Anybody driving milk tankers for RUAN out of Ripon, CA?

Discussion in 'Tanker, Bulk and Dump Trucking Forum' started by jet460, Nov 3, 2014.

  1. moloko

    moloko Road Train Member

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    Just got a call back from them for a bread delivery position but I expressed my interest in hauling milk out of ripon. Do keep us updated on how it goes. What local is that, modesto or Stockton ?
     
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  3. patswife

    patswife Bobtail Member

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    Hi Jet460, have been wondering how it's going for you? My husband has also been hired for the local delivery job he applied for and starts in a few weeks. Hope all is going well & the job is all you hoped it would be. My husband will be happy to give up the truck stop life too!
     
  4. jet460

    jet460 Heavy Load Member

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    Started training yesterday.
    Worked 14 today.
    Went pretty fast.
    There is a lot to do and a lot of paperwork to figure out.
    Dairies are incredibly filthy and have lots of dead cows laying around waiting to be picked up and turned into dog food and truck stop corn dogs.
    You get a different truck every day at this terminal, since the trucks run 24/7, so no assigned trucks. The job seems pretty involved and rather interesting at times.
    Once I get the mind numbing clusterxxxx paperwork figured out, it should be a good gig.
     
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  5. Passin Thru

    Passin Thru Road Train Member

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    I was a lease op at W/S and retired from there. Loved them. Had one bad experience all the time I was leased to them. Well, 2 if you count getting laid over in LA for 4 days.
     
  6. patswife

    patswife Bobtail Member

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    Only the hooves & innards are used for the very finest of the truck stop corn dogs! LOL So sad to have to give up that fine cuisine! Did you only get 1 day of training before starting your own route. That's brutal if you have that much new paperwork to learn. Course you OR drivers only had to remember to log your prechecks, 30 min. break, at least 15 min @ receiver (the only problem my husband ever had which I could never figure out why when he sometimes had to wait for 6 hours @ the receiver) . And of course the all important trip logs! Let us know when it you begin enjoying being home every day; we'll keep you posted as well. Keep all 4 on the ground ...
     
  7. moloko

    moloko Road Train Member

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    Hey is that milk gig hourly? I talked to the recruiter yesterday and he said it is hourly and union. What local did you join?

    also where did they have you driving to ?
     
  8. jet460

    jet460 Heavy Load Member

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    I am riding with another driver. Quite impossible to do this otherwise.
    The union is teamsters local 386.
     
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  9. Grouch

    Grouch Road Train Member

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    Y'all talk about hauling milk and unions, I have been hauling milk going on 9 years, here in the mid-Atlantic region of the country and I have yet to run into a "union driver" in this business. Maybe it is completely different in other parts of the country, but we cover from NY state to Florida, as far west as Murray, KY and I haven't yet met a union driver pulling a milk tanker.

    I usually do not go to the farms, most of my loads are pre-loaded and are sitting on the yard, waiting on me. But the few times and the few farms that I have been to, most of them are pretty decent. I have never seen "dead cows" lying around. The smell isn't too great, but it is not unbearable.

    Most of the milk haulers are paid by the trips, a few are paid by the mile. As far as detention goes, maybe after 2 or 3 hours and then it is very little per hour. $50,000 per year is a good annual figure in this business. Most of the people are the nicest in the trucking industry. You are not going to become wealthy hauling milk, you will work on the average 6 or maybe 7 days per week, including holidays. It is a different world, but in my case, it suits me better than anything that I have done since I "retired" several years ago.
     
  10. jet460

    jet460 Heavy Load Member

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    Come to CA and you will see union drivers hauling milk, and dead cows.
     
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  11. moloko

    moloko Road Train Member

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    Hey jet is that an hourly gig? Or is it activity-based pay? Let me know how you like it so far. I'm considering pursuing this one.
     
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