Truck Driving Jobs

Colts Fan · #1 01-09-2008, 08:52 PM

I filled out an app at Airgas today and talked to the Operations Manager there. She was really nice and we got along well. She said my lack of experience doesn't matter as long as my MVR is clean. She was actually on vacation when I was in there and told me to come in next monday at 9:00am to see her.

The job is hourly, home every night, weekends off. They deliver canisters to doctor offices and hospitals. It is all hazmat. I'm not sure how much per hour and was hoping anyone on here could tell me. At that particular location they have 2 tractor-trailers, 1 straight truck, and 1 sprinter.

If anyone can comment on the hourly pay rate it would be greatly appreciated.

coalregion · #2 01-09-2008, 09:28 PM

One of my best friends runs their local store around here.They pay pretty well, along with bonuses,etc. But I believe they are very anal about safety/getting hurt. As in, if you get injured on the job, wave bye bye to your job. :wink: But I'd be willing to bet that their hourly rate for humping those tanks would be in and around $20/hour, minimum. All in all he said they are a pretty good company to work for.

hamboner · #3 01-10-2008, 12:09 AM

Airgas made the news in Memphis monday when one of their strait trucks had a big medical oxygen cylinder blow up in transport! The driver was uninjured, but it completely destroyed everything in the area. Its amazing no one was killed. Several ppl were being treated for concussion related symptoms and buildings were missing windows!

feederfred · #4 01-10-2008, 12:47 AM

its called "kicking iron" in the Industrial Gas biz.....I drove a bulk liquid nitrogen tanker for Liquid Air as one of my pre-UPS gigs..It's a lot of heavy work, humping those "H" and N tanks on and off the truck. VGL's (large stainless containers of liquid oxygen) can easily weigh 350-500 lbs. Airgas in the west is unionized, don't know where you are, but 17-18 an hour and up is about right...Multi-stops with a lot of heavy loading and unloading..Good luck. Almost forgot...you pre-load your truck each afternoon when you get in for the next day after unloading all your empty cylinders and staging them where they need to go (acetylene, LOX, LN2, Hydrogen etc..) I once filled in for the cylinder drivers at Liquid Air, damn near killed me, and I don't mind hard work. That was just nuts...

mike3fan · #5 01-10-2008, 12:57 AM

Yeah there was another guy on a different forum that I was on,he tried it for about 3 months and basically said he couldn't handle it,too much heavy lifiting and long hours,was dead tired when he got home and just slept on his time off,

Colts Fan · #6 01-10-2008, 01:05 AM

Does anyone know if they offer overtime? And this is the medical division og Airgas Mid America. They deliver compressed gases and liquids to doctor offices and hospitals.

Heavy lifting doesn't bother me. I used to pick up 185lb beer kegs and take them out to people's cars and throw them in their trunks as a part time job in college.

feederfred · #7 01-10-2008, 01:33 AM

As far as OT, none of us can answer that. I'm sure if they need you, they would pay it. As far as the "medical division" it's all industrial gases. It's no different load and weight wise if you go to a doctors office or a welding supply house. Actually, the industrial accounts are much easier to park/unload at. Hope you can unload literally hundreds of those "kegs of beer" each day and then re-load them. It's a young mans gig. Say goodbye to your lower back. Find a good orthopedic doctor or chiropractor, you may need one..BOL!

hamboner · #8 01-10-2008, 11:24 PM

I suppose if it were UPS that he was doing the heavy lifting for that it would be considered a great job? Go to UPS and load trailers by hand for 5 years, then get a package car job with about 200 stops a day lifting and unloading all their "light" packages! I know a fella that retired from Airgas and never had much bad to say. He said after u work there awhile you learn how to handle the cylinders with ease without killing urself. I think it would be a hard job to turn down. Just don't go into thinking it will be easy.

Colts Fan · #9 01-11-2008, 12:14 AM

Thank you all for your comments. Anyone else feel free to comment on this thread. If they offer me the job I will accept.

#10 01-11-2008, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colts Fan

Thank you all for your comments. Anyone else feel free to comment on this thread. If they offer me the job I will accept.

John, no offense to you...but the fact that they are willing to hire you on the spot with no solid trucking experience to me at least raises a red flag. Good-paying daytime local jobs that get a man home everynight and off every weekend are hard to come by. And in the rare times when such outfits are looking for drivers, they usually want at least 1-2 years of whistle-clean experience.

But the only way to find out is to give it a shot. I hope I'm wrong and it works out for you. Best of luck!