money back, the recruiter said they wouldn't begin for a couple of months. I've learned that anything the recruiter said has about a 50/50 chance of being true, so it seems.

 

Since you signed the deal on the equipment, stay and pay for it, and learn the buisness, then leave.

QC does have a lot of work out there, so you shouldn't have trouble getting out.

I heard they were going mileage, are those numbers include the fuel surcharge?

Remember this, any time a company does something like a change from mileage to percentage or the other way around it ALWAYS benefits THEM more than you.