Need Help...Schneider Bulk Tanker Division

- Types of jobs ..


Typically, this is how a load goes. 1.) Load assignment comes in. either pick up loaded trailer at tank wash or shipper; OR most likely - pick up an empty to get loaded at shipper. Very rarely do you do anything other than sit in the truck during loading. Sometimes you open the lid and position the spout and chain it so it doesn't move.


2.) deliver load. I'd estimate that 80% of the time you do the unload. Not hard, but a lot to remember - and you dont want to make a mistake. its easy to spill something or get hurt, neither are good. And youre outside, so you gotta deal with Mother Nature often for a few hours at a time. 15% are customer unloads (sit in the truck), and 5% are drop loaded trailer.


3.) drop empty trailer at tank wash. You'll either get another load sent on your way there or a few hours after. Sometimes it's after your 10 hr break.


You get paid $25 for load/unload, whether you do the work or shipper/consignees does, +$10/hr detention pay after 2 hrs.


You go to some really cool places, basically, when you enter the city, point the truck at the smokestacks .. That's prolly where you're going. But Sometimes it's an industrial park, sometimes it's a small company in the middle of nowhere.


Management?
Not bad. Schneider is nit picky, but other than that, I can't complain. Just depends on your DBL, really.


- Busy?
It's slow now, but I'm doing OK. Min 2k miles weekly, plus load and unload pay. max is 3k, unless you get a really good run. im prolly averaging 500 mile loads.


Overall i like it. I'd never drive a van unless the money was A LOT better. Definitely wouldn't drive van for any mega company. After a year or two of exp, you'll be set to make some good money pulling tankers. It's too bad Schneider doesn't make it worthwhile to stay with the company.

 

I'm curious as to where you are getting your 80%,15%,5% numbers from. Sounds like you are pulling them out of your arse. You don't just enter a city and "point the truck at the smokestacks", when you find the smokestacks at Nalco 65th street you let me know. This is the slow season, it usually picks up after New Years. There is no min or max miles.

Here is how it works, you will get a load asmt. You will be directed to pick up a trailer someplace. This ranges from a loaded one at at OC or tank wash or maybe even at a shipper. (Nalco and BASF are two of the major ones for this). You also might have to take in an empty and live load it. Which for the most part is pulling under a rack and waiting for the loaders to load it. You may have to leave the cab and go to a waiting area or you may be able to wait in the truck. Each shipper has their own way of doing it.

You then either relay the load someplace for another driver or you take it for delivery yourself. Reasons for relay are many, you are going home in the other direction, they need that load to get another driver home, customer cant take it and had to resched del, load has too much time and they want to give you another load to better use your time.

Delivery. His 80% is misleading at best. there is no set %. you can get into a cycle where you dont touch anything for weeks then have to live unload (using your pump or air) 10 in a row. its just the luck of the draw. you delivering the load and the customer unloading it while you listen to the radio is considerd a live unload. dont get caught up in what % of this or that.

After unload you take the trailer to a tank wash. Get any of your equipment you used cleaned (hoses, fittings, pump etc) (the tank wash cleans them, that is what schneider pay them for) you drop the trailer for wash (usually but on a rare occasion you may have to live wash it as that trailer might need to be used for your next load. usually only happens with the special trailers) When freight is strong they usually give you your next asmt before you get to the tank wash. (that is why they harp about updating your avail time and hrs), this time of year because frieght is slow you might have to sit until they find something that you can do.

Where do they go...refinerys, chemical plants, ports, power plants, mines, waste water treatment plants, steel mills etc etc etc etc. If they use chemicals you will probably go there at one time or another.

Is Schneider nit picky at times..yes. But they want you to be safe. some of this crap is dangerous and if you dont do things right you can cause things to go BOOOOOOM or get yourself and other hurt. It is nothing to be scared of, if you keep a healthy respect for what you have and what you are doing you will be fine. Plus for me the best part is the riff raff generaly stay away from bulk, and you seem to deal wtih a slightly better class of person with less of an attitude. (shippers, recievers and drivers)

 

Why must you be such an angry young man? LoLol .. Yeah I meant the smoke stack thing literally ! Proof that some will argue about anything! well when my driver unloads get lower than 8 out of ten, i'll be tap dancing on the gangways (dont take that literally, please) happy holidays tex!

 

What is SNBC paying CPM? Can't seem to get an answer since I'm on the Walmart account we just lost. I'm coming over to SNBC once we have closed up shop here, but I guess no one is allowed to talk to us about pay until next month.

 

About how many miles a week are bulk driving getting? Is it possible to run regional and get about 2000 miles a week and make a decent living like 800-900 a week?

 

Why not look elsewhere? I'm really liking SNBC, but like most others, just getting exp and moving on to better pay. To partially answer your question about CPM, a friend i met during training had 6 mos between CRE and USX, and started at 41CPM. Another driver I talked to (who had more exp) said he started at a higher rate than that, but didnt say a number.

But with your exp, you'd probably be missing out on at least 10-20k annually by not looking at other bulk carriers in your area. Some bulk carriers like to see tanker exp, but 2 years (or more) OTR exp seems to be what most are looking for.

 

I need to stay within the Schneider family for now, or ADM Trucking (you get insurance on day one.) My wife is pregnant and I'm not writing a check for everything when I'm employed with decent insurance. Have to do a sleep study before ADM will take me back, so for the time being I'm just planning on staying with SNI till after the baby is born or I get another sleep study done.

 

Hey yankee could you go into more detail about "riff raff" basically just wanna know what NOT to do (as a bulk driver)