[Luzon]

I just thought I'd share this info with ya'll. I've been trying to get on with Bulkmatic for a couple years but here in Tampa, they haven't had even one driver quit in over 4 years. What does that tell ya?
They ARE hiring in a number of other areas though. Here is a list of cities that they are currently looking for drivers in.

Decatur, AL
Decatur, IL
Hodgkins, IL
Teutopolis, IL
Evansville, IN
Griffith, IN
Grand Rapids, MI
Taylor, MI
Omaha, NE
Paterson, NJ
Buffalo, NY
Belpre, OH
Cincinnati, OH
Columbus, OH
Euclid, OH
Martins Creek, PA
York, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Williamsport, PA
Dyersburg, TN
Knoxville, TN
Houston, TX

Good luck all, this is a quality outfit!!!

[Mackman]

Originally Posted by Luzon

this is a quality outfit!!!

Why do you say that??

[ronjon619]

cuz he wants to work there.

[Mackman]

Originally Posted by ronjon619

cuz he wants to work there.

Why does he want to work there?? To me they just look like the coolies of bulk haulers.

[Jackrabbit379]

If a company isn't hiring, or hasn't had anyone quit in 4 years, is a good thing. One thing about looking for a job; if you are able, look at the turn-over ratio. Also, Mackman made a good point, when he asked why the OP thought it was a good company. Some jobs may be a gold mind to some and a dump to others. Me personally, I wouldn't want to pull a tanker. Or in this case, a pneumatic.

[Luzon]

Originally Posted by Mackman

Why do you say that??

Ok, let me rephrase that. From what I can tell - compared to other companies I've looked at, Bulkmatic appears to be a quality outfit.

Here's some reasons I say that.

Low turn over rate - not just in Tampa. Not a zero turn over rate, but low.
Nice quality equipment.
Local and regional opportunities.
Strong pay compared to many other companies.
No tanker or hazmat required endorsements required. - I have both though.
I have only the Tampa terminal to say this about but I was able to walk right in and sit down with the Terminal Mgr and talk about the company, opportunities, etc - even though there was no opportunity at the time.
One of the safest carriers in the US - says so on their website! If it's on the internet it must be true, right. :clap: Actually, I belive it. They are very heavy into training and one needs 2 years exp before they'll consider you.

That my friends, is why I say they appear to be a quality outfit.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Kurbski]

IBS or International Bulk Services either is the parent company or provides the rail yards where Bulkmatic loads their trailers. Loading a dry bulk trailer from a rail car can be a hassle if things don't go right or you have a split load from 2 different railcars. After you attach the blower, hot hose and fill line then pressurize the railcar it takes about 2+ hours to fill the trailer with 50,000 lbs of starch or whatever. If you have an air weight gauge on the trailer it will save you from over filling, then going back to reattach and blow off product if your over, or put more on if your not within the 50k limits. Being over or under obviousley requires you to go back and start all over, hit the scale again and the time adds up quickly reducing your hourly rate. It's hot nasty knuckle busting work in FL,and you get soaked in sweat at 8 am from May to Sept. and covered in dust while working.

I will pass on dry bulk 365days a year :-) especially if it only pays $25 to load and $75 to deliver local.

The railcar manifold and tank pressure gauges dont always work either and when the hoppers get low its hard to get the product moving sometimes, and they wont release the car until you try 3 or 4 times to get everything out which = 3 more trips to the scale and end up working in a rail yard for 8-10 hours with very little shade and only driving for 3 hours. I havent done it but you can plug up trailers as well if you get out of sequence and are having a bad day. Most of these companies are using older trailers with a dust sock on top and no air weight gauges.But you can get pretty close with an in dash axle weight gauge with practice. Now a preloaded trailer would be a different story if all you do is deliver it. Some guys love it and good luck with the dry bulk it just isnt for me either....

[Luzon]

Thanks for the very nice post there Kurbski. Very informative. That all sounds af if it came from a man with experience. Might I ask what you're driving these days? Van, flatbed, etc? Just curious.

I have an application in with a boat hauling outfit right now. That's all they do, haul boats.

[Kurbski]

I am a tanker yanker and think hauling boats would be a cool gig :-) Daniel Audet is a boat hauler on facebook with his own blog and internet radio show you can call in to. The url is TRUCKSTAR.COM

Alot of loads come out of S FL. and you won't be hauling this one.LOL But this was on Saturday Night Live not long ago and is the uncut/uncensored hilarious version. YouTube - I'm On A Boat (ft. T-Pain) - Album Version

Have a good weekend, I gotta get some stuff done before I head out in the AM.

[feederfred]

Originally Posted by Kurbski

IBS or International Bulk Services either is the parent company or provides the rail yards where Bulkmatic loads their trailers. Loading a dry bulk trailer from a rail car can be a hassle if things don't go right or you have a split load from 2 different railcars. After you attach the blower, hot hose and fill line then pressurize the railcar it takes about 2+ hours to fill the trailer with 50,000 lbs of starch or whatever. If you have an air weight gauge on the trailer it will save you from over filling, then going back to reattach and blow off product if your over, or put more on if your not within the 50k limits. Being over or under obviousley requires you to go back and start all over, hit the scale again and the time adds up quickly reducing your hourly rate. It's hot nasty knuckle busting work in FL,and you get soaked in sweat at 8 am from May to Sept. and covered in dust while working.

I will pass on dry bulk 365days a year :-) especially if it only pays $25 to load and $75 to deliver local.

The railcar manifold and tank pressure gauges dont always work either and when the hoppers get low its hard to get the product moving sometimes, and they wont release the car until you try 3 or 4 times to get everything out which = 3 more trips to the scale and end up working in a rail yard for 8-10 hours with very little shade and only driving for 3 hours. I havent done it but you can plug up trailers as well if you get out of sequence and are having a bad day. Most of these companies are using older trailers with a dust sock on top and no air weight gauges.But you can get pretty close with an in dash axle weight gauge with practice. Now a preloaded trailer would be a different story if all you do is deliver it. Some guys love it and good luck with the dry bulk it just isnt for me either....

This describes a typical day in the life of dry bulk trucking...When I was with Savage in Reno, prior to the liquid tanks, this post above was a very typical, hot, aggravating day. When you added up the money and break it down to what you have to do, it wasn't worth it...Like being annoyed ? Then spend your days hauling dry bulk...Glad I'm out of it