A Student with a few Questions

Ha ha ha ha. Me too but I have to climb up on a 13' load to tarp it and walking on uneven ground. I'm very cautious. Just be slow and know where your feet are going. Catching a foot can be a serious mistake. The tankers I've seen have ladders going up and a real nice catwalk on top.

 

Usually you make more with hazmat/tankers than food grade tankers. Either way, you'll have a very good career. I've never pulled food grade, but with liquid hazmat the only time I had to climb on top was if a customer requested it to open the dome lid and look inside. With dry bulk it was company policy to climb on top to make sure nothing was stuck on the sides and all the product is unloaded. Since you like Prime, then go with the tankers; even though it's food grade, it will be good tanker experience to move on to hazmat later if you wish.

 

Pulling tankers is the best. No docks, no waiting, better pay, better hours (normally run days), people are happy to see you.

 

I love tankers (I used to do flatbed), I actually enjoy my job.

I used to be otr but now I'm local making more money. If you get your experience in I definitely recommend sticking with tanker work and getting into hazmat later on.

Like Chinatown said, with hazmat tankers you don't climb up there, we have one driver that runs chemicals and he sits in the truck while it's loaded/unloaded.

I haul fuel though, I load and unload my own trailer. It's a very cool job to have.

Good luck!

 

I forgot to mention, if I pick up a pre-loaded liquid hazmat trailer, I do climb the ladder and check the seal on the dome lid. Don't have to actually climb on top, just climb to top of ladder and lean over to check the seal. By seal, I mean, after the shipper closes the dome lid, they put a serialized security seal on it. That's what I check, to make sure the seal is there.

Some places are real strict about seals. FujiFilm in Phoenix, AZ are real sticklers. They even want the hoses sealed and they check all serial numbers to ensure they match the Bill of Lading. They check inside the hoses and better not see even a drop of moisture or they won't unload.

It's just part of tanker work & I really like the challenge.

 

Happy to see you, i think thats why i love hauling fuel...